Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 5 December 2024 to Question 16633 on Department for Work and Pensions: Freedom of Information, if he will publish a breakdown of refugees in receipt of Universal Credit in 2023 by nationality.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department is exploring the feasibility of developing suitable official statistics related to the immigration status of non-UK / Irish Universal Credit customers including refugees.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of refugees are (a) employed, (b) unemployed, (c) in receipt of Universal Credit and (d) in receipt of other social security benefits.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department does not hold the information to produce the requested calculation.
Data on the total number of individuals with refugee status is held by the Home Office.
For a) and b), it is not possible to produce this information using the Office for National Statistics’ Labour Force Survey (LFS).
For part c), the Department is exploring the feasibility of developing suitable official statistics related to the immigration status of non-UK / Irish Universal Credit customers including refugees.
For part d), the Department does not hold the requested information on refugees in receipt of social security benefits other than Universal Credit.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, to provide a breakdown of all religious festivals celebrated by the Department in 2023.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Faith & Belief Network (FBN) supports DWP colleagues and managers and the department by providing insight into issues relating to Faith, Belief and Non-Belief.
In 2023, DWP celebrated or signposted to the following faith festivals and events, via blogs, live events and podcasts:
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of her Department's policy not to initiate fraud investigations under £5,000 on public finances.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The department is committed to using public money in an effective and efficient manner to pursue criminality where it is suspected. The value of the expected overpayment is one factor in considering whether to undertake a criminal investigation, but any case where there is a suspicion of fraud can be investigated. Aggravating factors, such as the use of false identification or previous offending, will initiate a criminal investigation regardless of the value.
Where any overpayment has been identified, the claimant is required to repay all debts accrued.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the answer of 2 December 2024 to Question 15704 on Jobcentres and Universal Credit: Telephone Services, what the costs were to her Department of translation and interpretation for each language code since 2021.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Further to our previous answer to Question 15704, we are unable to provide a full response to this follow up question. Following consultation with the supplier we consider the release of the specific costing information requested would prejudice commercial interests.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of Universal Credit claimants have a note on their record saying that an interpreter is required when her Department contacts them.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Currently, we do not collect structured data on customers who need an interpreter within UC. However, we know of the 43,203,214 calls the department received last year that 865,299 needed an interpreter which is around 2%. The data shown is unpublished management information, collected and intended for internal departmental use and has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of reported (a) error and (b) fraud has not been investigated for each of the last five years.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department does not hold the data requested.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many international (a) air miles and (b) flights have been completed by (i) Ministers and (ii) officials in their Department since 5 July 2024.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Data on minister’s overseas travel and on senior civil servant’s business expenses is published on a quarterly basis. This can be found here: DWP ministerial gifts, hospitality, travel and meetings - GOV.UK and here: DWP senior officials’ business expenses, hospitality and meetings - GOV.UK
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many of her Department's staff have transferred from Work Coach roles to roles assisting irregular migrants with benefits claims.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Irregular migrants cannot access public funds benefits. To access public funds benefits, individuals are required to hold an immigration status which does not prevent them from accessing public funds, which irregular migrants will not hold.
Since irregular migrants do not have access to benefits, DWP staff are unable to support irregular migrants with benefit claims.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will publish her Department’s response to FOI2024/88818.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
As the Freedom of Information (FOI) request, FOI2024/88818, was submitted via WhatDoTheyKnow.com (WDTK), the FOI is already publicly available for anyone to access.
The FOI can be accessed on WDTK via the following link: