Asked by: Mel Stride (Conservative - Central Devon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the correspondence from the Chair of the Social Security Advisory Committee entitled The Social Fund Winter Fuel Payments Regulations 2024: letter to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, published on 17 October 2024, whether she plans to publish an updated impact assessment of the Social Fund Winter Fuel Payments Regulations 2024.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
In line with the requirements of the Public Sector Equality Duty, an equality analysis was produced as part of the ministerial decision-making process. The Department will continue to monitor and review the impact of the policy, using this to inform any future decisions.
Asked by: Mel Stride (Conservative - Central Devon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 14 October 2024 to Question 6515 on Social Security Benefits: Disability, what steps she plans to take to reform Personal Independence Payments; and what assessment she has made of the factors driving the rising (a) caseloads and (b) expenditure on that benefit.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We will be considering our own response to social security in due course, informed by a range of evidence. This Government is committed to championing the rights of disabled people and to the principle of working with them, so that their views and voices will be at the heart of all that we do.
Asked by: Mel Stride (Conservative - Central Devon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans her Department has to make changes to the Access to Work scheme.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Access to Work Scheme provides grant funding for disabled people, and those with a health condition, who are in or about to start work. The grant supports with workplace adjustments that go beyond what would normally be expected from an employer through their duty to provide reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act 2010
The Department for Work and Pensions is committed to reducing waiting times for new applications for Access to Work, as well as renewals. We are considering the best way to deliver that for customers. We have increased the number of staff processing Access to Work claims and have prioritised applications from customers who are about to start a job, and renewals.
Asked by: Mel Stride (Conservative - Central Devon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she plans to implement the policy paper entitled Transforming Support: The Health and Disability White Paper, published on 15 March 2023.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
This government is committed to breaking down the barriers to opportunity for disabled people and people with health conditions, improving our employment and health support offer and tackling rising levels of economic inactivity. We will replace or reform the Work Capability Assessment alongside putting in place a proper plan to support disabled people into work, and continue to engage with stakeholders to keep the views of disabled people and people with health conditions at the heart of what we do. We will be considering our own approach to social security in due course.
Asked by: Mel Stride (Conservative - Central Devon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she plans to implement the changes to the Work Capability Assessment that were announced at the Autumn Statement 2023.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Labour’s manifesto is clear that we intend to reform the Work Capability Assessment alongside a proper plan to support disabled people to work. We will say more about these plans in the months ahead, including genuine employment support for disabled people.
Asked by: Mel Stride (Conservative - Central Devon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the press notice entitled New Chance to Work Guarantee will remove barriers to work for millions, published on 22 November 2023, what her Department's (a) planned timetable is bringing the Chance to Work Guarantee into effect and (b) policy is on reassessments of claimants on the (i) Employment and Support Allowance and the (ii) Universal Credit health journey (1) before and (2) after the planned changes to the Work Capability Assessment descriptors are implemented; and what steps she plans to take to review her Department's policy on reassessments for claimants on health-related benefits who move into employment.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We are committed to delivering on our manifesto pledge to give disabled people the confidence to start working without the fear of an immediate benefit reassessment if it does not work out. We will set out plans for this in due course.
Asked by: Mel Stride (Conservative - Central Devon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Responses to Freedom of Information requests on Equality Impact Assessments produced for targeting Winter Fuel Payment, published on 13 September 2024, for what reason the assessment undertaken by HM Treasury concluded that women will be disproportionately impacted and the assessment undertaken by her Department concluded that men will be disproportionately impacted by changes to the eligibility criteria for the Winter Fuel Payment; whether she plans to update her Department's equality impact assessment; and whether processes are in place to ensure equality analyses by different Departments are consistent.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The assessments undertaken by the Department and HM Treasury do not contradict each other. They are on a different basis. HM Treasury analysis is based on Census 2011 data and compares pensioners to the non-pensioner population. Whereas the Department’s analysis uses pensioner benefit administrative data to assess pensioners in receipt of Pension Credit at November 2023, compared to those who received a Winter Fuel Payment in 2022/23.
Where both documents consider the likelihood of receiving Pension Credit, both show that women are less likely to be impacted by changes to the eligibility criteria for the Winter Fuel Payment, due to them being more likely to claim Pension Credit. The HM Treasury assessment states that “PC specifically is disproportionately claimed by older, single women.” Older, single women are, therefore, more likely to retain their eligibility for a Winter Fuel Payment and, as a result, are less likely to be affected by the policy. This chimes with the Department’s conclusion that “this policy will have the highest proportional impact on couples, and a marginally greater impact on men than women.”
As part of the Public Sector Equality Duty, the Department will continue to monitor and review the impact of the policy, using this to inform future decisions.
Asked by: Mel Stride (Conservative - Central Devon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much funding has been allocated to the Universal Support programme for each financial year from 2023-24 onward, broken down by local authority area.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Universal Support money has been allocated to a new Supported Employment Programme. Figures from the most recent Business Case approved by HMT in October 2024 show a total spend of c.£1.4bn from 2023/24 to 29/30. However funding beyond the current spending review is not confirmed.
Annual breakdowns of spend will be determined by local delivery plans. This information is not available at this point in time while planning work continues with Local Authorities.
Asked by: Mel Stride (Conservative - Central Devon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent progress she has made on (a) rolling out the WorkWell programme and (b) implementing (i) trailblazers and (ii) other reforms to the fit note process.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The WorkWell pilot areas began to go live from October 1st. The majority of the 15 pilot areas are now taking referrals, with the remaining areas expected to begin over the coming weeks.
We launched a Call for Evidence to seek views on how the current fit note process works and the support required to facilitate meaningful work and health conversations to help people start, stay and succeed in work. It closed on the 8 July 2024. We received over 1,900 responses that are now being reviewed and will inform our approach moving forward.
As part of our Get Britain Working plan, more disabled people and those with health conditions will be supported to enter and stay in work, by devolving more power to local areas so they can shape a joined-up work, health, and skills offer that suits the needs of the people they serve.
Asked by: Mel Stride (Conservative - Central Devon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress she has made on the roll-out of the Universal Support Programme.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My Department continues to work in collaboration with local areas to support their development and delivery of the new employment support programme, shaped around local services and priorities. The programme will primarily help economically inactive disabled people, people with long term conditions and people with additional barriers, to help them find and fulfil their potential to work.
We will shortly be launching the grant guidance for the programme, after which local authorities will work with DWP and local partners to design their local programmes. It is anticipated that some areas will begin delivery of the new programme from spring 2025 but this will be a phased roll out, led by local authorities.