Nick Thomas-Symonds: DWP: All Documents

Written Question

Employment: Learning Disability

Tuesday 5th December 2017

Asked by: Nick Thomas-Symonds (Labour - Torfaen)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, to where his Department has reallocated funding from the previous Work Programme and Work Choice to increase the employment opportunities of people with learning disability; and if he will make a statement.

Answered by Sarah Newton

The Work and Health Programme, a new contracted provision that will build on lessons learnt from the Work Programme and Work Choice, will start in England and Wales between November 2017 and March 2018. Disabled people, who will be the majority of referrals, can volunteer for the programme at any time.

On Thursday 30 November 2017 we published ‘Improving Lives the Future of Work, Health and Disability’, which sets out details of a lifecourse approach to improving employment opportunities for people with a Learning Disability

In addition:

We are introducing 200 Community Partners into Jobcentres - these are external appointments with experience of disability who will engage with disabled people, Jobcentre Plus staff and local employers to strengthen the support we offer disabled people seeking work, including those with learning disabilities.

Supported Employment “place and train” will be delivered through the Local Supported Employment initiative. A key element of this is the use of Job Carving, which involves working with an employer to create a job which meets the employer’s needs and can be done by a person with a learning disability.

The Supported Work Experience proof of concepts will offer young disabled people, including young people with learning disabilities, the opportunity to take part in short work experience placements.

Access to Work has put in place a Hidden Impairment Support Team that aims to give advice and guidance to help employers understand how they can support employees with conditions like a Learning Disability.

DWP’s Disability Confident campaign has achieved commitments from over 5000 employers. DWP is requiring all its large contractors to be Disability Confident Leaders within 12 months from Jan 2017 and all main Government departments are now signed up to Disability Confident, ensuring that Government’s contracted services become better employers of people with disabilities, including learning disabilities.

Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 29 Nov 2017
State Pension Age: Women

"The right hon. Gentleman will recall that we both called for action well over two years ago when he and I were our parties’ respective pensions spokespeople. Does he share my deep frustration that we have still had absolutely nothing?..."
Nick Thomas-Symonds - View Speech

View all Nick Thomas-Symonds (Lab - Torfaen) contributions to the debate on: State Pension Age: Women

Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 18 Oct 2017
Universal Credit Roll-out

"My hon. Friend talks about the underpinning principles. Surely, one of those should be that our social security system should not drive people into debt, yet that is precisely what is happening to my constituents who are waiting months for payments...."
Nick Thomas-Symonds - View Speech

View all Nick Thomas-Symonds (Lab - Torfaen) contributions to the debate on: Universal Credit Roll-out

Speech in Westminster Hall - Wed 18 Oct 2017
Social Security Support for Kinship Carers

"I congratulate my hon. Friend on securing a debate on this important issue. She makes an excellent case for the needs of kinship carers. Does she agree that we need to look more generally at the extraordinary contribution that carers make every single day to our society and our economy?..."
Nick Thomas-Symonds - View Speech

View all Nick Thomas-Symonds (Lab - Torfaen) contributions to the debate on: Social Security Support for Kinship Carers

Written Question

Pension Service: Cwmbran

Monday 11th September 2017

Asked by: Nick Thomas-Symonds (Labour - Torfaen)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department made of public transport provision for former Cwmbran Pension Centre staff whose posts will be relocated to North Cardiff.

Answered by Damian Hinds

DWP conducted some early analysis based on staff home postcodes and pre-existing rail and bus timetables and timings; this was a preliminary exercise when a number of potential sites were under consideration. However, whilst the Department has identified a potential location north of Cardiff for a new strategic hub, it is not yet confirmed. It is therefore too early to determine which existing offices will move to a hub location in the future, or to make further assessment of public transport provision. The site is to be retained as part of the DWP estate for the next 3-5 years.

Written Question

Pension Service: Cwmbran

Monday 11th September 2017

Asked by: Nick Thomas-Symonds (Labour - Torfaen)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the closure of Cwmbran Pension Centre on local communities.

Answered by Damian Hinds

The Cwmbran Pension Centre site is to be retained as part of the DWP estate for the next 3-5 years, and as such no decision has yet been made on the closure of the site. As a large employer, DWP understands the potential impact that a closure or relocation of an office may have. Generally though the economic impact of employment is dispersed beyond the specific location of a workplace – because people spend most of their money where they live. I would also add that as our estate is made up of leased buildings, the landlords may offer premises to new tenants once DWP vacate.

Written Question

Pension Service: Cwmbran

Monday 11th September 2017

Asked by: Nick Thomas-Symonds (Labour - Torfaen)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what consultation was undertaken with staff at Cwmbran Pension Centre before the decision to relocate those staff to North Cardiff.

Answered by Damian Hinds

The Cwmbran Pension Centre site is to be retained as part of the DWP estate for the next 3-5 years, and as such no decision has yet been made on the closure of the site or relocation of staff. However it is worth reiterating that in the future and should the decision be made to relocate jobs, there will be a period of staff consultation where they will be invited to discuss their individual circumstances.

Written Question

Personal Independence Payment: Parkinson's Disease

Tuesday 5th September 2017

Asked by: Nick Thomas-Symonds (Labour - Torfaen)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people with Parkinson's disease have received personal independence payment at the (a) disability living standard, (b) daily living enhanced, (c) mobility standard and (d) mobility enhanced rate since 2013.

