Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent discussions her Department has had with the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to encourage employers to improve support for applicants and employees with complex disabilities.
Answered by Chloe Smith
My officials regularly engage with BEIS on work that will improve employer support for applicants and employees with complex disabilities.
This follows on from the Health Is Everyone's Business Consultation Response, which DWP and DHSC published jointly last year. The response set out the measures we will take to protect and maintain progress made to reduce ill-health related job loss and see 1 million more disabled people in work from 2017 to 2027. The measures in the Response provide greater clarity around employer and employee rights and responsibilities; address the need for employers to have access to clear and compelling information and advice; and encourage more employers to provide access to expert support services such as Occupational Health.
DWP is currently developing a new digital service to provide employers with better-tailored and integrated information, and BEIS is involved in the development of this service.
A range of DWP initiatives are supporting disabled people and people with health conditions to live independent lives and start, stay and succeed in employment. These include the Intensive Personalised Employment Support programme, Access to Work, Supported Internships, Disability Confident and support in partnership with the health system, including Employment Advice in NHS Improving Access to Psychological Therapy services.
In particular, Access to Work is a demand-led, discretionary grant scheme that helps to remove the risks of the recruitment and retention of disabled people for employers by contributing towards covering the costs of employment –related support above the level of reasonable adjustment. Access to Work provides employees with grants of up to £62,900 per year to cover workplace adaptations such as special equipment, support workers, and help getting to and from work. In 2020/21 35,990 disabled people and people with health conditions received tailored and flexible support to do their job from Access to Work.
Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the change to conditionality outlined on 27 January 2022 will affect her Department’s proposal to introduce a new approach to conditionality for disabled people and people with health conditions claiming out-of-work benefits, as set out in her Department’s recent Health and Disability Green Paper.
Answered by Chloe Smith
The Department for Work and Pension’s ‘Way to Work’ campaign launched 27 January 2022 is a step-change in our approach to supporting claimants and employers. This approach recognises that the benefits of a job are clear, both financially and for the wellbeing of claimants.
The approach described in the Green Paper is known as Tailoring Up, allowing work coaches to start claimants from a point of no mandatory requirements and build up, based on their health condition and personal circumstances. This approach to working with claimants with health conditions and disabilities is not affected by the introduction of the Way to Work.
Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department will take to ensure that the intensive one-on-one support as part of the Way to Work campaign will be tailored to the individual needs of any person with complex disabilities who receives it.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department for Work and Pension’s ‘Way to Work’ campaign is a step-change in our approach to supporting claimants and employers. This approach recognises that the benefits of a job are clear, both financially and for the wellbeing of claimants.
As now, not all claimants will be required to look for work. Claimants with a health condition or disability will continue to have tailored commitments based on their personal circumstances, including considering the impact of their health and wider situation. This may include setting work search activity if that is appropriate for the claimant. We do not, however, expect claimants with a current “Fit Note” to start work until it expires, or they are assessed as part of a Work Capability Assessment.
The Work and Health Programme provides a contracted employment scheme for people with a disability, or who are long term unemployed and seeking employment. We also have our Intensive Personalised Employment Support (IPES) programme for people with a disability who also have complex barriers to employment and are further away from work.
Finally, our Work Coaches can offer additional support through advice and services. For those with a disability this could include Access to Work and the Flexible Support Fund which provide personalised support to enable disabled people and those with a health condition to move into or keep employment.
Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans her Department has to compel benefit claimants to participate in Restart placements.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Once a Universal Credit claimant has been referred to the Restart programme, participation on the programme is mandatory as part of their claimant commitment. Restart programme providers’ interactions must reflect their personal circumstances and preferences of each participant. All activities should be agreed together to encourage participants to complete them voluntarily, using a variety of methods and approaches to achieve this.
Providers may consider using mandation, where attempts to engage with participants have not been successful.
Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Health and Disability Green Paper and its focus on encouraging disabled people into work, what recent assessment she has made of levels of poverty amongst disabled people who are (a) in work and (b) unable to work as a result of their disability.
Answered by Chloe Smith
Statistics on the number and percentage of people living in low-income households over time, including disabled people and people living in disabled families, are set out in the annual "Households Below Average Income" publication.
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/households-below-average-income-hbai--2
The following statistics on disabled people in absolute low-income are based on analysis of HBAI data.
The absolute low-income rate, before housing costs, among disabled working age people who were in work in 2019/20 was 11%. The latest Labour Force Survey reported that there were 4.4m disabled people in employment in the UK in Q2 2021. This is an overall increase of 1.5m since the same quarter in 2013.
