Asked by: Michelle Donelan (Conservative - Chippenham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the 12-month grace period to protect individuals from a reduction in housing benefit when someone who lived with them passes away is being implemented effectively.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
A grace period exists in Housing Benefit to help protect those suffering a bereavement for a period of 12 months. This applies not only in respect of the claimant or their partner but to people linked to them, such as a family member who lives in the same household. This means that housing benefit entitlement is protected from any consequential decrease in their eligible rent for a year from the date of a death.
It is however the responsibility of individual local authorities to assess individual benefit claims and apply the specific rules which is laid out in regulations and guidance.
Asked by: Michelle Donelan (Conservative - Chippenham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment into the potential merits of amending the Child Maintenance Services' (CMS) variation rules to (a) better reflect the financial capacity of a person to pay and (b) include categories of wealth which fall outside the CMS criteria.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
Within the 2012 scheme of child maintenance, a broad spectrum of taxable income can be taken into account in the maintenance calculation as part of a variation.
We believe all parents have a responsibility to financially contribute to their children’s upbringing and the best way we have of establishing a fair contribution is a calculation of their liability based on their income level.
The definition of income within variations is designed to make the best use of additional sources of taxable income captured by self-assessment, referred to as ‘unearned income’. This includes income from property, savings and investments and other miscellaneous sources.
Receiving ‘unearned income’ information directly from HM Revenue and Customs makes it more difficult for individuals to seek to minimise the amount of child maintenance they pay. A variation can also be considered if a receiving parent has evidence that a paying parent is diverting income.
We have no plans to widen our variation categories further.
Asked by: Michelle Donelan (Conservative - Chippenham)
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 capacity of small businesses to pay statutory sick pay for up to 28 weeks.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt
It is important that employers are responsible for providing employees with a measure of income replacement when they are unable to work rather than the cost falling to the tax-payer through the State benefits system.
Before introducing regulations that affect small businesses, all Departments are required to consult with them. This includes an assessment of the likely costs of complying with the change and enables unnecessary burdens to be identified before decisions are made on whether to proceed.
The Government recognises the challenges that are faced by employers and that there isn’t a ‘one size fits all’ solution on the health and work agenda. On Monday 31st October the Government published “Improving Lives, the Work, Health and Disability Green Paper”. This starts a consultation that will run until 17th February 2017.
We will use the Green Paper as an opportunity to understand how best we can help employers of all sizes take action on a range of areas. This includes seeking views on whether Statutory Sick Pay should be reformed to encourage supportive conversations between the employer and employee and make it easier for people to have a phased return to work. Any proposals for change following consultation will include an assessment of the impact on business.
Asked by: Michelle Donelan (Conservative - Chippenham)
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 implications for his Department's policy on the uprating of the pensions of British people living abroad of the UK leaving the EU.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
We are about to begin negotiations for Britain’s future relationship with Europe and it would be wrong to set out unilateral positions in advance. At every step of these negotiations we will work to ensure the best possible outcome for the British people.
Asked by: Michelle Donelan (Conservative - Chippenham)
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 effect of the UK leaving the EU on the uprating of British pensions for UK state pension holders living abroad.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
We are about to begin negotiations for Britain’s future relationship with Europe and it would be wrong to set out unilateral positions in advance. At every step of these negotiations we will work to ensure the best possible outcome for the British people.
Asked by: Michelle Donelan (Conservative - Chippenham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of self-employed people who have private pensions made state pension contributions in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12, (c) 2012-13, (d) 2013-14 and (e) 2014-15.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
The information requested is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Michelle Donelan (Conservative - Chippenham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what work his Department is undertaking to support people with mental health conditions who are subject to the personal independent payments assessment process.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
Claimants identified as having mental health issues can access additional support at any point in the assessment process. At the new claim stage: if they do not return their claim form, we will arrange for the claimant to be referred directly to the assessment provider for their assessment without the need for completing the form. At the assessment stage: we would support any claimant with mental health issues to have company with them for their assessment.
Additionally, Atos and Capita both employ Mental and Cognitive Champions to provide advice and support to their health assessors on conditions and disabilities affecting mental, cognitive and behavioural function. We also work closely with disability organisations to develop training and increase awareness of these conditions amongst health assessors.
Asked by: Michelle Donelan (Conservative - Chippenham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many employment and support allowance claimants with (a) Parkinson's disease, (b) rheumatoid arthritis, (c) motor neurone disease, (d) multiple sclerosis and (e) cystic fibrosis have been (i) placed in the support group, (ii) placed in the work-related activity group and (iii) found fit for work since 2008; and what statements have been made to current claimants of employment and support allowance to inform them that they will not be affected by changes.
Answered by Priti Patel - Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs
The information requested is shown in the table below.
Initial assessments | Cystic Fibrosis | Spinal Muscular Atrophy | Parkinson's Disease | Multiple Sclerosis | Other Rheumatoid Arthritis |
SG | 900 | 1,200 | 1,700 | 8,000 | 3,600 |
WRAG | 100 | 100 | 700 | 2,700 | 3,500 |
FFW | 100 | - | 600 | 1,900 | 4,300 |
Repeat assessments |
|
|
|
|
|
SG | 500 | 300 | 1,100 | 7,500 | 4,600 |
WRAG | 100 | - | 500 | 2,200 | 3,900 |
FFW | - | - | 100 | 400 | 1,200 |
IBR assessments |
|
|
|
|
|
SG | 600 | 200 | 1,300 | 15,500 | 6,200 |
WRAG | 100 | - | 300 | 2,600 | 5,000 |
FFW | - | - | - | 300 | 1,200 |
Notes:
The Department has stated throughout the passage of the Bill that current claimants will not be affected and these statements are in the public record.
Asked by: Michelle Donelan (Conservative - Chippenham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of how many people in each (a) region and (b) constituent part of the UK will be affected by changes to personal independence payments: aids and appliances; and what support he plans to give to those affected.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
As confirmed by my right honourable friend the Secretary of State in his statement to the House on 21 March, the proposed changes to PIP will not be going ahead.
We spend around £50bn every year on benefits alone to support people with disabilities or health conditions, with spending on Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and Disability Living Allowance (DLA) having increased by more than £3 billion since 2010. The government is committed to talking to disabled people, their representatives, healthcare professionals and employers to ensure the welfare system works better with the health and social care systems and provides help and support to those who need it most.