Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what information she holds on the suicide rate of people whose claims for (a) universal credit, (b) employment support allowance and (c) personal independence payment are declined.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
The Department recognises that suicide is a tragic and complex issue; one which we take extremely seriously. This Government is fully committed to reducing the incidence of suicide and supporting people to get the help they need.
The Department does not centrally collect the reason for claimant deaths.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking with businesses to prevent employee's exposure to (a) asbestos and (b) carcinogens in the workplace.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
All businesses must prevent, or if this is not reasonably practicable minimise, exposure of employees to carcinogens, including asbestos, in the workplace. Businesses must comply with the requirements of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 and the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002, both of which are regulated by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). HSE also produces free guidance to assist businesses to comply with their legal duties: http://www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/index.htm & http://www.hse.gov.uk/coshh/.
HSE also works in partnership with businesses and others to raise awareness of workplace ill health. For example, occupational lung disease, including that caused by exposure to carcinogens, is one of three health priorities that form HSE’s Health and Work strategy to prevent workplace ill health. This work includes the national campaign ‘Go Home Healthy’ to promote HSE’s commitment to tackling ill health.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many mandatory re-considerations have been submitted for personal independence payment claims in Lancashire in the last 12 months.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
Between February 2018 and January 2019 there were 8,780 Mandatory Reconsiderations registered against Personal Independence Payment (PIP) Normal Rules claims for claimants living in Lancashire. This covers both new claims and DLA reassessment claims.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average cost to her Department is to process a mandatory reconsideration for personal independence payment.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
The average DWP unit costs for Mandatory Reconsiderations for Personal Independence Payments for the latest full financial year 2017/18 are:
Full year average 2017/18 – Operating costs level unit costs | £ |
PIP Claims Mandatory Reconsiderations | 61.93 |
PIP Reassessments Mandatory Reconsiderations | 53.66 |
Costs are provided separately for Mandatory Reconsiderations relating to PIP Claims and PIP Reassessments as these are separate activities with costs gathered separately for each.
The average unit costs that have been provided are taken from the DWP’s Activity Based Models at an Operating Costs level which includes direct costs relating to staff undertaking the activities (staff, and local non-staff costs only). They do not include higher level support costs such as management and corporate overheads relating to PIP administration activities.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential correlation between the roll-out of universal credit and the trends in the level of survival prostitution; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Lord Sharma
We do not believe there is any correlation between the roll-out of Universal Credit and prostitution.
The priority of Jobcentre Plus staff is to make sure that claimants get the support they need and then help them to move into work when they are able.
A wide range of financial support is available to help claimants, with 100 per cent advances available on the same day if there is a need.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to to reduce the number of claimants' successful claims that go through the tribunal appeal process.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
Our intention is to work with stakeholders to review the mandatory reconsideration process, including exploring what might help us to gather any further evidence earlier in the process so that we can revise decisions before they reach tribunal, where appropriate. It is a complex area and we want to get it right, so our first priority will be to listen so that we can identify what changes might have the greatest impact.
At the tribunals themselves, we know the claimant’s oral evidence is often decisive with new written evidence also having an impact. In order to further understand this, we have recruited 150 Presenting Officers, for ESA and PIP appeals, who, aside from helping tribunals reach the right decision, are feeding back their observations to decision makers and assessment providers. These valuable insights will help inform future decision making.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average cost to the public purse is of a successful appeal for personal independence payment.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Answer of 9 January 2019 to Question 205829, Children; Maintenance, how many non-compliant parents were disqualified from holding or obtaining a UK passport in (a) 2016, (b) 2017 and (c) 2018.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
The Child Maintenance Service Compliance and Arrears strategy, which gave us enforcement powers enabling disqualification of non-compliant parents from holding or obtaining a UK passport, came into effect from 14th December 2018. Therefore there were no non-compliant parents disqualified during a) 2016, (b) 2017 and (c) 2018.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to reduce the rate of non-compliance from paying parents to receiving parents using the Child Maintenance Service.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
The Child Maintenance Service has wide ranging powers to enforce the collection of both ongoing child maintenance liability and also arrears. Our Compliance and Arrears strategy further strengthens our enforcement powers by enabling the deduction of child maintenance from a wider range of bank accounts, tackling ‘asset rich’ parents by assuming a notional income from certain assets, and enabling non-compliant parents to be disqualified from holding or obtaining a UK passport.