Asked by: Rachel Hopkins (Labour - Luton South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has published a plan setting out the steps it plans to take to transition to net zero emissions.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department is committed to reducing emissions and energy consumption wherever possible, as part of the UK’s transition to net zero. The Department’s current targets to make progress on reducing emissions have been published, as part of the Greening Government Commitments.
The Government published the Net Zero Strategy in October 2021, which sets out policies and proposals for decarbonising all sectors of the UK economy to meet our net zero target by 2050.
Asked by: Rachel Hopkins (Labour - Luton South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has implemented a training programme to provide civil servants with skills to support its transition to net zero.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Yes. The new Government Curriculum will include modules on the implications of Net Zero, climate change and wider environmental issues for government. In the first phase, the Government Skills & Curriculum Unit (GSCU) is working with other Departments (including BEIS, DEFRA and FCDO) to create an awareness level training resource for all civil servants. This will be piloted from April 2022. In the next phases, GSCU will look at tailored provision for specific Functions and Professions, and will signpost the training and other resources on Net Zero which are already being provided internally at practitioner and expert levels by government Departments.
Asked by: Rachel Hopkins (Labour - Luton South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether a senior manager in her Department has been given the portfolio for leading on departmental sustainability.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Responsibility for sustainability sits with the Director General, People, Capability and Place.
Asked by: Rachel Hopkins (Labour - Luton South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the number of people who have been affected by the underpayment of benefits after transitioning from incapacity benefit to employment and support allowance in Luton South constituency.
Answered by Chloe Smith
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 19th January to question number 104377.
Asked by: Rachel Hopkins (Labour - Luton South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the total floor area of her departmental estate was in each year from 2010-11 to 2020-21.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Total DWP Floorspace (NIA m2) Managed Estate including Arm’s Length Bodies’.
Source: Cabinet Office: State of the Estate report (parliamentary report) published on Gov.uk.
Year Area m2
2010 1,856,832
2011 1,788,883
2012 1,799,716
2013 1,720,464
2014 1,646,766
2015 1,592,693
2016 1,563,185
2017 1,561,604
2018 1,577,606
2019 1,399,875
2020 1,380,476
2021 1,379,939
Asked by: Rachel Hopkins (Labour - Luton South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what records relating to staff working times are kept by her Department under Regulation 9 of the Working Time Regulations 1998; and how long those records are kept for.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Each employee’s record of daily working times and aggregated hours over four-weekly periods is retained for three years.
A record of any employee’s exceptional decision under the Working Time Regulations 1998 voluntarily to disapply the 48-hour maximum working time is retained as part of their employment record for 85 years.
Asked by: Rachel Hopkins (Labour - Luton South)
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 compliance of her Department's staff working from home with the Working Time Regulations 1998.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
DWP agreed a Flexible Working Hours Scheme with its trade unions to manage employees’ daily working hours and breaks. This conforms to the Working Time Regulations 1998.
Under the Scheme, all employees are required to keep a daily record of the times they work. This is monitored and checked by their line manager to ensure that on a four-weekly basis the aggregated hours worked are within the limits of the Scheme.
The size and national spread of the DWP’s workforce and current recording method require compliance to be assessed by line managers as a core part of their job.
Asked by: Rachel Hopkins (Labour - Luton South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department plans to reform the National Insurance number application process.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department is in the process of reforming the National insurance number (NINo) process and has developed a digital application service.
From 28th April 2021 all employment inspired NINo applicants can make their initial request for a NINo online at https://www.gov.uk/apply-national-insurance-number
For applicants who have been through an Identity verification process with another government department they are no longer required to attend a face to face identity appointment.
Asked by: Rachel Hopkins (Labour - Luton South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has made an assessment of whether an online application process for a National Insurance number would improve efficiency.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department is in the process of reforming the National insurance number (NINo) process and has developed a digital application service.
From 28th April 2021 all employment inspired NINo applicants can make their initial request for a NINo online at https://www.gov.uk/apply-national-insurance-number
For applicants who have been through an Identity verification process with another government department they are no longer required to attend a face to face identity appointment.
Asked by: Rachel Hopkins (Labour - Luton South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many formal complaints her Department received on the national insurance number application process in (a) 2019 and (b) 2020.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department is unable to provide this information, as to do so would incur disproportionate costs.