Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - North Tyneside)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what work restrictions apply to a person who does not have a national insurance number.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Work and Pensions is responsible for the allocation of National Insurance Numbers (NINos) to adults in the UK. The NINo is an administrative reference number, unique to each individual and used by both DWP and HMRC to link an individual to their National Insurance Contributions and record the payment of Social Security Benefits.
Possession of a National Insurance number does not demonstrate that an individual has a right to work in the UK, this is determined by Home Office legislation. A list of acceptable documents that enables an individual to demonstrate they have the right work is set out in the Employers Guide to Right to Work Checks.
https://www.gov.uk/prove-right-to-work
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - North Tyneside)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has plans to extend the three month suspension of face-to-face benefit assessments.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 9 June 2020 to Question UIN 52251.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - North Tyneside)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether cleaners employed by Interserve working in her Department’s premises enjoy parity of treatment with civil servants in her Department with respect to their (a) entitlement to sick leave caused by covid-19, (b) status as vulnerable workers and (c) responsibilities for looking after extremely vulnerable dependents.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Both DWP and Interserve have implemented HR policies which fully comply with the Covid-19 guidance published by Public Health England (PHE) via Gov.uk.
These policies each cover the three areas highlighted for the respective separate workforces.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - North Tyneside)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether cleaners employed by Interserve working in her Department’s premises (a) have access to personal protective equipment, (b) are classed as key workers, and (c) are eligible for covid-19 testing.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
All Interserve cleaners have been provided and continue to be re-supplied with the appropriate PPE to carry out the cleaning tasks in accordance with our Company COVID-19 PPE risk assessment and specific DWP Task Risk Assessments which both comply with all published Government guidelines and advice. Appropriate PPE in the form of protective gloves is being provided to all cleaning staff.
The cleaners are classed as Key Workers and each have been provided with written correspondence to confirm this status.
The cleaners and their household members are eligible for COVID-19 testing subject to showing symptoms in accordance with our Company testing programme, or they may apply through the Government route themselves.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - North Tyneside)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what new health and safety measures have been put in place since the start of the covid-19 outbreak to protect cleaners employed by Interserve in her Department’s premises who (a) are classed as vulnerable and (b) look after extremely vulnerable dependants.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department wrote to all its suppliers, including Interserve, reaffirming that they should follow the guidance issued via Public Health England on Gov.uk and has been working closely with them since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak to ensure appropriate measures are put in place.
Where reasonable adjustments can be made to allow the colleague to attend work, then Interserve is implementing those adjustments. These adjustments can include shorter hours, flexible start/finish times to avoid busy commutes, and social distancing in the workplace. Where reasonable adjustments cannot be made to support a safe working environment for colleagues who identify as vulnerable then arrangements are made for the colleague to remain at home on full pay. Additionally, appropriate PPE in the form of protective gloves is being provided to all cleaning staff.
Interserve colleagues who may be caring for vulnerable dependants who require “shielding” are being advised to raise this with their line manager so that reasonable adjustments such as those above can be explored.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - North Tyneside)
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 implications for her policies on the national disability strategy of the recommendations in Muscular Dystrophy UK’s report on disability benefits, entitled Below standard.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department places a strong emphasis on engaging with stakeholders to inform health and disability policy to ensure we are addressing the right problems in the welfare system. Muscular Dystrophy UK’s report entitled ‘Below standard: MDUK’s assessment of the benefits system’ offers insights into the challenges faced by people living with muscle-wasting conditions.
Government will reflect carefully on these findings as part of the National Disability Strategy, which will be published by the end of the year, and in the DWP Green Paper on health and disability benefits and support.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - North Tyneside)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the consultation on changes to the collection of child maintenance arrears, launched in December 2017, how many responses her Department received, and how many of those responses opposed the proposal to write off historical arrears.
Answered by Will Quince
The consultation closed on 8 February 2018. We received a total of 99 responses, 11 from organisations and 88 from private individuals (of which 21 identified themselves as paying parents, and 24 as receiving parents). Respondents were asked 15 question, four of which discussed the proposal to write off historical arrears.
Accurately assessing the number of responses opposed specifically to the proposal to write off historical arrears is not straightforward. Not all respondents chose to answer the specific questions, and a large number of responses were about individual case circumstances, and didn’t raise issues within the scope of the consultation. Of the nine responses which were focused on the scope of the consultation, four opposed the write off and three had a mixed view.
The Government published a detailed response to this consultation on 12 July 2018, accessible through the link below.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - North Tyneside)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has plans to conduct an equality impact assessment in relation to the child maintenance service arrears strategy, and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Will Quince
DWP considered the impact of the compliance and arrears strategy on those with the relevant protected characteristics in line with the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED).
We determined that there would be no direct discrimination from this strategy across the eight protected characteristics as none of the characteristics are a factor in how the regulations are applied.
Some groups may be indirectly affected more than others as a result of the caseload demographic.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - North Tyneside)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the number of families affected by her Department's decision to write off child maintenance arrears of (a) £65.01 and £500, and (b) more than £500, and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Will Quince
In the “Child Maintenance: A New Compliance and Arrears Strategy” document which was published in December 2017, estimates were made regarding the number of parents who would be affected. There were estimated to be approximately 360,000 cases where parents would not be offered the opportunity to make representation (below £500 and less than 10 years old or below £1000 and over 10 years old) and approximately 475,000 cases where they would (over £500 and less than 10 years old or over £1000 and over 10 years old). This can be found here https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/child-maintenance-a-new-compliance-and-arrears-strategy.
Information for how many parents have currently had their arrears written off is not readily available and has not previously been published as official statistics, however we expect these new statistics to be published in June 2019. Information on the planned changes to the Child Support Agency Quarterly Statistical Summary to incorporate this information can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/child-support-agency-statistics-publication-strategy.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - North Tyneside)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what financial assessment she has made of the effect of writing off child maintenance arrears on (a) her Department's budget and (b) families who are entitled to claim child maintenance; and how much money has been transferred from the legacy system and is in the process of being written off.
Answered by Will Quince
In December 2017 we published a public consultation document detailing the financial assessment of writing off child maintenance arrears owed to Government and arrears owed to parents. The consultation can be found through the following link:
New statistics will be published in June 2019 which will include arrears transferred from the legacy system or in the process of being written off. Information on the planned changes to the Child Support Agency Quarterly Statistical Summary to incorporate this information can be found here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/child-support-agency-statistics-publication-strategy