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 May 2023 to Question 183251 on Universal Credit: Young People, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of aligning Universal Credit for people under 25 with the eligibility of 23 years for the National Living Wage.
Answered by Guy Opperman
No such assessment has been made.
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 May 2023 to Question 183251 on Universal Credit: Young People, for what reason people under 25 who live independently are paid a lower rate of Universal Credit than those aged 25 years and over.
Answered by Guy Opperman
The rate of Universal Credit reflects the fact that many claimants are more likely to live in someone else’s household, have lower living costs and typically receive lower wages. It is acknowledged that some claimants under 25 do live independently, which is why Universal Credit includes separate elements to provide support to claimants for these additional costs. These additional amounts are provided in a similar way to all claimants.
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 he has made of the potential merits of increasing Universal Credit payments for people under 25 to the same rate as for people over 25.
Answered by Guy Opperman
No such assessment has been made.
Universal Credit provides those who are under 25 with lower rates than those age 25 and over. This is to reflect the fact that these claimants are more likely to live in someone else’s household and have lower living costs. It also reflects the lower wages that younger workers typically receive. However, it is acknowledged that some claimants under 25 do live independently, which is why Universal Credit includes separate elements to provide support to claimants for these additional costs. These additional amounts are provided in a similar way to all claimants.
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 his Department has made a recent assessment of the adequacy of the eligibility criteria for statutory sick pay for people who work 12-hour shifts and whose working week is condensed into three days.
Answered by Tom Pursglove
Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) is the minimum that employers must pay to eligible individuals during a period of sickness absence. Many employers decide to pay more, and for longer, through Occupational Sick Pay.
Eligibility to SSP is based upon an individual’s earnings from employment, rather than the number of hours they work. SSP is paid from the fourth qualifying day (days an employee usually works) of work missed. The first three qualifying days in a period of absence are known as waiting days. To be eligible to receive SSP, an individual must have been incapable of work for at least four days in a row, including non-working days.
The Government is continuing to keep the SSP system under review.
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, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of removing qualifying days in the context of the eligibility criteria for Statutory Sick Pay.
Answered by Tom Pursglove
In the Health is Everyone’s Business consultation, the Government set out proposals for limited reforms to Statutory Sick Pay (SSP), including consideration of the role qualifying days have.
In response to the consultation (2021), the Government maintained that SSP provides an important link between the employee and employer but that this was not the right time to introduce changes to the sick pay system. The Government is continuing to keep the SSP system under review.
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, if he will make it his policy to extend the eligibility for the 2023-24 Cost of Living Payments to people in receipt of contributions-based Employer Support Allowance.
Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister (Women)
The government has targeted the means-tested Cost of Living Payments to those on means tested benefits as those with the lowest incomes are most vulnerable to increases in the cost of living.
Contributory and new style benefits such as contributory Employment and Support Allowance are not means-tested benefits, and people claiming them may have other financial resources available to them.
Low-income claimants of these benefits may also be able to claim a means-tested benefit. For example, they may be eligible for Universal Credit and, if their claim is successful, they may qualify for future cost of living support. They may also be eligible for a disability benefit and the Disability Cost of Living Payment.
Contributory and new style benefits will also be up-rated by 10.1% from April. And for those who need further support, we are extending the Household Support Fund in England throughout 2023/24 to help households with the cost of essentials including those in need who may not be eligible for the other support we have recently made available. The Devolved Administrations will receive Barnett funding to spend at their discretion with their local knowledge.
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, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of implementing the recommendations in the report by the Royal National Institute of Blind People entitled Access to Work: People with sight loss cannot wait any longer for action, published on 26 January 2023.
Answered by Tom Pursglove
Access to Work has received a significant increase in applications over the last year, and we have recruited new staff to meet the increased demand and reduce the time it takes to make decisions.
Customers making new applications where they are starting work within the next 4 weeks, or have a grant coming to an end that requires renewal, are prioritised to ensure customers are able to enter and remain in the labour market. The department is working hard to reduce the wait times for all disabled people, with all processes being kept under review, including in the context of the recommendations from the Royal National Institute of Blind People report.
The Royal National Institute of Blind People report included recommendations such as whether the DWP could reintroduce some of the easements that were in place during the COVID-19 pandemic. This has already been considered and, alongside prioritising people with a job start within the next 4 weeks, easements like a revised ‘light touch’ renewals process have been put in place.
Longer term, we are also transforming the Access to Work service through increased digitalisation, that will make the service more efficient, make the application process easier, and improve the time taken from application through to decision.
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, if his Department will review the threshold to qualify for Pension Credit in the context of the increase in the level of inflation.
Answered by Laura Trott - Shadow Secretary of State for Education
Following the conclusion of the Secretary of State’s annual up-rating review, subject to Parliamentary approval, the Standard Minimum Guarantee in Pension Credit will increase by 10.1% from April 2023. This is in line with the increase in prices in the year to September 2022 and it will also extend CPI protection to those who rely on the Standard Minimum Guarantee in Pension Credit at a cost of £700 million above the statutory minimum requirement.
Other elements of Pension Credit will also increase by 10.1%, including the additional amounts for disabled people and carers, and the threshold for access to the Savings Credit for those who reached State Pension age before April 2016.
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 his Department has taken to ensure that Winter Fuel Payments are made in a timely manner.
Answered by Laura Trott - Shadow Secretary of State for Education
The final batch of Winter Fuel Payments were processed by DWP on 7 December with payments credited to customers’ bank accounts on 12 December 2022. Payment adjustments resulting from customers’ change of circumstances and death arrears will continue to be made over the coming weeks, this includes any new claims for this year's Winter Fuel Payment exercise.
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, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of calculating child maintenance payments using income net of tax.
Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister (Women)
To calculate child maintenance, the Child Maintenance Service uses the paying parent’s gross income before tax and national insurance but after pension contributions.
While the method of assessment is kept under review to assure fairness for both parents, at this stage, using gross income allows calculations to be made quickly and accurately as income information can be obtained easily from HM Revenue and Customs. This avoids uncertainty for both parents and potential administrative problems.