Asked by: Neale Hanvey (Alba Party - Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how much the Government has allocated to the carbon capture utilisation and storage Scottish cluster in each financial year since 2017-18.
Answered by Graham Stuart
This information is being gathered. As soon as it is available, the information will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
Asked by: Neale Hanvey (Alba Party - Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to increase the efficiency of the process of applying for and receiving a Blue Badge.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The Department for Transport sets the legislation that governs the Blue Badge scheme and provides guidance for local authorities who are solely responsible for administering the scheme.
80% of citizens apply for a badge using the digital service operated by the Department for Transport. The Department works closely with the supplier of the service to identify ways to improve the application and re-application process for all users as part of its National Disability Strategy commitments. This includes acting on feedback from local authority administrators and citizen users of the scheme.
Blue Badges are now electronically printed by a single manufacturer and as soon as a local authority requests a badge through the system, it is dispatched within 5 working days.
Asked by: Neale Hanvey (Alba Party - Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department plans to exempt people in receipt of Attendance Allowance from vehicle excise duty.
Answered by Gareth Davies - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government is absolutely committed to supporting disabled people and is determined that support should be focused on people who need it most. The aim of existing Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) exemptions for recipients of some disability benefits is to provide additional help for people who become disabled early, or relatively early, in life and as a result experience economic disadvantage. These allowances are therefore only available to people who become disabled before State Pension age.
For individuals who develop a disability after State Pension age, Attendance Allowance (AA) is a non-means-tested benefit which provides targeted help with the extra costs of disability and helps them maintain their independence. Unlike Disability Living Allowance and Personal Independence Payment, AA does not have a mobility component and is intended to cover the need for care or supervision an individual requires as a result of their disability rather than specific mobility needs. Individuals can however choose to use their AA to fund mobility aids.
As with all taxes, VED remains under review and any changes are considered by the Chancellor as part of the tax policy making cycle and Budget process.
Asked by: Neale Hanvey (Alba Party - Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he next plans to hold discussions with his counterpart in the Scottish government on the process for transferring responsibility for Attendance Allowance to the Scottish government.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
Attendance Allowance was devolved to the Scottish Government in 2020. It is being delivered by DWP on behalf of the Scottish Ministers under an Agency Agreement until its replacement by Pension Age Disability Payment. Public communications on the transition from Attendance Allowance to Pension Age Disability Payment are a matter for the Scottish Government.
DWP ministers and officials regularly meet with their Scottish Government counterparts to discuss the progress of the devolution programme, including the replacement of Attendance Allowance with Pension Age Disability Payment and the transfer of existing cases to Social Security Scotland. The Joint Ministerial Working Group on Welfare is the principal forum for discussion and decision-making in this respect. It will next meet on 19 September.
Asked by: Neale Hanvey (Alba Party - Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has issued guidance to people affected by the transition from Attendance Allowance to Pension Age Disability Payment delivered by the Scottish Government.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
Attendance Allowance was devolved to the Scottish Government in 2020. It is being delivered by DWP on behalf of the Scottish Ministers under an Agency Agreement until its replacement by Pension Age Disability Payment. Public communications on the transition from Attendance Allowance to Pension Age Disability Payment are a matter for the Scottish Government.
DWP ministers and officials regularly meet with their Scottish Government counterparts to discuss the progress of the devolution programme, including the replacement of Attendance Allowance with Pension Age Disability Payment and the transfer of existing cases to Social Security Scotland. The Joint Ministerial Working Group on Welfare is the principal forum for discussion and decision-making in this respect. It will next meet on 19 September.
Asked by: Neale Hanvey (Alba Party - Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of people claim (a) Attendance Allowance, (b) Personal Independence Payment and (c) Universal Credit in (i) each parliamentary constituency, (ii) the UK, (iii) Great Britain, (iv) England, (v) Scotland and (vi) North Ireland.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The latest available statistics on the number of people in Great Britain in receipt of Attendance Allowance (to February 2023), entitled to Personal Independence Payment (to April 2023), and on Universal Credit (to July 2023), by various geographical breakdowns including country, region and Westminster parliamentary constituency, are published monthly on Stat-Xplore. Users can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest user and, if needed, can access guidance on how to extract the information required.
Benefit statistics for Northern Ireland are published by the Department for Communities.
Population estimates for Westminster parliamentary constituencies in Great Britain are published by the Office for National Statistics on NOMIS.
Asked by: Neale Hanvey (Alba Party - Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath)
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 adequacy of the requirement for people to wait six months following the onset of invalidity before they can claim Attendance Allowance.
Answered by Laura Trott - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Entitlement to Attendance Allowance is based on the on-going need for frequent personal care and attention, or supervision to ensure personal safety, rather than on the individual’s medical condition. The six-month qualifying period helps establish that the disability and the resulting care or supervision needs are of a long-term nature, and ensures the benefit goes to those for whom it is intended. Claims made under the Special Rules for those with less than 12 months to live do not have to satisfy the six-month qualifying period.
Asked by: Neale Hanvey (Alba Party - Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of providing financial compensation to all 1950s born women affected by changes to the state pension age.
Answered by Laura Trott - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
We have made no recent assessment.
Asked by: Neale Hanvey (Alba Party - Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent discussions he has had with relevant stakeholders on pensions for women born in the 1950s.
Answered by Laura Trott - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The Minister for Pensions has not met any stakeholders from groups representing women born in the 1950s. Whilst the Ombudsman investigation is underway it would be inappropriate to meet with representatives involved.
Asked by: Neale Hanvey (Alba Party - Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he plans to take steps to provide additional financial support to women born in the 1950s who have been affected by changes in the State Pension age.
Answered by Laura Trott - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The Government decided over 25 years ago that it was going to make the State Pension age the same for men and women. Had the State Pension age not been equalised, women who would be retiring today upon reaching the age of 60, would be expected to spend (on average) over 40% of their adult lives in receipt of State Pension. This decision has been upheld by successive governments.
The Government is committed to delivering a comprehensive package of support to help older workers to remain and return to work.
This includes intensive tailored support for eligible Universal Credit job seekers; 50PLUS Champions in every Jobcentre Plus district across GB; and the delivery of Midlife MOTs in Jobcentres, in three pilot areas over the next 2 years to people in work, and digitally to help people in their 40s, 50s and 60s to review and take stock of their finances, skills and health.