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Written Question
Electronic Government: Disability
Friday 28th April 2023

Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Sunderland West)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to improve the accessibility of gov.uk services for users of assistive technologies; and if he will take steps to require (a) jobcentre staff and (b) all employers to access training on assistive technologies.

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

DWP is constantly working to improve the accessibility of DWP gov.uk services for users of assistive technologies.

Colleagues will follow a formal DWP Digital Accessibility Policy from summer, which sets out the standards product teams must adhere to when creating new products or updating existing products.

In addition to this, training and consultancy is provided for product teams, to enable them to create accessible content and test it with assistive software.


Written Question
Special Educational Needs: Employment Schemes
Wednesday 26th April 2023

Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Sunderland West)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what SEND-specific training the Government plans to provide to (a) Job Centre Work Coaches and (b) Work and Health Programme staff as part of its proposals on ensuring those services provide people with (i) dyslexia and (ii) other learning difficulties with adequate employment support.

Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)

The DWP Work Coaches receive comprehensive learning to support customers with health, disability and additional or complex needs, which continues at point of need throughout their role. The learning provides Work Coaches with the knowledge and skills to enable them to support claimants moving towards employment.

Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) is included in the Vulnerable Customer and Complex Needs product, which forms part of the DWP Induction learning for all colleagues.

This learning supports Work Coaches and Health Programme staff in working with customers to identify barriers they may face and to signpost customers to internal and external sources of help and support; this includes customers with learning difficulties and dyslexia.

As part of the Work Coach specific learning journey, they complete Claimant Commitment learning which focuses on:

  • Taking into account a claimant’s capability and circumstances; and
  • Working with their claimants to create tailored commitments that reflect their abilities and skills, and sets out activities to support them secure employment, or prepare for work they can do in the future.

The Work Coach learning journey also includes modules on Vulnerable Customers; this product focuses on supporting customers with additional complex needs, including learning difficulties, move closer to, and into, the labour market. Work Coaches continue to build on this learning in the workplace.


Written Question
Employment Schemes: Disability
Wednesday 26th April 2023

Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Sunderland West)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how employers will be directed to the new online Support with Employee Health and Disability service.

Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)

At the moment, the Support with Employee Health and Disability service remains under development and is in public live testing. We have collaborated with ACAS, HSE, and business organisations and trade associations, to share links to the test version of the service with employers. The longer-term approach to directing businesses to this information will be informed by user test findings.


Written Question
Employment: Special Educational Needs
Wednesday 26th April 2023

Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Sunderland West)

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 impact of the health adjustment passport on barriers to employment for jobseekers with special educational needs.

Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)

My department has worked with stakeholders to develop and deliver an Adjustments Passport to support transitions into employment for all disabled people and people with health conditions, and to test this concept in a variety of settings. The Health Adjustments Passport was introduced from May 2022 to support disabled jobseekers. Whilst jobseekers with special educational needs form part of the Health Adjustments Passport customer base, no specific assessment has been made for this group of disabled people, as the Health Adjustments Passport is available to all disabled people and people with health conditions who need adjustment support within the workplace.

Recognising the value the Adjustments Passport can have for young disabled people when transitioning from education to employment, we are also currently testing the Adjustments Passport with Supported Internships, Traineeships and Apprenticeships. This will include people with special educational needs and will use this learning to inform next steps.


Written Question
Housing Benefit: Employment
Thursday 3rd November 2022

Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Sunderland West)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to help support people living in supported housing, who have their housing costs supported through the Housing Benefit, access employment opportunities.

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

DWP provides a range of employment support to different groups including those who may live in Supported Housing. This includes measures such as helping claimants to make a Universal Credit claim as well as providing specialised tailored support through Jobcentre Plus including access to the Flexible Support Fund, individual work coach support and priority access to the Work and Health Programme.


Written Question
Universal Credit: Deductions
Thursday 3rd November 2022

Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Sunderland West)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, (a) how many and (b) what proportion of Universal Credit claimants aged under 25 had deductions taken in the most recent month for which figures available.

