Asked by: Margaret Greenwood (Labour - Wirral West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average length of time is that overpayment debts in respect of earnings conditions of Carer’s Allowance have been outstanding providing figures for the last year available.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
Carers Allowance has a commitment to action any debt case once identified within 56 days. The resourcing of this work can vary in line with demand and competing priorities.
Asked by: Margaret Greenwood (Labour - Wirral West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many carers (a) have earnings and are eligible for Carer’s Allowance but do not receive Universal Credit and (b) receive Carer’s Allowance and Universal Credit as of 1 February 2023.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
The department does not hold data on the number of carers eligible for Carer’s Allowance, but not receiving it.
The latest data the department holds on the number of carers receiving Carer’s Allowance and Universal Credit is from August 2022. As of August 2022, around 334,000 carers were receiving both Carer’s Allowance and Universal Credit.
Asked by: Margaret Greenwood (Labour - Wirral West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many overpayments of Carer’s Allowance there have been in the earnings brackets (a) £0.01 - £500, (b) £500.01 - £1,000, (c) £1,000.01 - £5,000, (d) £5,000.01 - £20,000 and (e) over £20,000 providing figures for the latest available year.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
Table 1 details the number of live Carer’s Allowance overpayments the department is seeking to recover, by the value brackets requested, as of 1st February 2023.
Overpayment Value | Volume of Overpayments |
£0.01 - £500 | 55,010 |
£500.01 - £1,000 | 50,753 |
£1,000.01 - £5,000 | 27,761 |
£5,000.01 - £20,000 | 11,773 |
Over £20,000 | 270 |
Total | 145,567 |
Table 1 - Note: Data is for England, Wales and Scotland only, and represents overpayments held with balances greater than £0.00.
Table 2 details the number of overpayments of Carer’s Allowance for the last available year (2022/23) where the reason for overpayment was recorded as earnings over the Carer’s Allowance limit. The actual amount of earnings received is not captured. The bandwidths used therefore relate to the amount overpaid.
Overpayment Value | Number of overpayments (2022/23) |
£0.01 - £500 | 7,121 |
£500.01 - £1,000 | 7,271 |
£1,000.01 - £5,000 | 11,476 |
£5,000.01 - £20,000 | 835 |
Over £20,000 | 36 |
Total | 26,739 |
Table 2 - Note: Data includes devolved overpayments from Scotland but excludes Northern Ireland.
Table 3 details the number of overpayments of Carer’s Allowance there have been in relation to the earnings conditions for the past 5 years.
Going further back, the data excludes overpayments fully repaid – details of which are archived after 14 months and fully deleted after 7 years, which does not allow for a true figure to be calculated. Data includes devolved overpayments from Scotland.
Financial Years | Volume of Overpayments |
2018/19 | 25,761 |
2019/20 | 39,502 |
2020/21 | 19,742 |
2021/22 | 35,965 |
2022/23 | 26,739 |
Total | 186,268 |
Table 3
Asked by: Margaret Greenwood (Labour - Wirral West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many overpayments of Carer’s Allowance there have been in relation to the earnings conditions in each of the last 10 years.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
Table 1 details the number of live Carer’s Allowance overpayments the department is seeking to recover, by the value brackets requested, as of 1st February 2023.
Overpayment Value | Volume of Overpayments |
£0.01 - £500 | 55,010 |
£500.01 - £1,000 | 50,753 |
£1,000.01 - £5,000 | 27,761 |
£5,000.01 - £20,000 | 11,773 |
Over £20,000 | 270 |
Total | 145,567 |
Table 1 - Note: Data is for England, Wales and Scotland only, and represents overpayments held with balances greater than £0.00.
Table 2 details the number of overpayments of Carer’s Allowance for the last available year (2022/23) where the reason for overpayment was recorded as earnings over the Carer’s Allowance limit. The actual amount of earnings received is not captured. The bandwidths used therefore relate to the amount overpaid.
Overpayment Value | Number of overpayments (2022/23) |
£0.01 - £500 | 7,121 |
£500.01 - £1,000 | 7,271 |
£1,000.01 - £5,000 | 11,476 |
£5,000.01 - £20,000 | 835 |
Over £20,000 | 36 |
Total | 26,739 |
Table 2 - Note: Data includes devolved overpayments from Scotland but excludes Northern Ireland.
Table 3 details the number of overpayments of Carer’s Allowance there have been in relation to the earnings conditions for the past 5 years.
Going further back, the data excludes overpayments fully repaid – details of which are archived after 14 months and fully deleted after 7 years, which does not allow for a true figure to be calculated. Data includes devolved overpayments from Scotland.
