Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many deductions of earnings orders were issued by the Child Maintenance Service to employers other than the Ministry of Defence for the purpose of collecting child maintenance in each of the last three years.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
This information is not collated as part of normal business and is only available at disproportionate cost to the Department.
The Department publishes quarterly Child Maintenance Service (CMS) statistics, with the latest statistics available to the end of September 2021, here:
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many deductions of earnings requests were issued by the Child Maintenance Service to the Ministry of Defence's Defence Business Services for the purpose of collecting child maintenance in each of the last three years.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
This information is not collated as part of normal business and is only available at disproportionate cost to the Department.
The Department publishes quarterly Child Maintenance Service (CMS) statistics, with the latest statistics available to the end of September 2021, here:
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 10 November 2021 to Question 69664 on State Retirement Pensions: Females, what specific actions have been taken in the last 12 months to support those affected by (a) changes to state pension age for 1950s-born women and (b) the communication of those changes.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government put in place a broad range of measures to help everyone financially during the Pandemic. For those who cannot work, the benefit system continues to provide a strong safety net. Support is available to those who are unable to work or are on a low income but are not eligible to pensioner benefits because of their age.
For those who have reached their State Pension age, Pension Credit also provides invaluable financial support for the most vulnerable. We continue to use every opportunity to encourage pensioners to check their eligibility and make a claim. Earlier this year, over 11 million pensioners in Great Britain received information about Pension Credit in the leaflet accompanying their annual State Pension up-rating letter. And on 16 June as part of a media day of action on Pension Credit, DWP joined forces with Age UK as well as the BBC to help reach, via national and local media, older people who may be reticent about claiming it.
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department has taken in the last 12 months to support those affected by (a) changes to state pension age for 1950s-born women and (b) the communication of those changes.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
This Government is committed to providing a financial safety net for those who need it, including when they near or reach retirement. Support is available to those who are unable to work or are on a low income but are not eligible to pensioner benefits because of their age.
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent steps her Department has taken to mitigate the effect of state pension age changes on women born in the 1950s.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Raising State Pension age in line with life expectancy changes has been the policy of successive administrations over many years, dating back to 1993.
Parliament set out in successive Pensions Acts fair transitional arrangements when it introduced the changes to State Pension age. There are no plans for further transitional provisions.
Scotland has the powers under the Scotland Act 2016 to make additional discretionary payments should it wish to do so.
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether officials in her Department have had recent discussions with representatives from the congenital adrenal hyperplasia community.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department has not had any recent meetings with representatives from the congenital adrenal hyperplasia community. We meet regularly with disabled people, people with health conditions and their representatives, to ensure their voices are put at the heart of policy making and service design. To support the Health and Disability Green Paper we are currently running public events in locations around the country to hear about people’s experiences with our services and to get their views on the Green Paper proposals. These are accompanied by a series of virtual public events for those who would prefer to engage with us in that way.
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of establishing an independent savings and pension commission to better ensure that pensions and savings policies (a) are fit for purpose and (b) avoid such instances as the collapse of the AEA Technology pension scheme.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
No assessment has been made, but the Pension Protection Fund continue to provide statutory compensation where a sponsoring employer becomes insolvent.
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to help people affected by the collapse of the AEA Technology pension scheme.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
On 7 July 2016 the AEA Technology (AEAT) pension scheme transferred to the Pension Protection Fund (PPF).
The PPF is the statutory compensation scheme. It provides compensation to members of eligible defined benefit pension schemes where the sponsoring employer has become insolvent and the scheme is unable to secure its pension liabilities at least at PPF compensation levels.
AEAT scheme members who are over their scheme’s normal pension age (NPA) at the date that their employer became insolvent would receive 100 per cent of their accrued scheme benefits, as calculated at the date of employer insolvency. Those members under NPA at the date that the employer became insolvent would receive PPF compensation paid at 90 per cent of accrued scheme benefits, as calculated at the date of employer insolvency.
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions officials in her Department have had with representatives of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman on a potential investigation into the AEA Technology pension scheme.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
There have been no meetings between Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) officials and PHSO representatives regarding a potential investigation into the AEA Technology pension scheme. PHSO is an independent body accountable directly to Parliament, it would be inappropriate for DWP officials to influence its investigations.
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps the Child Maintenance Service is taking to ensure that (a) effect on children and (b) other relevant factors are considered when making child maintenance payment adjustments relating to non-resident parent increased pension contributions.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Child Maintenance Service can consider whether pension contributions made by the non-resident parent are reasonable if the parent with care has sufficient grounds for a variation application, based on diversion of income. Pension contributions can then be compared to the non-resident parent’s personal circumstances, such as their age and income, to determine whether they should be considered excessive.
The Service will always try to ensure that the maintenance calculation accurately reflects the non-resident parent’s ability to pay child maintenance. If pension contributions could be considered to be affecting support given to the child, the Service will investigate and take action if appropriate.