Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to ensure that the mandatory reconsideration process is an effective means of redress for applicants who have not been awarded personal independence payment.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
Earlier this year we implemented a new approach to handling applications for Mandatory Reconsideration (MR) in PIP which includes contacting claimants, where appropriate, to see if there is information that would enable us to change the decision. To support this, we are investing additional time for communication, evidence gather and review. This approach supports our aim of making the right decision as early as possible, so that claimants don’t need to progress to the appeal stage. Early results have been positive and the same approach has now been adopted in ESA and UC. We continue to engage with stakeholders to explore how we can further improve the effectiveness of the MR process.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of removing the five-week wait for claimants of universal credit.
Answered by Lord Sharma
I refer the Hon. Member to the response provided to Question 240463, answered on 8th April 2019.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he she has made of the cost to the public purse of removing the five-week wait for claimants of universal credit in possession of a DS1500.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
No claimant has to go five weeks without receiving support, as advances, worth up to 100 per cent of a claimant’s indicative award, are available up front, if there is need. Advances are paid back over a period of 12 months and in the Autumn Budget 2018, we announced that from October 2021, the payback period for these advances will be extended further, up to 16 months. This is just one of a number of measures the Department has put in place to support claimants such as paying those claimants moving from Housing Benefit onto Universal Credit a two week ‘transitional housing payment’. We are also introducing a two-week run on for eligible claimants of Income Support, Jobseeker’s Allowance and Employment and Support Allowance from July 2020.
No estimate of this nature has been made as the assessment period is a necessary and crucial part of the claim procedure. Claimants receive their first payment five weeks after the point of claim because an assessment period of four weeks is needed to calculate entitlement, followed by one week of payment processing.
We take terminal illness very seriously and treat people in such circumstances with the upmost speed and sensitivity. Our process for supporting people who have a terminal illness with a life expectancy of six months or less has been designed specifically to enable decisions to be fast tracked throughout the claim once the first payment has been made.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the publication, National Insurance Contributions Series CA 12 - Training for further employment and your National Insurance record, whether credits for approved training could have been used towards the second contribution condition for incapacity benefit.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 3 April 2019 to Question UIN 237041
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the National Insurance Contributions Series CA12 Training for further employment and your National Insurance record and Section 7 of the Social Security (Credits) Regulations 1975 SI 1975/556, whether National Insurance credits for approved training can used towards the Second Contribution Condition for Incapacity Benefit.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
A person undertaking training approved by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions will be awarded Class 1 National Insurance credits. These credits would have helped to satisfy the second contribution condition for Incapacity Benefit before it was abolished.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what benefits credits for approved training, as defined by Section 7 of the Social Security (Credits) Regulations 1975 SI 1975/556, were valid for (a) on 26 March 2019 and (b) in 2002.
Answered by Lord Sharma
On 26 March 2019, as in 2002, the regulations provide for a person to be credited with earnings for the purposes of entitlement to any benefit for a period where they were undertaking a course of ‘approved training’ as defined.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the age restriction is for credits for approved training under Section 7 of the Social Security (Credits) Regulations 1975 SI 1975/556.
Answered by Lord Sharma
A person must have reached the age of 18 before the beginning of the tax year in which the course of approved training began.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether credits for approved training can be used towards (a) the second contribution condition for contribution-based employment and support allowance and (b) contribution-based jobseeker’s allowance.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
A person undertaking training approved by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions will be awarded Class 1 National Insurance credits. These credits will help to satisfy the second contribution condition for both contributory Employment and Support Allowance and contribution-based Jobseeker’s Allowance.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what contingency plans her Department has to support UK citizens receiving pensions from EU Member States who cannot access those pensions in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.
Answered by Guy Opperman
The UK State Pension will continue to be paid worldwide when the UK leaves the EU.
The Withdrawal Agreement guarantees that those UK citizens who are within its scope can continue to receive state pensions paid by other EU Member States. In the event the UK leaves the EU without a deal, the Government has guaranteed that EU citizens resident in the UK by 29 March 2019 will be able to work, study, and access benefits and services on broadly the same terms as now. The Government continues to urge the EU and all its Member States to make the same commitment to protect the rights of UK nationals.
In a Communication COM(2018) 890 on 19 December 2018, the European Commission calls on Member States to protect social security entitlements acquired by citizens who exercised their right to free movement prior to 30 March 2019. This includes exporting State Pensions to UK nationals who acquired these pension entitlements from Member States prior to that date.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans he has to provide support to UK citizens in receipt of EU pensions in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.
Answered by Guy Opperman
The UK State Pension will continue to be paid worldwide when the UK leaves the EU.
The Withdrawal Agreement guarantees that those UK citizens who are within its scope can continue to receive state pensions paid by other EU Member States. In the event the UK leaves the EU without a deal, the Government has guaranteed that EU citizens resident in the UK by 29 March 2019 will be able to work, study, and access benefits and services on broadly the same terms as now. The Government continues to urge the EU and all its Member States to make the same commitment to protect the rights of UK nationals.
In a Communication COM(2018) 890 on 19 December 2018, the European Commission calls on Member States to protect social security entitlements acquired by citizens who exercised their right to free movement prior to 30 March 2019. This includes exporting State Pensions to UK nationals who acquired these pension entitlements from Member States prior to that date.