Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what targets his Department has set to help achieve the Government's commitments on net zero.
Answered by Paul Maynard
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the use of artificial intelligence on the functioning of the welfare system.
Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister (Women)
DWP is continually exploring the use of all types of Artificial Intelligence and its potential to support the provision of more digital services with a human touch in a safe, ethical, and considered way. Artificial Intelligence will never replace the role of our colleagues in supporting customers throughout their journey.
We are using Artificial Intelligence to undertake administrative or repetitive tasks, freeing up our colleagues to spend more time with claimants.
As part of our approach, and in-line with the Prime Minister’s Foundation Model Taskforce, DWP has created a Generative Artificial Intelligence Lighthouse Programme which will safely guide our innovation in emerging Artificial Intelligence technology. The role of this programme is to ‘test and learn’ in a safe and governed environment where all types of AI can be used to assist us in the delivery of our customer outcomes and department efficiencies. Following this test and learn approach will help us to build more certainty on the potential benefits that can be realised.
Where Artificial Intelligence is used to assist its activities in prevention and detection of fraud within UC applications, DWP always ensures appropriate safeguards are in place for the proportionate, ethical, and legal use of data with internal monitoring protocols adhered to. Through the work of departmental governance, we can always explain how the AI reaches conclusions using data.
DWP will not use AI to replace human judgement in determining or denying a payment to a claimant. Where appropriate, Equality and Data Protection Impact Assessments have been carried out.
DWP's Personal Information Charter(opens in a new tab) explains how and why we use personal information and citizen’s rights and responsibilities.
DWP's Personal Information Charter(opens in a new tab) explains how and why we use personal information and citizen’s rights and responsibilities.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people were on long-term sickness benefits in (a) England, (b) London and (c) Hendon constituency in each of the last five years.
Answered by Tom Pursglove
The available information is in the attached spreadsheet.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether it is his policy to increase the level of payments through the Support for Mortgage Interest scheme in line with increases in the Bank of England base rate.
Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister (Women)
It is not SMI policy to increase the level of SMI payments in line with increases in the Bank of England’s base rate.
The standard interest rate we pay is set at a level based on the Bank of England's published monthly average mortgage interest rate. We have selected this rate because it is the average interest rate that applies to outstanding mortgages, including fixed and variable mortgages. The Bank of England data is the most reliable as it is based on information that covers over 75 per cent of all banks and building societies' mortgage business. It is also updated on a regular (monthly) basis
The standard interest rate is currently set at 2.09% and will only change when the Bank of England’s average mortgage rate differs by 0.5 percentage points or more from the rate in payment.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of households on Universal Credit in the Hendon constituency had that benefit capped as of 1 March 2023.
Answered by Guy Opperman
The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
The available information on the number of households receiving Universal Credit (Full Service only) and subject to the benefit cap, by month and Westminster parliamentary constituency, is published every three months on Stat-Xplore and the latest statistics are available to August 2022.
The number of households on Universal Credit by month and Westminster parliamentary constituency, is published monthly on Stat-Xplore and the latest statistics are available to November 2022.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of their Department’s employees work from home at least one day a week.
Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister (Women)
As a department we do not capture figures for employees working from home at least one day a week. We do however record figures for employees who attend the office. Our Hybrid working policy is minimum of 40% of their time in the office. As a department have headquarters utilisation data published here.
The Total DWP on a given day, the average figures for people who were working and were in an office are as follows: (Staff that are not working in the office, can either be working remotely or from home).
Q2 2022/23
DWP Total – 59.4%
Q3 2022/23
DWP Total – 60.3%
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent estimate his Department has made of the amount of money in lost pension funds.
Answered by Laura Trott - Shadow Secretary of State for Education
The Department does not hold this information.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of alternatives to automatic benefit sanctions for care leavers.
Answered by Julie Marson
We have no plans to assess the potential merits of alternatives to automatic benefit sanctions for care leavers.
Conditionality and sanctions apply to care leavers in the same way as other claimants who are also expected to move towards and enter employment. There are additional checks in place for care leavers to determine if a referral for a sanction decision is appropriate. Work Coaches can also contact the care leaver single point of contact (SPOC) for any additional information when considering a sanction referral for a care leaver.
It is only when a care leaver has been found not to have met an agreed and reasonable requirement, without good reason, that we would consider applying a sanction. A decision maker will fully take into account the claimants’ circumstances, when determining if a sanction is warranted.
If a care leaver disagrees with a decision, they can ask for the decision to be reconsidered and subsequently can appeal against the decision to an independent tribunal.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make it her policy to pay care leavers the higher rate of (a) Jobseekers Allowance and (b) Universal Credit from their 18th birthday.
Answered by David Rutley
Universal Credit provides those who are under 25 with lower rates than those age 25 and over. This reflects the fact that these claimants are more likely to live in someone else’s household and have lower living costs.
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.
There are no plans to change this policy.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
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 impact of the number of people claiming social security benefits on the mortality rate in England.
Answered by David Rutley
The Department for Work and Pensions has not made an assessment.