Asked by: Peter Bottomley (Conservative - Worthing West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many times calls to the Pension Service phone line were disconnected in each of the last two weeks.
Answered by Laura Trott - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The Department does not hold information on calls that were disconnected.
DWP continues to proactively monitor increased call demand following the broadcast on 22 February. Collaborative working with HMRC continues. We have also introduced additional measures such as adapted in-call messaging and use of Social Media to improve customer experience.
I am pleased to confirm that a Written Ministerial Statement has been made today by the Financial Secretary to the Treasury confirming that the deadline for contributions has been extended to 31 July. This is to ensure customers do not miss out on the opportunity to make voluntary NICs for the period between 5 April 2006 to the end of the 2016/17 tax year. All voluntary NICs payments for this period will now be accepted at the existing 2022/23 rates until the 31 July. This extension allows HMRC and DWP the time to process enquiries and payments to ensure people’s State Penson eligibility can be maximised.
Asked by: Peter Bottomley (Conservative - Worthing West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an estimate of the number of prospective pensioners who would benefit from contacting the Pension Service to establish the contributions they can pay before 5 April 2023.
Answered by Laura Trott - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
It is not possible to estimate the number of people who would benefit from contacting the Pensions Service in relation to voluntary National Insurance Contributions and filling gaps between 2006 and 2016. This is because it is not possible to know all the variables in an individual’s circumstances (including their future employment record) that would mean they would benefit from filling past gaps in their National Insurance records.
DWP advise customers to use the online Check your State Pension forecast service to get a personalised State Pension forecast. This gives the customer their expected State Pension entitlement based on their National Insurance (NI) record, and a forecast entitlement if they fill all the Qualifying Years available to them. Once they have done this, if people are below State Pension age, they can contact the Future Pension Centre to find out if they will benefit from voluntary contributions. If they have reached State Pension age, they can contact the Pensions Service.
I am pleased to confirm that a Written Ministerial Statement has been made today by the Financial Secretary to the Treasury confirming that the deadline for contributions has been extended to 31 July. This is to ensure customers do not miss out on the opportunity to make voluntary NICs for the period between 5 April 2006 to the end of the 2016/17 tax year. All voluntary NICs payments for this period will now be accepted at the existing 2022/23 rates until the 31 July. This extension allows HMRC and DWP the time to process enquiries and payments to ensure people’s State Penson eligibility can be maximised.
Asked by: Peter Bottomley (Conservative - Worthing West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many times there were technical problems with the Pension Service phone line in the last two weeks.
Answered by Laura Trott - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
There have been no technical problems with the Pension Service phone line.
DWP continues to proactively monitor increased call demand following Martin Lewis’ broadcast on voluntary National Insurance contributions on 22 February. Collaborative working with HMRC continues. We have also introduced additional measures such as adapted in-call messaging and use of Social Media to improve customer experience.
I am pleased to confirm that a Written Ministerial Statement has been made today by the Financial Secretary to the Treasury confirming that the deadline for contributions has been extended to 31 July. This is to ensure customers do not miss out on the opportunity to make voluntary NICs for the period between 5 April 2006 to the end of the 2016/17 tax year. All voluntary NICs payments for this period will now be accepted at the existing 2022/23 rates until the 31 July. This extension allows HMRC and DWP the time to process enquiries and payments to ensure people’s State Penson eligibility can be maximised.
Asked by: Peter Bottomley (Conservative - Worthing West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate her Department has made of when the average waiting time for a Personal Independence Payment assessment will return to that prior to the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
We do not forecast Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessment waiting times.
In February 2020, pre-covid, the median waiting time for a PIP assessment was 9 weeks for new claims, and 10 weeks for reassessments. In April 2022 (the latest available data) the median times waiting for a PIP assessment was 12 weeks for new claims and 11 weeks for reassessments.
Time waiting for a PIP assessment is defined as the time from the date an application was referred to the provider from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to the date the assessment was completed and referred back to DWP. Where claimants are outstanding, the assessment is not yet complete.
Median waiting times for each stage of the claimant process can be found in published stats.
Asked by: Peter Bottomley (Conservative - Worthing West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the (a) 20th, (b) 40th, (c) 60th and (d) 80th percentile of average waiting times was for receiving the outcome of a Personal Independence Payment assessment in each month since May 2021.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
This information is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Peter Bottomley (Conservative - Worthing West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, to list for each overseas country when resident UK pensioners do not receive yearly increases what the lowest current payment to a pensioner is who was entitled at retirement to a full basic UK state pension, stating the year the pension was frozen.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The UK State Pension is payable worldwide and is up-rated in countries where there is a legal requirement to do so. This is a longstanding policy which has been supported by successive post-war governments for over 70 years.
