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Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 04 Jun 2018
Personal Independence Payments

"On Friday, a constituent told me that when they received their PIP assessment it did not reflect the truth of the conversation that they had had with the assessor. That happens too often to be just coincidence. What is the Department doing to get proper quality assurance in place, so …..."
Nicholas Dakin - View Speech

View all Nicholas Dakin (Lab - Scunthorpe) contributions to the debate on: Personal Independence Payments
Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 05 Feb 2018
Oral Answers to Questions

"3. What assessment she has made of the effect on employment and support allowance claimants’ income of changes to support for mortgage interest. ..."
Nicholas Dakin - View Speech

View all Nicholas Dakin (Lab - Scunthorpe) contributions to the debate on: Oral Answers to Questions
Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 05 Feb 2018
Oral Answers to Questions

"My constituent, who is registered blind yet has paid into the system all his working life, asks how it can be fair that tenants continue, quite rightly, to get support now, but 100,000 or more people like himself are losing that interest support with their mortgages. It is not good …..."
Nicholas Dakin - View Speech

View all Nicholas Dakin (Lab - Scunthorpe) contributions to the debate on: Oral Answers to Questions
Written Question
Graduates: Learning Disability
Thursday 21st December 2017

Asked by: Nicholas Dakin (Labour - Scunthorpe)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what measures are in place to provide support to students with learning difficulties after they leave full-time education.

Answered by Sarah Newton

The Government is strongly committed to increasing opportunities for people with learning difficulties or learning disabilities. Taking a life course approach, we are working across Government and with local authorities, voluntary organisations and employers in the public and private sectors to achieve this. Examples of measures include:

  • Local authorities have a statutory duty to prepare all children and young people with an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan for adulthood. From year 9 onwards the four Preparation for Adulthood outcomes (employment, health, independent living and friends, relationships and community) must be included in the EHC plan annual review. A young person must not leave education without all four outcomes being carefully reviewed to support transition into adult life.

  • The Government is funding specialist training for careers advisers working with young people who have special educational needs and disabilities. We are also funding training and materials for post-16 providers on curriculum design and delivery, including pathways to employment for these young people. The National Careers Service is delivering positive outcomes for people from all backgrounds and customers with a disability are included in the Service’s priority groups. In the past year the Service has seen over 90,000 customers with a disability or learning difficulty. In 2016-17 more than 20% of customers declared that they had a learning difficulty and/or disability (source: Ipsos MORI).

  • In 2016/17, over 500 young people took part in Supported Internships, which are aimed at those with EHC plans. On 30 November 2017, the Department for Education announced a further £9.7 million funding in 2017-18 to establish local supported internship forums, which will create work placements for young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Access to Work can be used to fund support from a specialist job coach for individuals undertaking supported internships.

  • The Department for Education (DfE) has set a measure of success for a 20% increase in the proportion of apprenticeship starts by people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities by 2020. To support this, it has introduced legislation to adjust the minimum English and maths requirements for apprenticeships for a defined group of people with a learning difficulty or disability to entry level 3.

  • 200 Community Partners are being recruited to Jobcentre Plus, to enhance the services Jobcentres provide to people with a disability or health condition. Community Partners have a lived experience or expert knowledge of disability and provide valuable insight into how disability can effect an individual’s employment outcomes, both in terms of securing and sustaining employment. Many of the Community Partners will have a specialism and 11 will be specialists in learning disabilities and neurodiverse conditions.

  • A Local Supported Employment Proof of Concept is being delivered with 9 local authorities. DWP is investing £2.7 million to test an approach which delivers Supported Employment, on an outcome-payment basis, to help people with a learning disability or learning difficulties who are known to adult social care, or those in contact with secondary mental health services.

  • On Thursday 30 November 2017 we published ‘Improving Lives the Future of Work, Health and Disability’, which sets out details of our lifecourse approach to improving employment opportunities for people with learning difficulties or learning disabilities.
Written Question
Access to Work Programme: Learning Disability
Thursday 21st December 2017

Asked by: Nicholas Dakin (Labour - Scunthorpe)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people with learning difficulties have been supported through the Access to Work scheme in (a) 2015, (b) 2016 and (c) 2017.

Answered by Sarah Newton

A breakdown of the number of people who have had Access to Work provision approved by financial year and recorded primary medical condition can be found at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/access-to-work-statistics

The following special points should be noted:

This is a Type 1 question and response because the statistics requested have already been published. For more information see:

http://wss-fs.link2.gpn.gov.uk/sites/pcd/orwiki/AC intranet/Statisticians/PQ_Guidance_jan_2014.doc

Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 18 Dec 2017
Oral Answers to Questions

"What is the trend in unemployment for young people with learning difficulties?..."
Nicholas Dakin - View Speech

View all Nicholas Dakin (Lab - Scunthorpe) contributions to the debate on: Oral Answers to Questions
Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 13 Nov 2017
Oral Answers to Questions

"Members of the British Steel pension scheme need to decide whether to go into British Steel pension scheme 2 or the Pension Protection Fund by 11 December, but there is still a lack of clarity around the position of high/low pensioners in the PPF and whether that might change after …..."
Nicholas Dakin - View Speech

View all Nicholas Dakin (Lab - Scunthorpe) contributions to the debate on: Oral Answers to Questions
Written Question
Department for Work and Pensions: Iron and Steel
Monday 16th October 2017

Asked by: Nicholas Dakin (Labour - Scunthorpe)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 11 September 2017 to Question 9980, on iron and steel: procurement, what progress his Department has made on delivering greater UK steel content in line with the public procurement guidelines published by the Government in April 2016.

Answered by Caroline Dinenage

The Department has not had any major projects that require the procurement of iron and steel since the guidelines on delivering greater UK steel content were published in April 2016.

Written Question
Housing Benefit
Monday 11th September 2017

Asked by: Nicholas Dakin (Labour - Scunthorpe)

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 Discretionary Housing Payments are being spent for the intended purpose by local authorities.

Answered by Caroline Dinenage

Discretionary Housing Payments are specifically used for the purpose of helping individuals with their housing costs provided they are in receipt of either Housing Benefit or the housing costs element of Universal Credit.

These payments are very flexible and can be considered where, in the local authority’s opinion, further financial assistance towards housing costs is required. Local Authorities are able to set their own policy, criteria and application process with payments being made entirely at their discretion.

Written Question
Housing Benefit
Monday 11th September 2017

Asked by: Nicholas Dakin (Labour - Scunthorpe)

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 people who want to access Discretionary Housing Payments are not blocked by overly strict criteria set by local authorities.

Answered by Caroline Dinenage

Discretionary Housing Payments are specifically used for the purpose of helping individuals with their housing costs provided they are in receipt of either Housing Benefit or the housing costs element of Universal Credit.

These payments are very flexible and can be considered where, in the local authority’s opinion, further financial assistance towards housing costs is required. Local Authorities are able to set their own policy, criteria and application process with payments being made entirely at their discretion.