Financial Years | Volume of Overpayments |
2018/19 | 25,761 |
2019/20 | 39,502 |
2020/21 | 19,742 |
2021/22 | 35,965 |
2022/23 | 26,739 |
Total | 186,268 |
Table 3
Asked by: Margaret Greenwood (Labour - Wirral West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many debts of overpayments of Carer's Allowance his Department was seeking to recover in value brackets (a) £0.01 - £500, (b) £500.01 - £1,000, (c) £1,000.01 - £5,000, (d) £5,000.01 - £20,000 and (e) over £20,000 as of 1 February 2023.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
Table 1 details the number of live Carer’s Allowance overpayments the department is seeking to recover, by the value brackets requested, as of 1st February 2023.
Overpayment Value | Volume of Overpayments |
£0.01 - £500 | 55,010 |
£500.01 - £1,000 | 50,753 |
£1,000.01 - £5,000 | 27,761 |
£5,000.01 - £20,000 | 11,773 |
Over £20,000 | 270 |
Total | 145,567 |
Table 1 - Note: Data is for England, Wales and Scotland only, and represents overpayments held with balances greater than £0.00.
Table 2 details the number of overpayments of Carer’s Allowance for the last available year (2022/23) where the reason for overpayment was recorded as earnings over the Carer’s Allowance limit. The actual amount of earnings received is not captured. The bandwidths used therefore relate to the amount overpaid.
Overpayment Value | Number of overpayments (2022/23) |
£0.01 - £500 | 7,121 |
£500.01 - £1,000 | 7,271 |
£1,000.01 - £5,000 | 11,476 |
£5,000.01 - £20,000 | 835 |
Over £20,000 | 36 |
Total | 26,739 |
Table 2 - Note: Data includes devolved overpayments from Scotland but excludes Northern Ireland.
Table 3 details the number of overpayments of Carer’s Allowance there have been in relation to the earnings conditions for the past 5 years.
Going further back, the data excludes overpayments fully repaid – details of which are archived after 14 months and fully deleted after 7 years, which does not allow for a true figure to be calculated. Data includes devolved overpayments from Scotland.
Financial Years | Volume of Overpayments |
2018/19 | 25,761 |
2019/20 | 39,502 |
2020/21 | 19,742 |
2021/22 | 35,965 |
2022/23 | 26,739 |
Total | 186,268 |
Table 3
Asked by: Margaret Greenwood (Labour - Wirral West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has plans to take steps to implement a Family Scheme Visa for people in (a) Türkiye and (b) Syria who have family in the UK and have been left homeless following earthquakes in February 2023.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Government has no plans to implement specific schemes for those impacted by the earthquake in Turkey and Syria, existing visa routes for those wishing to come to the UK are available.
The UK continues to provide lifesaving and emergency support, coordinating closely with the Turkish government and United Nations in Syria to ensure our support meets the needs on the ground and that we can stay responsive to emerging needs.
Asked by: Margaret Greenwood (Labour - Wirral West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what actions domiciliary care workers should take in the event of a fire at the home of someone they are providing care for; and what guidance the Government provides for those care workers in that scenario.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Care Certificate Standards are an identified set of standards that health and social care workers adhere to in their daily working life. Standard 13 refers to a care worker being able to promote fire safety by explaining how to prevent fires from starting or spreading and being able to describe what to do in the event of a fire.
The Department does not provide guidance on fire safety but there is a range of advice available in the care sector.
Asked by: Margaret Greenwood (Labour - Wirral West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help ensure that domiciliary care workers who work shifts longer than six hours receive a break during their shift.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Workers are entitled to a minimum of 20 minutes’ rest break if they work at least six hours.
Workers can call the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service helpline for free, impartial and confidential advice about their rights and entitlements.
Asked by: Margaret Greenwood (Labour - Wirral West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will take steps to provide an additional Cost of Living Payment to disabled people before April 2023.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
The Government announced in the Autumn Statement that it will provide a further Disability Cost of Living Payment of £150 in 2023/24 to people in receipt of certain disability benefits such as Personal Independence Payment (PIP) or Disability Living Allowance (DLA). This is in addition to the £150 payment already paid during 2022.
The Disability Cost of Living Payment can be received in addition to the other Cost of Living Payments of up to £900 for households on means-tested benefits and £300 for pensioners.
Preliminary guidance on when these Cost of Living Payments will be made have been published on GOV.UK: Cost of Living Payment 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
Asked by: Margaret Greenwood (Labour - Wirral West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans he has to introduce a social tariff for energy.
Answered by Graham Stuart
As set out in the Autumn Statement, the Government is developing a new approach to consumer protection in energy markets, which will apply from April 2024 onwards.
The Government has committed to work with consumer groups and industry to consider the best approach, including options such as social tariffs, as part of wider retail market reforms.