Up-rating is paid to State Pension recipients in the UK, European Union, European Economic Area, Barbados, Bermuda, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Israel, Jamaica, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Mauritius, Montenegro, Serbia, Switzerland, The Philippines, Turkey, and the United States.
Information on the lowest full basic State Pension in payment, in each country where up-rating is not paid, is not readily available and to provide it would incur a disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Peter Bottomley (Conservative - Worthing West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which countries the UK has (a) bilateral or (b) reciprocal agreements on provision of the State Pension; when each of those agreements was made, whether UK pensioners resident in those countries receive yearly increases; and how many UK pensioners there were in each country as of 9 June 2022.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The UK State Pension is payable worldwide and is up-rated annually in countries where there is a legal requirement to do so. This is a longstanding policy which has been supported by successive governments for over 70 years.
As of November 2020, 473,842 State Pension recipients residing in the European Union or countries which are members of the European Free Trade Association (Switzerland, Iceland, Norway, Lichtenstein) receive annual up-rating under various EU-Exit related agreements, including the UK-EU Withdrawal Agreement, which entered into force in 2020 and the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement, which entered into force in 2021.
Other countries with which the UK has a reciprocal agreement also allowing for State Pension up-rating, the date in which the particular agreement was made, and the number of State Pension recipients residing in these countries (as of November 2020) are:
*Following the break-up of Yugoslavia, the UK agreement with former Yugoslavia now covers Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia. Croatia and Slovenia are EU Member States covered by the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement.
The UK also has reciprocal social security agreements with New Zealand (1983) and Canada (1995) covering provisions for State Pension, but these agreements do not provide for annual up-rating. As of November 2020, 63,930 State Pension recipients reside in New Zealand and 126,426 recipients reside in Canada.
Source:
State Pension statistics by country of residence are currently available to November 2020 and these are available on Stat-Xplore here: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk
Guidance for users is available at:
https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/index.html
Asked by: Peter Bottomley (Conservative - Worthing West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which department authorised the four most recent agreements for overseas British pensioners to receive state pension increases; and what dates those agreements were made.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Disregarding any agreements which continued the existing arrangements for State Pension uprating, such as those with Ireland, the EU and Switzerland, the table below lists the four most recent social security agreements that provide for State Pension uprating with countries where the pension was not previously uprated. These agreements were approved by Ministers in the Department for Work and Pensions or its predecessor Department.
Country | Agreement entered into force |
Barbados | 1 April 1992 |
Philippines | 1 December 1989 |
Iceland | 1 August 1985 |
Mauritius | 1 November 1981 |
Asked by: Peter Bottomley (Conservative - Worthing West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether British citizens stranded abroad during the covid-19 outbreak who would be eligible to receive universal credit in the UK can apply for universal credit from abroad.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
As with most benefits, one of the basic rules of entitlement to UK benefits, including Universal Credit, is that a claimant must be resident in the UK at the time of application and satisfy other qualifying conditions. We have no plans to change this.
Asked by: Peter Bottomley (Conservative - Worthing West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether a British citizen returned to the UK after more than one month stranded abroad can be entitled to receive universal credit extended beyond the one month limit to include the period that person was unable to claim the benefit because they were not in-country.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
Universal Credit claims may be backdated by up to one calendar month in only certain circumstances for vulnerable claimants, who may be delayed in claiming Universal Credit through no fault of their own. Claims may also be backdated in specific circumstances when a couple separates, to ensure that there is no gap in entitlement between the couple claim and the new claim made by a single claimant.
FCO consular staff continue to provide advice and support to British nationals who face financial difficulties overseas due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Those in real financial distress whilst stranded overseas can seek advice and support from their local consular team, who will be able to advise on any local support that may be available as well as facilitate contact with friends and families who may be able to help. The FCO are also working with Non-Governmental Organisations to facilitate support to British nationals in need, including accommodation, food and medicine.
If a British national cannot afford travel costs back to the UK or essential living costs while they are waiting to return and have exhausted all other options they may be eligible to apply for an emergency loan from the government. These loans are interest free. This is a last resort option, with repayment required in full. However, the FCO would work with those British nationals’ currently stranded overseas to ensure flexible repayment plans are in place if they cannot afford to repay the loan within six months.