Asked by: Mike Kane (Labour - Wythenshawe and Sale East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the proportion of the gross working premium of insurers which was required to fund the Diffuse Mesothelioma Payments Scheme in (a) 2014-15 and (b) 2015-16.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
In 2014/15 the Diffuse Mesothelioma Payment Scheme (DMPS) levy was charged at £32m which represented 2.2% of employers’ liability gross written premium (EL GWP). The actual cost of the DMPS in 2014/15 was £24.2m, and the additional £7.8m collected has been carried forward into 2015/16.
On 12 January 2016 the Department announced that it anticipated the gross cost of the DMPS in 2015/16 to be £31m. This represents 2% of EL GWP. However, the amount actually levied on the insurance industry for 2015/16, taking into account the £7.8m carried forward, is £23.2m, which represents 1.5% of EL GWP.
Note: The proportions quoted above use the most recently available EL GWP data in any one year. Due to the time taken to collect and verify this data, the EL GWP figure used to calculate the proportion the levy represents will be two years old. For example, for the 2014/15 levy the EL GWP data is from 2012.
Asked by: Mike Kane (Labour - Wythenshawe and Sale East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what timetable he has set for tax credit claimants in Wythenshawe and Sale East constituency to migrate to universal credit.
Answered by Priti Patel
We are rolling out Universal Credit (UC) in a careful and controlled manner – an approach that was endorsed by the Major Projects Authority. UC is now available to single claimants, couples and families in Wythenshawe and Sale East constituency.
Our plan is that existing benefit and tax credit claimants will be migrated to UC by 2020/21. Further details will be made available in due course.
Asked by: Mike Kane (Labour - Wythenshawe and Sale East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his Department's policy is on using 0845 business rate telephone numbers for benefits claimants.
Answered by Esther McVey - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
Calls to claim benefit by telephone are free as the Department uses 0800 free phone numbers for these lines. The use of 0845 numbers were inherited from previous Government and this Department has since introduced 0345 numbers, but will retain the 0845 prefixes for the time being given it can still cost less to call these numbers from some operators’ packages.
Any charges that apply to these calls will be set by the customer’s telephone or mobile operator. Charge variations will occur due to operator packages and individual price plans. We are aware of possible concerns about call charges to our enquiry lines so we will offer to call a customer back if concerns are raised over the cost of the call.
Asked by: Mike Kane (Labour - Wythenshawe and Sale East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the cost to the public purse of all employment and support allowance appeals has been since May 2010; and what the cost of all such appeals which were successful has been.
Answered by Mike Penning
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for York Central, Mr Hugh Bayley, Official Report, 7 July 2014, column 103W:
Asked by: Mike Kane (Labour - Wythenshawe and Sale East)
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 risk of a link between the introduction of universal credit and levels of domestic violence.
Answered by Esther McVey - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
No such assessment is planned. There are safeguards in place in Universal Credit to ensure that we have the ability to split payments between partners in cases of domestic violence, allowing each claimant to receive a separate payment.
Asked by: Mike Kane (Labour - Wythenshawe and Sale East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people receive over-80 pensions; what estimate he has made of how many people are entitled to claim such pensions; and what steps he has taken to publicise such pensions to people who are entitled to them.
Answered by Steve Webb
The over-80 pension is also known as the Category D pension. The number of people in receipt of a Category D pension is published on the Department's website at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dwp-statistics-tabulation-tool
Guidance for users is available at:-
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dwp-tabulation-tool-guidance
A reliable estimate of how many people are entitled to claim this pension is not available.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) makes information available in various locations (for example, our website at www.gov.uk, and leaflets available from our DWP Information Line on 0845 7313233) to ensure that people are aware of the benefits to which they may be entitled and how to claim them. In addition DWP's National Partnerships Team works with over 4,400 customer representative organisations, both nationally and locally, to provide a wide range of advice and support for pensioners.
Asked by: Mike Kane (Labour - Wythenshawe and Sale East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many benefit sanctions for (a) not actively seeking employment, (b) refusal of employment, (c) failure to attend a mandatory interview, (d) failure to participate in work-related activity, (e) non-compliance with a Jobseeker's Direction were received by claimants in Wythenshawe and Sale East constituency between (i) April 2011 and March 2012 and (ii) April 2013 and March 2014.
Answered by Esther McVey - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The available information as requested is shown in the table below.
Number of adverse benefit sanctions applied in Wythenshawe and Sale East parliamentary constituency by referral reason. | ||
Reason for referral | April 2011 to March 2012 | April 2013 to December 2013 |
|
|
|
Not actively seeking employment | 230 | 220 |
Refusal of employment | - | - |
Failure to attend a mandatory interview | 870 | 320 |
Failure to participate in Work-related activity | 10 | 70 |
Non-compliance with a Jobseekers Direction | 20 | 20 |
Source: (JSA and ESA): DWP Information, Governance and Security Directorate: Sanctions and Disallowance Decisions Statistics Database.