The absolute low-income rate, before housing costs, among disabled working-age people who reported they were not working because they are permanently sick/disabled in 2019/20 was 28%. This is based on disabled working-age people who had not done any paid work in the prior 7 days, were not absent from work at the time of interview and who self-reported that the reason that they are not looking for work or working is that they permanently or long-term sick or disabled.
As well as receiving support through ESA or UC Health, disabled people may be eligible for Personal Independence Payment, which helps towards some of the extra costs arising from having a long-term health condition or disability. Spending on benefits for disabled people and people with long-term ill health has never been higher and is set to increase further. In 2021/22 we are forecast to spend £58 billion, £44.1 billion of which is spent on people of working age.
We are reviewing responses to the Health and Disability Green Paper and intend to publish a White Paper next year, setting out changes to the benefits system that will better meet the needs of claimants now and in the future by improving claimant experience of our services, enabling independent living and improving employment outcomes.
Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will publish the data for Kickstart scheme (a) applications, (b) business registrations and (c) placement starts for young people seeking work by (i) constituency and (ii) local authority.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
As of 2 November, there have been over 23,570 applications approved for funding from the Kickstart Scheme. These applications have come from over 900 Gateway organisations and over 14,000 employers and include 304,000 approved jobs. Employers and Gateways can make multiple applications, and the number of employers included within gateway applications is not included in these figures.
We are unable to provide the number of applications and business registrations by parliamentary constituency or local authority, however we have provided, in the attached document, tables listing the number of jobs made available for young people to apply for and jobs started on the Kickstart Scheme by Local Authority and Parliamentary Constituency. The figures provided are correct as of 2 November 2021 and these figures have been rounded according to departmental standards. There has been a delay in answering this question as additional time was needed to quality assure the information provided.
Job locations are as reported by the employer on the Job Placement Template. In some cases, employers will report the address of their head office rather than the precise location of the job.
The information provided shows the location of the job not the location of the young person who has started the job. Given we do not know where the remote job is being undertaken, we have removed remote jobs from the geographical breakdowns and have placed in a separate remote category.
Although care is taken when processing and analysing Kickstart applications, referrals and starts, the data collected might be subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system, which has been developed quickly.
The management information presented here has not been subjected to the usual standard of quality assurance associated with official statistics, but is provided in the interests of transparency. Work is ongoing to improve the quality of information available for the programme.
Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 9 September 2021 to Question 43541 on Post Office Card Accounts, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of the Payment Exception Service for benefit claimants unable to use Post Office card accounts from November 2021 for payment of (a) pensions, (b) benefits and (c) tax credits; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department recognises that not everyone is able to open and operate a standard account. The new Payment Exception Service has been designed to enable customers who cannot open or manage a standard account to access cash payments via the PayPoint network or from a Post Office.
The Post Office card account (POca) contract that the Department holds has been extended to November 2022. The Department has begun to move customers from POca accounts to the new Payment Exception Service.
Tax credits are administered by HMRC and they are making alternative payment arrangements for tax credit customers.
Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to inform claimants of the planned removal of the £20 per week uplift to the standard allowance of universal credit.
Answered by Will Quince
We have always been clear the uplift for Universal Credit was a temporary measure, responding to extraordinary circumstances and ensuring the welfare safety net was there for those encountering financial hardship. Now with record vacancies and the successful vaccination rollout, it’s right that we switch our focus to getting people back into work and improving their prospects.
In July 2021, DWP updated around 6 million Universal Credit statements to show claimants that they have been receiving an additional £20 a week in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Further messages are being sent this month and in October as the temporary uplift comes to an end, and as Work Coaches interact with their claimants they will be highlighting this change. We will continue to communicate with people via both their statement and their journal to inform them when their assessment period ends. These messages will also link to the page in the claimant’s account that signposts to organisations that can help with managing money and budgeting.
We are also issuing a bespoke communication to offer advice to those with phone claims prior to the removal. We advise claimants to speak to their Work Coach if they need particular help.
Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many benefit claimants currently hold Post Office Card Accounts; what assessment her Department has made of the impact on claimants of ending their use for benefit and pension payments from November 2021; and what steps her Department is taking to help claimants set up alternative accounts.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
In 2015 there was circa 2.3m active Post Office Card Accounts (POca) users, which has now reduced to less than 350k.
The Department has a dedicated team, the Financial Inclusion Customer Contact Centre, to support all Post Office Card Account customers to transition to standard accounts. A new Payment Exception Service exists for customers who are unable to access a standard account to receive their payments.
The Department is actively contacting Post Office Card Account customers to provide support and advice on the future payment methods available.
Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many EEA nationals in receipt of in work, out of work, or health and impairment-related benefit have yet to apply for Settled Status.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
I refer the honourable member of Bermondsey and Old Southwark to my previous response on this subject : UIN 31481.