Asked by: Tom Brake (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the 29 April 2019 Health Select Committee news item, Committee publishes doctors’ views on Fit Notes and ESA appeals, what estimate her Department has made of the number of claimants who challenged their work capability assessment decisions but were refused employment support allowance while their appeal was pending due to her Department sending ambiguous ESA65B letters to claimants’ GPs.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
The information requested is not available.
We have revised the ESA65B letter, which went live from 3rd June 2019. The letter gives clear clinical discretion to GPs to continue issuing fit notes in appropriate circumstances, such as when an appeal against a Department for Work and Pensions decision is being undertaken, where a claimant’s condition has worsened or if the claimant has developed a new health condition or disability.
Asked by: Tom Brake (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans the Government has to restore local housing allowance rates to cover the cheapest third of local rents to improve affordability for residents in receipt of that allowance who seek to live in private accommodation.
Answered by Will Quince
There are no plans to extend or maintain the Benefit Freeze after March 2020. Specific decisions on how to uprate the Local Housing Allowance from April 2020 will form part of the discussions in support of fiscal events later this year.
Asked by: Tom Brake (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to provide additional payments for claimants of universal credit who previously received additional support through the Severe Disability Premium; and what steps her Department is taking to notify former Severe Disability Premium claimants of their entitlement to additional support.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
Since the introduction of The Universal Credit (Transitional Provisions) (SDP Gateway) Amendment Regulations 2019, which came into force on 16th January 2019, claimants who are entitled, or have been within the last month, to an award of an existing benefit that includes Severe Disability Premium (SDP) have not been required to move to Universal Credit; even if they have experienced a relevant change in their circumstances.
The draft Universal Credit (Managed Migration Pilot and Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2019, which are currently before Parliament, make provision for SDP transitional payments for those eligible claimants who have already moved to UC and for moving existing legacy claimants onto Universal Credit and implementing transitional protection.
On Friday 3 May 2019, the High Court handed down a judgment in relation to Universal Credit and the SDP. The judgment quashed the SDP related parts of the draft Universal Credit (Managed Migration Pilot and Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2019. The Department is pleased that the court recognises that it is for Ministers to determine the appropriate transitional arrangements for moving claimants on to Universal Credit, and we are currently considering the options open to us and will respond in due course.
Asked by: Tom Brake (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of officials in her Department took sick leave for reasons relating to stress in the last 12 months; what proportion that leave was of total sick leave taken in her Department; and what the cost was to her Department of officials taking sick leave over that period.
Answered by Will Quince
The Department recognises its legal duty to protect the health, safety and welfare of our employees; this includes identifying and reducing workplace stressors. Our approach is a holistic one that utilises the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Management Standards for work related stress and follows key principles to help identify and reduce work place stressors.
2,473 employees took sick leave for reasons relating to stress in the last 12 months which represents 3% of our paid staff. As a percentage, such absences equated to 10.7% of all Working Days Lost due to sickness absence. However, as the Department continues to pay salaries during sickness absence there is no direct financial cost.
Our approach to absence is fair but robust with the emphasis on health promotion and absence prevention. The Department has a range of support from mental health toolkits, stress reduction plans plus tailored support for people who do go off sick or need support through our Employee Assistance Programme which includes counselling.
The Department has 965 Mental Health First Aiders, who provide acute, short-term and structured support to individuals, provide reassurance and signpost colleagues to both DWP and external sources of support as appropriate. Mental Health First Aiders are also provided with continuous professional development and support for their own mental wellbeing.
Asked by: Tom Brake (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many staff in her Department who were transferred or seconded to work (a) in other departments or (b) on other departmental briefs on preparations for the UK to leave the EU, have since returned to her Department.
Answered by Will Quince
The Department for Work and Pensions have transferred/assigned 127 volunteers to other departments to support EU Exit related work, to date 125 have returned. The remaining 2 volunteers will continue to support another department with EU Policy related activity until June/July 2019.
Asked by: Tom Brake (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Government has made an assessment of the change in the relative value of overseas UK pensioners' state pensions for each percentage fall in the value of the pound.
Answered by Guy Opperman
No such assessment has been made. The exchange rate is subject to fluctuation. As a result state pension payments will change depending on the rate for foreign currency.
Asked by: Tom Brake (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she plans to roll-out universal credit managed migration in Sutton as a pilot.
Answered by Lord Sharma
The Department is currently working with key stakeholders to determine the approach to a managed migration pilot. We will be starting with very small numbers initially, and as a result will be able to track and support claimants through the process effectively to ensure that those moving onto Universal Credit do so easily and successfully.
Asked by: Tom Brake (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many citizens of non-UK EU countries work in (a) her Department, (b) its agencies and (c) its non-departmental public bodies.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
a) Documentary evidence of nationality is checked at the point of recruitment into the Department as part of our wider pre-employment checks to ensure that individuals meet Civil Service Nationality Rules. This information is not retained beyond the point at which it has served its purpose. The Department’s staff are not required to record whether they are citizens of non-UK EU countries.
(b) The Department does not have any agencies on which to report.
(c) DWP has four non departmental public bodies. Documentary evidence of nationality is checked at the point of recruitment and this information is not retained beyond the point at which it has served its purpose. Individuals are not required to record whether they are citizens of non-UK EU countries.