Asked by: Philippa Whitford (Scottish National Party - Central Ayrshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment she has made of the timeliness of the delivery of the state pension to an eligible person on reaching the state pension age.
Answered by Guy Opperman
DWP is aware that a small number of new State Pension claims have been subject to delays in receiving payment.
The Department is working hard to clear the current backlog, many of which have accrued since the Covid Pandemic.
We are prioritising overdue payments and payments that are imminent within the next few weeks. Normal service will be resumed by the end of October 2021.
Claimants don’t need to act, we have identified the cases and will process them as soon as possible.
Asked by: Philippa Whitford (Scottish National Party - Central Ayrshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the effect of the waiting time before new universal credit claimants are eligible for Support for Mortgage Interest on (a) debt levels and (b) mortgage defaults.
Answered by Guy Opperman
No assessment has been made on the effect of the waiting time of debt levels and mortgage defaults for new UC claimants.
Asked by: Philippa Whitford (Scottish National Party - Central Ayrshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of switching to Support for Mortgage Interest rather than housing support for homeowners with a mortgage in receipt of universal credit.
Answered by Guy Opperman
No assessment has been made of the potential merits of switching to Support for Mortgage Interest rather than housing support for homeowners with a mortgage in receipt of universal credit.
Asked by: Philippa Whitford (Scottish National Party - Central Ayrshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Citizens Basic Income Feasibility Study Steering Group report entitled Assessing the Feasibility of Citizens' Basic Income Pilots in Scotland, if she will meet with Scottish Government officials to discuss that report and its recommendations.
Answered by Will Quince
I do not intend to meet with the Scottish Government officials to discuss the report on the feasibility of piloting a Citizens Basic Income (CBI) in Scotland as I do not think a CBI is the right approach for the UK. A CBI does not take any account of people’s needs and circumstances, is not targeted at the poorest in society and would be hugely expensive.
This government believes Universal Credit is the right strategy for the UK because it simplifies the benefits system, promotes and incentivises work and provides targeted support to those in most need in a way that is affordable.
Asked by: Philippa Whitford (Scottish National Party - Central Ayrshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Citizens Basic Income Feasibility Study Steering Group's report entitled Assessing the Feasibility of Citizens' Basic Income Pilots in Scotland, if she will hold discussions with (a) the Scottish Government and (b) HMRC on the potential merits of a universal basic Income pilot in Scotland.
Answered by Will Quince
I do not intend to meet with the Scottish Government officials to discuss the report on the feasibility of piloting a Citizens Basic Income (CBI) in Scotland as I do not think a CBI is the right approach for the UK. A CBI does not take any account of people’s needs and circumstances, is not targeted at the poorest in society and would be hugely expensive.
This government believes Universal Credit is the right strategy for the UK because it simplifies the benefits system, promotes and incentivises work and provides targeted support to those in most need in a way that is affordable.
Asked by: Philippa Whitford (Scottish National Party - Central Ayrshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what work her Department has undertaken to determine the feasibility of implementing a model of universal basic income throughout the UK.
Answered by Will Quince
No work has been undertaken. Universal Basic Income is extremely expensive, reduces work incentives and does not target those most in need of support.