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

Household level figures have been provided as deductions are applied at the household level and not at claimant level.

In May 2022, the total deductions for Under 25 households on Universal Credit was £9,783,000 and the average deduction was £41. For the same period, the total number of households on Universal Credit with a deduction was 238,000. This accounts for 36% of all under 25 households.

Notes:

1. Total deductions have been rounded to the nearest thousand pounds and average deductions to the nearest pound

2.Total number of households on UC have been rounded to the nearest thousand and percentages to the nearest percent.

3. For couple claims an under 25 household has been defined as both claimants in the household being under 25.

4. Figures are provisional and are subject to retrospective change as later data becomes available.

5. The methodology used is different to those used to derive the Official Statistics Household series and therefore, figures may not be comparable.

6. Data for May 2022 has been provided in line with the latest available UC Household Statistics


Written Question
Universal Credit: Deductions
Thursday 3rd November 2022

Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Sunderland West)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the total deductions for Universal Credit claimants aged under 25 were in the most recent month for which figures are available; and what the average such deduction was.

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

Household level figures have been provided as deductions are applied at the household level and not at claimant level.

In May 2022, the total deductions for Under 25 households on Universal Credit was £9,783,000 and the average deduction was £41. For the same period, the total number of households on Universal Credit with a deduction was 238,000. This accounts for 36% of all under 25 households.

Notes:

1. Total deductions have been rounded to the nearest thousand pounds and average deductions to the nearest pound

2.Total number of households on UC have been rounded to the nearest thousand and percentages to the nearest percent.

3. For couple claims an under 25 household has been defined as both claimants in the household being under 25.

4. Figures are provisional and are subject to retrospective change as later data becomes available.

5. The methodology used is different to those used to derive the Official Statistics Household series and therefore, figures may not be comparable.

6. Data for May 2022 has been provided in line with the latest available UC Household Statistics


Written Question
Universal Credit: Deductions
Thursday 3rd November 2022

Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Sunderland West)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, (a) how many and (b) what proportion of Universal Credit claimants had deductions taken in the most recent month for which figures are available.

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

Household level figures have been provided as deductions are applied at the household level and not at claimant level.

In May 2022, the total deductions for Universal Credit households was £130,530,000 and the average deduction was £62. For the same period, the total number of households on Universal Credit with a deduction was 2,100,000. This accounts for 45% of all households on Universal Credit.

Notes:

1. Total deductions have been rounded to the nearest thousand pounds and average deductions to the nearest pound

2.Total number of households on UC have been rounded to the nearest thousand and percentages to the nearest percent

3. Figures are provisional and are subject to retrospective change as later data becomes available.

4. The methodology used is different to those used to derive the Official Statistics Household series and therefore, figures may not be comparable.

5. Data for May 2022 has been provided in line with the latest available UC Household Statistics


Written Question
Universal Credit: Deductions
Thursday 3rd November 2022

Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Sunderland West)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the (a) total and (b) average size of deductions from Universal Credit claimants were in the most recent month for which data is available.

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

Household level figures have been provided as deductions are applied at the household level and not at claimant level.

In May 2022, the total deductions for Universal Credit households was £130,530,000 and the average deduction was £62. For the same period, the total number of households on Universal Credit with a deduction was 2,100,000. This accounts for 45% of all households on Universal Credit.

Notes:

1. Total deductions have been rounded to the nearest thousand pounds and average deductions to the nearest pound

2.Total number of households on UC have been rounded to the nearest thousand and percentages to the nearest percent

3. Figures are provisional and are subject to retrospective change as later data becomes available.

4. The methodology used is different to those used to derive the Official Statistics Household series and therefore, figures may not be comparable.

5. Data for May 2022 has been provided in line with the latest available UC Household Statistics


Written Question
Housing Benefit
Wednesday 2nd November 2022

Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Sunderland West)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, If she will bring the taper rate for Housing Benefit in line with the Universal Credit taper rate.

Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

There are currently no plans to amend the taper rate in Housing Benefit.