Asked by: Stephen Lloyd (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many unemployed single parent households are in receipt of universal credit.
Answered by Lord Sharma
The table below provides the estimated number of households on Universal Credit occupied by single parents in June 2018 by employment status. The accompanying notes should be read in conjunction with the figures provided.
Estimated number of households on Universal Credit occupied by single parents, by employment status, Great Britain, June 2018
Employment Status | Number of households |
Employed | 91,000 |
Unemployed | 107,000 |
|
|
Source: Household and people on Universal Credit datasets
Notes:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/739399/universal-credit-statistics-background-methodology.pdf
Asked by: Stephen Lloyd (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans she has to make audio visual recording facilities available for personal independence payment and employment and support allowance assessments.
Answered by Sarah Newton
As part of our commitment to improve the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessment process we have been progressing options to video record PIP face-to-face assessments. Over the summer we gathered views on video recording from claimants, representative bodies and from Health Professionals in order to inform a live testing pilot later in the year, which will inform wider rollout decisions.
Providing they give advance notice, claimants of Employment and Support Allowance and Universal Credit can already ask for their assessment to be audio recorded and equipment will be provided. Claimants may also use their own equipment provided they meet certain conditions required by DWP.
Asked by: Stephen Lloyd (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the draft Universal Credit (Transitional Provisions) (Managed Migration) Regulations 2018, what analysis her Department has undertaken to assess the effect of those draft regulations on (a) disabled people, (b) carers and families and (c) Information and advice services.
Answered by Lord Sharma
The draft Regulations have been out for consultation with the Social Security Advisory Committee and we will consider their detailed recommendations alongside all the other stakeholder contributions we receive. We have had, and will continue to have, discussions with a wide range of stakeholders, including disability charities, on the regulations and on the wider managed migration process.
This extensive consultation with stakeholders is designed to ensure that the regulations accommodate the needs of all claimants. Equality impacts have been considered in developing our plans for managed migration, in line with Ministers’ legal duties. We will continue to consider these impacts as our plans for managed migration develop.
Asked by: Stephen Lloyd (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the draft Universal Credit(Transitional Provisions) (Managed Migration) Regulations 2018, what representations she has received from disability charities on those draft regulations.
Answered by Lord Sharma
The draft Regulations have been out for consultation with the Social Security Advisory Committee and we will consider their detailed recommendations alongside all the other stakeholder contributions we receive. We have had, and will continue to have, discussions with a wide range of stakeholders, including disability charities, on the regulations and on the wider managed migration process.
This extensive consultation with stakeholders is designed to ensure that the regulations accommodate the needs of all claimants. Equality impacts have been considered in developing our plans for managed migration, in line with Ministers’ legal duties. We will continue to consider these impacts as our plans for managed migration develop.
Asked by: Stephen Lloyd (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she has made an estimate of the cost to the public purse of applying the minimum income floor for self-employed claimants of universal credit on an annual basis.
Answered by Lord Sharma
The Government recognises the need for claimants who are setting up a business to be given time to establish themselves and develop their business and customer base. However, different businesses and individuals will take different periods of time to reach profitability. The intention of the start-up period is to give claimants the breathing space they need to work out how to support themselves while running their business - including identifying other sources of income or investment - while not subsidising claimants indefinitely to pursue unsustainable activities. This strikes a sensible balance between support for new business, not trapping claimants in welfare dependency, and protecting public funds.
Extending the start-up period beyond one year could diminish the incentive effect of the Minimum Income Floor (MIF), which is to encourage claimants to grow their earnings, whether through self-employment, combining that with other work, or moving to one of the over 800,000 current job vacancies. It would also add complexity, with no guarantee of better outcomes for either the claimant or the taxpayer. The government therefore has no current plans to reform the MIF or to extend the start-up period for self-employed claimants in Universal Credit.
In their January 2018 report, the Office for Budget Responsibility estimated the impact of the MIF on the public purse – their analysis is summarised in their welfare trends report http://obr.uk/wtr/welfare-trends-report-january-2018/
With regards to the estimate of the cost to the public purse of extending the start-up period for recipients of universal credit who are newly self-employed from 12 months to (a) 18 months and (b) 24 months, a formal assessment has not been made.
Asked by: Stephen Lloyd (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of extending the start-up period for recipients of universal credit who are newly self-employed.
Answered by Lord Sharma
The Government recognises the need for claimants who are setting up a business to be given time to establish themselves and develop their business and customer base. However, different businesses and individuals will take different periods of time to reach profitability. The intention of the start-up period is to give claimants the breathing space they need to work out how to support themselves while running their business - including identifying other sources of income or investment - while not subsidising claimants indefinitely to pursue unsustainable activities. This strikes a sensible balance between support for new business, not trapping claimants in welfare dependency, and protecting public funds.
Extending the start-up period beyond one year could diminish the incentive effect of the Minimum Income Floor (MIF), which is to encourage claimants to grow their earnings, whether through self-employment, combining that with other work, or moving to one of the over 800,000 current job vacancies. It would also add complexity, with no guarantee of better outcomes for either the claimant or the taxpayer. The government therefore has no current plans to reform the MIF or to extend the start-up period for self-employed claimants in Universal Credit.
In their January 2018 report, the Office for Budget Responsibility estimated the impact of the MIF on the public purse – their analysis is summarised in their welfare trends report http://obr.uk/wtr/welfare-trends-report-january-2018/
With regards to the estimate of the cost to the public purse of extending the start-up period for recipients of universal credit who are newly self-employed from 12 months to (a) 18 months and (b) 24 months, a formal assessment has not been made.