Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Written Statement of 21 February 2019, HCWS1348, how many employment and support allowance (ESA) claimants who have been reassessed for that benefit after being identified as having been wrongly awarded contribution-based ESA and not income-based ESA after being moved from incapacity benefit have been reassessed as not entitled to that benefit; and how many people have not yet been reassessed.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department will be publishing an update of progress on checking cases potentially affected by underpayments of Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) on conversion from previous incapacity benefits on the 16 May 2019.
This publication has been pre-announced here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/announcements/esa-underpayments-progress-on-checking
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to identify claimants who are eligible for a severe disability premium transitional payment and an additional lump-sum payment; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Sarah Newton
We set out our position on Severe Disability Premium (SDP) transitional payments for claimants in a Written Statement HCWS1243 on 11 January 2019 and in the revised sets of regulations which were laid on 14 January 2019.
The draft Universal Credit (Managed Migration Pilot and Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2019 contain provision to ensure that eligible claimants who had previously been in receipt of the SDP but who moved onto Universal Credit before 16 January 2019, following a change in their circumstances, will be considered for a SDP transitional amount. The provisions will include on-going monthly payments and an additional lump-sum to cover the period since they moved to Universal Credit.
These regulations are subject to parliamentary debate, therefore, we are not able to provide a date of when these will come in to force. Once the regulations are in place we will begin the process of assessing eligible claimants and make payments where appropriate. We aim to have offered all eligible claimants this additional lump-sum within six months of the regulations being approved by Parliament.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Written Statements of 7 June 2018, WS745 and 11 January 2019, WS1245 on universal credit, whether the backdated payment of severe disability premium will be subject to the capital limit rules.
Answered by Sarah Newton
The draft Universal Credit (Managed Migration Pilot and Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2019 contain provision regarding the treatment of the Severe Disability Premium lump sum payment.
These draft regulations state that any amount paid as a lump sum is to be disregarded in the calculation of capital for the duration of the award or, if longer, twelve months from the date of that payment.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to her Department’s response to the Social Security Advisory Committee on the Housing Benefit (Temporary Absence) (Amendment) Regulations 2016, what assessment she has made of the effect of redefining abroad to include Northern Ireland on those claimants with elderly parents living in that country.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
It is a basic condition of entitlement for State Pension Credit and Housing Benefit to be in Great Britain. The Housing Benefit and State Pension Credit (Temporary Absence) Regulations 2016 did not change that condition. The regulations did, however, amend the length of time that a person could be absent from Great Britain, for example, travelling to Northern Ireland, whilst maintaining entitlement to Pension Credit and Housing Benefit. There was no change to either the meaning of Great Britain or of being abroad for the purposes of entitlement to Pension Credit and Housing Benefit.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department made an estimate of the financial saving that would be achieved by redefining abroad in the Housing Benefit (Temporary Absence) (Amendment) Regulations 2016 to include Northern Ireland.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
It is a basic condition of entitlement for State Pension Credit and Housing Benefit to be in Great Britain. The Housing Benefit and State Pension Credit (Temporary Absence) Regulations 2016 did not change that condition. The regulations did, however, amend the length of time that a person could be absent from Great Britain, for example, travelling to Northern Ireland, whilst maintaining entitlement to Pension Credit and Housing Benefit. There was no change to either the meaning of Great Britain or of being abroad for the purposes of entitlement to Pension Credit and Housing Benefit.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reasons her Department redefined abroad in the Housing Benefit (Temporary Absence) (Amendment) Regulations 2016 to include Northern Ireland.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
It is a basic condition of entitlement for State Pension Credit and Housing Benefit to be in Great Britain. The Housing Benefit and State Pension Credit (Temporary Absence) Regulations 2016 did not change that condition. The regulations did, however, amend the length of time that a person could be absent from Great Britain, for example, travelling to Northern Ireland, whilst maintaining entitlement to Pension Credit and Housing Benefit. There was no change to either the meaning of Great Britain or of being abroad for the purposes of entitlement to Pension Credit and Housing Benefit.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she plans to take to provide low-income parents in receipt of universal credit with support for the payment of upfront childcare costs.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
The Government recognises that childcare costs can affect parents’ decisions to take up paid work or increase their working hours, or remain in paid work. To overcome this barrier to employment we increased the level of support for childcare costs from 70 per cent in legacy benefits, to 85 per cent within Universal Credit. This means that working families claiming Universal Credit can reclaim up to 85 per cent of their eligible childcare costs each month, up to a maximum of £646.35 for one child and £1,108.04 for two or more children.
Claimants with a firm job offer can claim Universal Credit Childcare costs up to 1 month prior to starting work to enable their children to settle into a new routine. We also offer extra support to enable parents to pay upfront childcare costs or deposits: for example, claimants may be eligible to receive an advance of their future Universal Credit entitlement, which is interest free. Work coaches and claimants work together to ensure that, where this is taken up, repayments are affordable and manageable.
If a budgeting advance is not appropriate, the Flexible Support Fund may also provide assistance. Payments from this fund are non-repayable, and are managed locally to provide tailored and targeted support for claimants to move into work.
Since February 2018, Universal Credit claimants have been able to upload digital copies of their childcare cost receipts or invoices through their online Universal Credit account, which also eases the burden on claimants.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to paragraph 2.15 of the National Audit Office report, Investigation into Errors in Employment and Support Allowance, HC 837, published on 19 March 2018, if she will extend the scope of the exercise to review the benefit entitlements of people who were mistakenly awarded contribution-based employment and support allowance instead of income-based employment and support allowance to include lost entitlement to free school meals and NHS prescription charges.
Answered by Sarah Newton
Eligibility for passported benefits such as free NHS prescriptions and school meals is determined by the relevant Department.
People can also qualify for help in other ways, for example by applying for the NHS Low Income Scheme, which covers prescription, dental and eye care costs, wigs, fabric supports and assistance with healthcare-related travel costs. The Low Income Scheme assessment takes into account council tax and housing costs, so people could get help with health costs even if their income is too high to qualify for a means-tested benefit.
At no point have we actually stopped individuals from making a claim to income-related benefits. When we transitioned people from Incapacity Benefit to Employment and Support Allowance, we protected the amount of Incapacity Benefit they were being paid. We sent out letters and attempted to call people at the time to advise them that they could also be entitled to income-related benefit and to contact the Department if they believed they were eligible.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Written Statement of 15 March 2018, HCWS549 on employment and support allowance, how many claimants have been sent an ESA3 change of circumstances form; how many claimants have returned that form; how many claimants have had their claim reassessed; and how many claimants have received backdated payments.
Answered by Sarah Newton
The figures presented are based on DWP management information and are reported with only high level verification. The figures provided have been rounded to the nearest thousand.
Number of claimants who have been sent an ESA3 change of circumstances form | 15,000 |
ESA3s returned by post | 7,000 |
ESA3s completed by telephone, plus a small number completed by visit | 6,000 |
Claimants who have had their claim reassessed | 10,000 |
Claimants who have received back-dated payments | 8,000 |
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the oral evidence of the Permanent Secretary of HMRC of 23 May and 5 June 2018 to the Treasury Committee, whether she has seen briefing papers on the estimated figures of £17-20 billion on the costs of the maximum facilitation model; and what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of those estimates.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
The analysis to support the estimated £17-20 billion figure was published in a letter by the Chief Executive of Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs to the Treasury Select Committee on 5 June, 2018.
The Government is considering two approaches to a future customs relationship with the EU: a ‘new customs partnership’ and a ‘highly streamlined customs arrangement’. Ongoing analysis continues to support the development of both models.