Source (IS): Income Support Computer System
Notes:
1. ‘-‘denotes nil or negligible. Numbers have been rounded to the nearest ten.
2. Data provided is up to December 2013 which is the latest available.
3. The number of benefit sanctions applied is the number of sanction or disallowance referrals where the decision was found against the claimant for those in receipt of Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA), Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) in the work related activity group, or Income Support (Lone Parents).
4. The following reasons for referral apply to JSA only: Not actively seeking employment; Refusal of employment; Non-compliance with a Jobseekers Direction.
5. Failure to attend a mandatory interview includes fail to attend a mandatory interview for ESA claimants, failure to attend/participate in a work focussed interview for ISLP claimants and failure to attend an adviser interview for JSA claimants.
6. Failure to participate on Work-related activity applies to ESA claimants in the work related activity group only
7. New sanctions rules came into force for JSA from 22 October 2012 and for ESA from 3 December 2012. The number of JSA sanctions applied for the new regime is the number of low, intermediate, and high level referrals where the decision was found against the claimant. Further information can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/jobseekers-allowance-overview-of-sanctions-rules
8. New regulations for ISLP claimants came into force on 28 April 2014.
An explanation of the full regulations is provided below can be found at: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2014/1097/contents/made
9. This information for JSA and ESA sanctions is published at:
https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/
Asked by: Mike Kane (Labour - Wythenshawe and Sale East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many residents of (a) Wythenshawe and Sale East constituency and (b) Manchester have had their benefits sanctioned in each year since 2010.
Answered by Esther McVey - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The available information as requested is shown in the table below.
Number of individuals with an adverse benefit sanction applied in Wythenshawe and Sale East parliamentary constituency and Manchester local authority: 2010 - 2013
Year | Wythenshawe and Sale East Parliamentary Constituency | Manchester Local Authority |
2010 | 1,310 | 7,600 |
2011 | 1,400 | 8,140 |
2012 | 1,310 | 8,350 |
2013 | 1,290 | 9,590 |
Source: (JSA and ESA): DWP Information, Governance and Security Directorate: Sanctions and Disallowance Decisions Statistics Database.
Source (IS): Income Support Computer System
Notes:
2. The number of benefit sanctions applied is the number of sanction or disallowance referrals where the decision was found against the claimant for those in receipt of Jobseeker's Allowance, Employment and Support Allowance, or Income Support (Lone Parents).
3. Data is for January to December in each year.
4. Income Support Lone Parents receive a fixed sanction of 20% of the personal allowance rate of a single claimant [not aged less than 25] for each failure to attend/participate in a Work Focused Interview until 10 pence is left in payment. This sanction lasts until the individual attends and participates in a Work Focused Interview. In the case where there is more than one sanction in place the claimant need only attend/participate in one Work Focused Interview in order for all related sanctions to be removed from their benefit.
5. New sanctions rules came into force for JSA and ESA from 22 October 2012 and 3 December 2012. The number of JSA sanctions applied for the new regime is the number of low, intermediate, and high level referrals where the decision was found against the claimant. Further information can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/jobseekers-allowance-overview-of-sanctions-rules
6. This information for JSA and ESA sanctions is published at:
https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/
Asked by: Mike Kane (Labour - Wythenshawe and Sale East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have had their benefits sanctioned in (a) Wythenshawe and Sale East constituency and (b) Manchester in the most recent period for which figures are available.
Answered by Esther McVey - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The available information as requested is shown in the table below.
Number of individuals with an adverse benefit sanction applied in Wythenshawe and Sale East parliamentary constituency and Manchester local authority: 2010 - 2013
Year | Wythenshawe and Sale East Parliamentary Constituency | Manchester Local Authority |
2010 | 1,310 | 7,600 |
2011 | 1,400 | 8,140 |
2012 | 1,310 | 8,350 |
2013 | 1,290 | 9,590 |
Source: (JSA and ESA): DWP Information, Governance and Security Directorate: Sanctions and Disallowance Decisions Statistics Database.
Source (IS): Income Support Computer System
Notes:
2. The number of benefit sanctions applied is the number of sanction or disallowance referrals where the decision was found against the claimant for those in receipt of Jobseeker's Allowance, Employment and Support Allowance, or Income Support (Lone Parents).
3. Data is for January to December in each year.
4. Income Support Lone Parents receive a fixed sanction of 20% of the personal allowance rate of a single claimant [not aged less than 25] for each failure to attend/participate in a Work Focused Interview until 10 pence is left in payment. This sanction lasts until the individual attends and participates in a Work Focused Interview. In the case where there is more than one sanction in place the claimant need only attend/participate in one Work Focused Interview in order for all related sanctions to be removed from their benefit.
5. New sanctions rules came into force for JSA and ESA from 22 October 2012 and 3 December 2012. The number of JSA sanctions applied for the new regime is the number of low, intermediate, and high level referrals where the decision was found against the claimant. Further information can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/jobseekers-allowance-overview-of-sanctions-rules
6. This information for JSA and ESA sanctions is published at:
https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/