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Written Question
Industrial Health and Safety: Immunosuppression
Monday 25th April 2022

Asked by: Rosie Cooper (Labour - West Lancashire)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if her Department will take steps to encourage employers to carry out covid-19-specific health and safety risk assessments in the workplace to help support severely immunocompromised employees.

Answered by Chloe Smith

COVID-19 remains a public health issue. There is no longer a requirement for every business to consider COVID-19 in their risk assessment or have COVID-19 control measures in place. The United Kingdom Health Security Agency has published guidance on reducing the spread of respiratory infections, including COVID-19, in the workplace.

For people in England who are immunosuppressed (including employees), the Department of Health and Social Care has published guidance entitled: ‘COVID-19: guidance for people whose immune system means they are at higher risk’.


Written Question
Members: Correspondence
Tuesday 19th April 2022

Asked by: Rosie Cooper (Labour - West Lancashire)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when she intends to respond to the letter from the hon. Member for West Lancashire dated 25 January 2022, reference ZA58736 in relation to overpaid carers allowance.

Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

A reply was sent to the hon. Member by the Area Director for Universal Credit, on behalf of the Secretary of State, on 29 March 2022.


Written Question
Members: Correspondence
Tuesday 19th April 2022

Asked by: Rosie Cooper (Labour - West Lancashire)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when she intends to respond to a letter from the hon. Member for West Lancashire dated 28 January 2022, reference ZA58773 in relation to a state pension claim.

Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

A reply was sent to the hon. Member on 7 April 2022.


Written Question
Employment and Support Allowance: West Lancashire
Thursday 20th January 2022

Asked by: Rosie Cooper (Labour - West Lancashire)

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 West Lancashire constituency.

Answered by Chloe Smith

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 19th January to question number 104377.


Written Question
Sanitary Protection: Waste Disposal
Thursday 2nd December 2021

Asked by: Rosie Cooper (Labour - West Lancashire)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what her timeframe is for updating the Workplace (Health and Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 to accommodate the provision of suitable bins for men to dispose of sanitary products.

Answered by Chloe Smith

The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 (‘Workplace Regulations’) do not explicitly require the provision of a disposal method for sanitary products in toilets, it is the guidance which supports the law Workplace health, safety and welfare - L24 (hse.gov.uk) Approved Code of Practice and guidance which makes reference to this requirement.

Regulation 2(3) of the Workplace Regulations aims to ensure that workplaces meet the health, safety and welfare needs of each member of the workforce. The Health and Safety Executive has informed me that they intend to consider whether the guidance regarding disposal of sanitary dressings in toilets fulfils that aim.


Written Question
Members: Correspondence
Tuesday 9th November 2021

Asked by: Rosie Cooper (Labour - West Lancashire)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when she plans to respond to a letter from the hon. Member for West Lancashire of 16 September 2021, reference ZA57691 regarding a pension claim.

Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

A reply was sent to the hon. Member on 4 November 2021.


Written Question
Members: Correspondence
Monday 18th October 2021

Asked by: Rosie Cooper (Labour - West Lancashire)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when she plans to respond to a letter dated 11 August 2021 from the hon. Member for West Lancashire reference, ZA57289 regarding a foster care allowance claim.

Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

A reply was sent to the hon. Member by the Minister for Welfare Delivery, on behalf of the Secretary of State, on 29 September 2021.


Written Question
Members: Correspondence
Monday 6th September 2021

Asked by: Rosie Cooper (Labour - West Lancashire)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when she plans to respond to the letter from the hon. Member for West Lancashire of 12 May 2021, on data security at her Department, reference ZA56478.

Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

A reply was sent to the hon. Member by the Director for Customer Experience, on behalf of the Secretary of State, on 26 July 2021.


Written Question
Funeral Payments
Monday 19th April 2021

Asked by: Rosie Cooper (Labour - West Lancashire)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 8 March 2021 to Question 162619, o Funeral Payments, what assessment she has made of the reasons for the rejection of 47 per cent of applications for the funeral expenses payment in January 2021.

Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

In reference to the Answer of 8th March 2021 to Question 162619, the following figures were included: In January 2021 there were 3,890 Funeral Expenses Payment applications received, and 2,050 awards paid.

Reasons for this discrepancy are below:

  • The figures relate to applications received by DWP, not applications processed. Some applications may have been withdrawn before a decision was made.
  • Applications received aren’t always processed in the same month in which they are received. The clearance standards for average actuals clearance times for Funeral Expenses Payments are 13 days. An application made in January 2021 might not have been awarded until February 2021.
  • The number of applications made is not equal to the number of people who made applications, as individuals may make multiple applications in a given time period.
  • Differences between any comparisons made of applications received, initial decisions, awards and initial refusals are due to applications being withdrawn; applicants rejecting or not responding to loan offers; and decisions outstanding at the time of the count.

We publish application success rate in Annex 1 of the Social Fund Annual Report. The latest available is the 2018/19 report:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/social-fund-annual-report-2018-to-2019/social-fund-annual-report-2018-to-2019


Written Question
Members: Correspondence
Thursday 3rd December 2020

Asked by: Rosie Cooper (Labour - West Lancashire)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will take steps to ensure that the Child Maintenance Group replies to the letter from the hon. Member for West Lancashire, of 2 September 2020, on a constituent's child maintenance account, ref za53161.

Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

A substantive reply was sent to the hon. Member by the Child Maintenance Service on 1 December; I apologise for the long delay.