Asked by: Gen Kitchen (Labour - Wellingborough)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of the number of people who have not moved over to Universal Credit since its introduction.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The information requested is published and is available here: Move to Universal Credit statistics, July 2022 to March 2024 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to help improve the support provided by Jobcentre Plus centres in County Durham.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
There are 10 Jobcentres within County Durham, all of which have teams who actively collaborate with a range of partners to support people into work and, help employers to fill vacancies.
The Jobcentres are working with partners such as Durham New College, Derwentside College, East Durham College, Durham County Council, Barclays, the NHS, Community Hubs, National Careers Service, and Mental Health Matters to provide a wraparound employment and skills offer for customers. This offer is designed to support customers and help them find work and, help meet the recruitment needs of local employers.
We take a sector-based approach to recruitment and our Jobcentres have been working closely with employers to run Job Fairs for various sectors including manufacturing, Civil Service, hospitality, logistics, health care, construction, retail, security, adult social care and telecoms. As an example, Durham Jobcentre recently hosted a Care focussed event with employers including Care Academy, Embracing Care, HC One, Kelly Park and the NHS.
Disability Employment Advisers (DEA’s) offer advice and expertise on how to help disabled people and those with health conditions into work. the Embracing Employment and Healthcare trial is currently being piloted within Durham City Jobcentre. Employment and Healthcare Practitioners (EHPs) are co located within the Jobcentre working with customers who apply for Employment Support Allowance and Universal Credit and who have declared a health condition or disability. EHP’s work with them to understand the impact their health condition has on their daily lives, identifying their individual barriers and support them in addressing those barriers.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Labour - Weaver Vale)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of taper rates for (a) housing benefit and (b) Universal Credit housing elements on people in temporary accommodation.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The taper rates in Universal Credit (UC) and Housing Benefit (HB) are different and the Department acknowledges the challenge that this creates for those moving into work whilst living in Temporary Accommodation - when transitioning between receiving UC and HB to receiving HB only as their earnings increase.
Officials continue to develop policy and delivery options to improve the customer experience for those reliant on Housing Benefit. Any options involving further investment to strengthen work incentives would require fiscal approval in the normal way.
Asked by: David Davis (Conservative - Haltemprice and Howden)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an estimate of how much monies his Department expects to recover via the powers in Clause 128 of the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill for fraud related to (a) the Attendance Allowance, (b) Universal Credit, (c) the State Pension, (d) the Personal Independence Payment, (e) the Disability Living Allowance, (f) carers allowance, (g) housing benefit, (h) child benefit and (i) pension credit as (i) an annual sum and (ii) as a proportion of overall estimated fraud for each of those.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Whilst the power covers all benefits to ensure we are empowered to address fraud and error wherever it arises, the Impact Assessment makes clear that we initially intend to use the power for Universal Credit, Employment Support Allowance, Pension Credit and Housing Benefit (passported from Pension Credit). DWP can also only exercise this power in relation to benefits for which DWP is responsible.
The Third-Party Data Measure is estimated to save up to £600m by 2028/29. This was certified by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) during the Autumn Statement 2023 and updated for the Spring Budget 2024. This is based on the initial use of the power which includes savings from the four benefits outlined above and the pilot period. Further information about the methodology can be found in the published impact assessment (DWP_third_party_data_impact_assessment_november_2023.pdf (publishing.service.gov.uk)).
The table below shows savings are split by each of benefit and that we are testing the measure. Estimates of these savings as a proportion of overall estimated fraud for each of these benefits is not available as the AME savings modelled are not directly comparable to the Monetary Value of Fraud and Error.
£m | 2025-26 | 2026-27 | 2027-28 | 2028-29 | Total |
ESA | £5 | £18 | £52 | £41 | £116 |
HB (passported from PC) |
| £4 | £11 | £14 | £29 |
PC | £7 | £26 | £78 | £103 | £214 |
UC | £5 | £23 | £79 | £126 | £233 |
Note: figures may not sum due to rounding
Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has considered the potential merits of allowing claimants' limited capability for work status to be reinstated without further assessment when (a) they have had their Universal Credit claim closed through no fault of their own, (b) they are in receipt of Personal Independence Payment and (c) their condition has not changed.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Depending on the circumstances, if the department accepts that a Universal Credit claim should not have been closed, the claim would be reopened. If there has been no change in the claimant’s circumstances, and no changes to any health conditions they have declared, the claim would be reinstated at the same rate of payment as before it was closed, including any additional allowances due to the claimants’ limited capability for work. There would be no need for a further Work Capability Assessment in this scenario. Being in receipt of Personal Independence Payment would have no bearing on this decision.
Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 26th April 2024, to Question 22839, on Universal Credit: Veterans, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a method of collecting data on the armed forces status of universal credit claimants in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The administration of Universal Credit in Northern Ireland is devolved to the Department for Communities.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2024 to Question 902040 on Universal Credit, when he will publish constituency level data setting out how many Universal Credit Migration Notice letters he plans to send.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department publishes regular Move to Universal Credit statistics, which can be found at: Move to Universal Credit statistics - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). The next release, on Tuesday 14 May 2024, will include statistics, including Migration Notices sent, by Parliamentary Constituency level. Forecasts at constituency level are not readily available.
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to support in-work progression.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Since September 2022 we have increased the Administrative Earnings Threshold (AET) from earnings equivalent to 9 hours per week at the National Living Wage to the equivalent of 18 hours, bringing over 400,000 working customers into regular support from a Work Coach to help them increase in work progression and thereby increase earnings.
In addition, working Universal Credit customers earning above the AET are eligible to access support on a voluntary basis from a Work Coach, providing individual and tailored support designed to help customers.
Asked by: Caroline Ansell (Conservative - Eastbourne)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to support parents of children with SEND to remain in the workforce.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Eligible Universal Credit (UC) customers can claim back up to 85% of childcare costs making it easier for families to take up and progress in work.
In the past year the Department has increased the generosity of the UC childcare costs maximum amounts by over 50%, to £1015 for one child and £1,739 for two children or more.
UC childcare support is paid to registered providers for example, OFSTED and providers registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an estimate of the number of in-work Universal Credit claimants that have had payments stopped due to errors made by his Department in the last 12 months.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
No estimate has been made. Customers can request a mandatory reconsideration if they do not agree with the decision to stop their Universal Credit.