Answered by Penny Mordaunt

The table below shows the Mobility and Daily Living award status of the 6,640 Personal Independence Payment awards made between April 2013 and April 2017 where the main disabling condition recorded was Parkinson’s disease.

Claimants can be eligible to receive one of or both Daily Living and Mobility components of Personal Independence Payment.

PIP Daily living and Mobility component awards made between April 2013 and April 2017 with main disabling condition recorded as Parkinson’s disease.

Parkinson’s disease		Number of awards
Daily Living Award Status	a) Awarded Standard Daily Living component	2,030
Daily Living Award Status	b) Awarded Enhanced Daily Living component	4,530
Mobility Award Status	c) Awarded Standard Mobility component	1,650
Mobility Award Status	d) Awarded Enhanced Mobility component	3,290

Written Question

Employment and Support Allowance: Parkinson's Disease

Tuesday 5th September 2017

Asked by: Nick Thomas-Symonds (Labour - Torfaen)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people with Parkinson's disease have been placed in the (a) support group and (b) work-related activity group with a prognosis statement of (i) three months, (ii) six months, (iii) 12 months, (iv) 18 months, (v) two years and (vi) more than two years since the introduction of employment and support allowance in 2008.

Answered by Penny Mordaunt

The information requested is shown in the table below.

Individuals with a main disabling condition of Parkinson’s disease placed in the Support Group (SG) or Work Related Activity Group (WRAG), by prognosis and assessment type, October 2008 to December 2016

		Prognosis
	Total	3 Months	6 Months	12 Months	18 Months	2 Years	In the longer term
Initial assessments
SG	2,000	-	-	200	100	300	1,300
WRAG	700	100	100	200	100	100	200

Repeat assessments
SG	1,200	-	-	100	100	200	1,000
WRAG	400	-	-	100	100	100	200

IB reassessments
SG	1,300	-	-	-	-	200	1,000
WRAG	300	-	-	-	-	100	100

Source: Application data is derived from administrative data held by the DWP and assessment data provided by the Healthcare Provider.

Notes:

The figures are rounded to the nearest 100. ‘–‘denotes figures that are zero or less than 50. The total includes those with a prognosis of terminally ill and also where the prognosis is unknown.
The information is provided for Work Capability Assessment decisions made from October 2008, for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), and from March 2011, for Incapacity Benefit reassessments (IBR), to December 2016; the latest data available at time of request.
The outcome recorded is the final DWP Decision Maker’s decision or the recommendation made by the Healthcare Professional where the Decision Maker’s decision is not yet available.
An individual may have made more than one ESA claim and had more than one assessment in the time period shown. These individuals will only be counted once in each of the figures provided.
The primary medical condition recorded on the claim form does not itself confer entitlement to ESA. So, for example, a decision on entitlement for a customer claiming ESA on the basis of Parkinson’s Disease would be based on their ability to carry out the range of activities assessed by the work capability assessment.

Written Question

Employment and Support Allowance

Tuesday 5th September 2017

Asked by: Nick Thomas-Symonds (Labour - Torfaen)

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) cystic fibrosis, (b) rheumatoid arthritis, (c) motor neurone disease, (d) multiple sclerosis and (e) Parkinson's disease have been (i) placed in the support group, (ii) placed in the work-related activity group and (iii) found fit for work since 2008.

Answered by Penny Mordaunt

The available information is shown in the following table:

Individuals placed in the Support Group (SG), Work Related Activity Group (WRAG) or found Fit for Work (FFW), by assessment type and main disabling condition October 2008 to December 2016

Initial assessments	Cystic Fibrosis	Spinal Muscular Atrophy	Parkinson's Disease	Multiple Sclerosis	Rheumatoid Arthritis
SG	1,000	1,400	2,000	9,000	4,200
WRAG	100	100	700	2,700	3,600
FFW	100	-	700	2,100	4,900
Repeat assessments
SG	500	300	1,200	8,800	5,200
WRAG	100	-	400	1,700	2,900
FFW	-	-	100	500	1,500
IBR assessments
SG	600	200	1,300	16,100	6,500
WRAG	100	-	300	2,600	5,000
FFW	-	-	-	300	1,200

Source: Application data is derived from administrative data held by the DWP and assessment data provided by the Healthcare Provider.

Notes:

The figures are rounded to the nearest 100. ‘–‘denotes figures that are zero or less than 50.
The information is provided for Work Capability Assessment decisions made from October 2008, for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), and from March 2011, for Incapacity Benefit reassessments (IBR), to December 2016; the latest data available at time of request.
The outcome recorded is the final DWP Decision Maker’s decision or the recommendation made by the Healthcare Professional where the Decision Maker’s decision is not yet available.
An individual may have made more than one ESA claim and had more than one assessment in the time period shown. These individuals will only be counted once in each of the figures provided.
The Department uses the International Classification of Diseases Disease code, 10th Revision (ICD(10)) published by the World Health Organisation, for causes of incapacity. http://apps.who.int/classifications/icd10/browse/2016/en - Motor Neurone Disease is recorded under the Spinal Muscular Atrophy and related syndromes category.
The primary medical condition recorded on the claim form does not itself confer entitlement to ESA. So, for example, a decision on entitlement for a customer claiming ESA on the basis of Cystic Fibrosis would be based on their ability to carry out the range of activities assessed by the work capability assessment.