Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many families with children received the £20 per week uplift in universal credit standard allowance payment in the North East in each month since that uplift was introduced.
Answered by Will Quince
The available information on the number of households with children with Universal Credit in payment, by parliamentary constituency and by region, is published and can be found at:
https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/
Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found at:
https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many families with children received the £20 per week uplift in universal credit standard allowance payments in Washington and Sunderland West constituency in each month since that uplift was introduced.
Answered by Will Quince
The available information on the number of households with children with Universal Credit in payment, by parliamentary constituency and by region, is published and can be found at:
https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/
Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found at:
https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she has taken to publicise the availability of the Tech Fund for employees applying for Access to Work to (a) organisations and (b) disabled people.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
The Access to Work Tech Fund is only available for people applying for Access to Work where assistive technology replaces existing or proposed human support.
Since its announcement in Spring 2018, take up of Tech Fund has been low (fewer than 10 applicants). As a result, we are currently reviewing this and engaging with stakeholders to further understand the issues that they may be facing or those preventing them from benefiting from the Tech Fund. We are keen to find new ways of helping Access to Work recipients to become aware of, and benefit from, the latest assistive technology that best meets their needs, and would welcome further views on this.
Access to Work has not undertaken any publicising of the Tech Fund specifically. Access to Work continues to undertake targeted marketing and awareness raising activities. For example, the scheme is promoted to benefit claimants through Jobcentre Plus and to a range of business leaders through the Disability Confident scheme. We have also worked with a variety of stakeholder organisations to market Access to Work to their clients, including sharing information about how individuals can apply for support.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many disabled people have (a) applied for and (b) received funding for technology through the Tech Fund.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
The Access to Work Tech Fund is only available for people applying for Access to Work where assistive technology replaces existing or proposed human support.
Since its announcement in Spring 2018, take up of Tech Fund has been low (fewer than 10 applicants). As a result, we are currently reviewing this and engaging with stakeholders to further understand the issues that they may be facing or those preventing them from benefiting from the Tech Fund. We are keen to find new ways of helping Access to Work recipients to become aware of, and benefit from, the latest assistive technology that best meets their needs, and would welcome further views on this.
Access to Work has not undertaken any publicising of the Tech Fund specifically. Access to Work continues to undertake targeted marketing and awareness raising activities. For example, the scheme is promoted to benefit claimants through Jobcentre Plus and to a range of business leaders through the Disability Confident scheme. We have also worked with a variety of stakeholder organisations to market Access to Work to their clients, including sharing information about how individuals can apply for support.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people with dyslexia (a) applied for and (b) received funding for technology through the Tech Fund.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
The Access to Work Tech Fund is only available for people applying for Access to Work where assistive technology replaces existing or proposed human support.
Since its announcement in Spring 2018, take up of Tech Fund has been low (fewer than 10 applicants). As a result, we are currently reviewing this and engaging with stakeholders to further understand the issues that they may be facing or those preventing them from benefiting from the Tech Fund. We are keen to find new ways of helping Access to Work recipients to become aware of, and benefit from, the latest assistive technology that best meets their needs, and would welcome further views on this.
Access to Work has not undertaken any publicising of the Tech Fund specifically. Access to Work continues to undertake targeted marketing and awareness raising activities. For example, the scheme is promoted to benefit claimants through Jobcentre Plus and to a range of business leaders through the Disability Confident scheme. We have also worked with a variety of stakeholder organisations to market Access to Work to their clients, including sharing information about how individuals can apply for support.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Tech Fund is available to people that do not receive human support funded through (a) Access to Work and (b) other funding streams.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
The Access to Work Tech Fund is only available for people applying for Access to Work where assistive technology replaces existing or proposed human support.
Since its announcement in Spring 2018, take up of Tech Fund has been low (fewer than 10 applicants). As a result, we are currently reviewing this and engaging with stakeholders to further understand the issues that they may be facing or those preventing them from benefiting from the Tech Fund. We are keen to find new ways of helping Access to Work recipients to become aware of, and benefit from, the latest assistive technology that best meets their needs, and would welcome further views on this.
Access to Work has not undertaken any publicising of the Tech Fund specifically. Access to Work continues to undertake targeted marketing and awareness raising activities. For example, the scheme is promoted to benefit claimants through Jobcentre Plus and to a range of business leaders through the Disability Confident scheme. We have also worked with a variety of stakeholder organisations to market Access to Work to their clients, including sharing information about how individuals can apply for support.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what training on the Access to Work scheme is provided to work coaches or advisors who support disabled young people receiving employment and support allowance.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
Work Coaches are supported by Disability Employment Advisers (DEA’s) who provide coaching and mentoring to Work Coaches on disability issues. Technical learning for DEA’s includes a workshop on Provision and Support for claimants with a disability, this learning covers the Access to Work Scheme.
The topic of the Access to Work scheme is covered in a number of learning products for Access to Work advisors who support applicants, some of whom may be in receipt of ESA, through the Access to Work process. This learning includes an Access to Work Workshop. There is also an Access to Work Disability Awareness Workbook which details how Access to Work can help a disabled person.
In addition, each member of staff in the DWP, including work coaches, has regular performance conversations with their line manager. These conversations include identifying any learning needs particular to their role, including Access to Work if appropriate.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 22 August 2019 to Question 277684 on low incomes, whether the hardship payments are (a) new policy and (b) in addition to support already available; and how much those payments will be.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
As confirmed in the response to the previous question, The Government has put in place contingency plans for a range of exit scenarios. These contingencies ensure that DWP can continue to provide our vital services and that individuals will continue to be able to access DWP benefits and services on the same basis as they do now.
DWP continues to monitor the effects of EU exit on the economy.