Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Streatham and Croydon North)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the latest annual percentage change was in the claimant court in areas operating universal credit (a) full service and (b) live service; and what reasons he ascribes to the difference in the change in the claimant count between full service and live service areas.
Answered by Damian Hinds
The latest claimant count data is for January 2017.
The cumulative claimant count figure for the offices operating Full Service increased by 25.5% in the 12 months to January 2017. The remaining offices operating Live Service saw an overall fall of 1.5% in the count over the same period.
Universal Credit will tend to increase the claimant count because it extends our support to find work to claimants who have never received this support before. For example, people who, in the past, only claimed Child Tax Credit or Housing Benefit (and not Jobseekers Allowance) and now will claim Universal Credit, will be helped to prepare for and look for work. So will partners of Universal Credit claimants.
The roll out of this support is more advanced in Full Service areas, and as we bring these people onto Universal Credit, it is to be expected that the claimant count will be higher than it would otherwise have been.
Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Streatham and Croydon North)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance his Department has given to Maximus to ensure that centres used for Fit for Work assessments are accessible to wheelchair users.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt
All Assessment Centres utilised by MAXIMUS to undertake Work Capability Assessments meet accessibility standards under the Equality Act 2010.
Before attending an assessment, claimants are given the opportunity to alert the assessment provider to any additional requirements they may have and the provider will endeavour to meet all reasonable requests.
If a claimant is unable to travel to or access an Assessment Centre as a result of their health condition or impairment, a home visit may be offered.
This is unconnected to Fit for Work, a website, telephone line and webchat service that does not involve participants travelling to an assessment centre. Fit for Work provides a supportive occupational health assessment and general health and work advice to employees, employers and General Practitioners (GPs) to help individuals stay in or return to work.
Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Streatham and Croydon North)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the contract with Maximus for delivery of the Fit for Work programme includes provision of public funding for taxi journeys for anyone (a) turned away from or (b) moved to a different assessment centre.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt
The Fit for Work service provides a supportive occupational health assessment and general health and work advice to employees, employers and General Practitioners (GPs), to help individuals stay in or return to work. Advice is delivered via a website, telephone line and webchat and does not involve participants travelling to an Assessment Centre.
Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Streatham and Croydon North)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of adults with autism are in full-time employment; and what steps his Department is taking to help adults on the autism spectrum into work.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
Government does not collect data specifically on employment rates for people with Autistic Spectrum Conditions (ASC).
Estimates are available from the National Autistic Society (NAS), who suggest that 15% of working age people with autism are in full time employment.
Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is taking a number of steps to help adults on the autism spectrum into work, including:
DWP has worked in close partnership with the Hidden Impairment National Group (HING) to produce an ‘Uncovering Hidden Impairments’ toolkit, which helps employers to recruit and retain people with hidden impairment conditions.
DWP is fully committed to the Government’s Autism Strategy. The latest progress report on the Autism Strategy can be viewed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/progress-report-on-strategy-for-adults-with-autism
Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Streatham and Croydon North)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much his Department spent on (a) focus groups and (b) surveys in (i) 2013 and (ii) 2014 to date.
Answered by Steve Webb
The Department spent on surveys:
i. 2013: £9,482,924
ii. 2014 to date: £10,033,878
This includes high profile, internationally recognised surveys such as the Family Resources Survey, English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, the Labour Force Survey and the Wealth and Assets Survey.
Please note
· That the figures for 2014 to date are estimates based on planned research spend;
· the survey spend is made up of “regular” surveys as there may also be research that we carry out that includes some surveying not within this cost; and
· The figures for focus group are not consolidated and only available at disproportionate cost.