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Written Question
Unemployment: Mental Health
Tuesday 26th March 2024

Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment has he made of the potential merits of taking a nurturing and trauma-informed approach to people with mental health challenges who are not in employment.

Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The DWP is proudly committed to becoming a more Trauma Informed organisation. The potential merits of the adoption of the Trauma Informed Approach into DWP services, will benefit all customers including those with mental ill health who are unemployed. Adopting the principles of the approach into the core of our business will help us to ensure that anyone interacting with our services feels as safe, empowered and understood as possible; this will underpin our ongoing commitment to compassionate coaching and tailored services.

We have a dedicated programme which will integrate the six key pillars of the approach as defined by the Office for Health Improvements and Disparities (December, 2022) which are safety, trustworthiness, choice, empowerment, collaboration and cultural consideration. Our programme looks at these six pillars within the contexts of application to our colleagues, our customers, our culture, and the context of our interaction- whether that is a physical, telephony, digital or postal interaction. There is significant emphasis within the design of the programme regarding what more can be done to prevent trauma and re-traumatisation for both our customers and our colleagues. We are learning from best practice demonstrated by organisations such as NHS Education Scotland, Work Services Australia and the Wales ACES Hub to shape the future prioritisation of this work.

When developing policies, the Department routinely carries out assessments against the Public Sector Equality Duty to ensure that due regard is given to our responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010.


Written Question
Cancer: Children and Young People
Tuesday 26th March 2024

Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of applications for Carer's allowance that have been delayed for people caring for a child with cancer as a result of delayed (a) Personal Independence Payments and (b) Disability Living Allowance for the child or young person being cared for.

Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The information requested on the number of delayed applications is not collected and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

It is a long standing principle that Carer’s Allowance can only be awarded once a decision has been made to award the “trigger” disability benefit to the person being cared for, but the award of Carer’s Allowance can be backdated to the date that the disability benefit is payable from.


Written Question
Cancer: Children and Young People
Tuesday 26th March 2024

Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of allowing carers of children and young people with cancer to apply for Carer’s Allowance prior to the child or young person being cared for receiving the associated disability benefit.

Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The information requested on the number of delayed applications is not collected and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

It is a long standing principle that Carer’s Allowance can only be awarded once a decision has been made to award the “trigger” disability benefit to the person being cared for, but the award of Carer’s Allowance can be backdated to the date that the disability benefit is payable from.


Written Question
State Retirement Pensions: Women
Tuesday 26th March 2024

Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department plans to formally respond to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman's report into the communication of state pension age increases, published on 21 March 2024.

Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

We are considering the Ombudsman’s report and will respond in due course.


Written Question
Disability: North East
Tuesday 26th March 2024

Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of the working age population are disabled in the North East; and how many and what proportion were disabled in 2010.

Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The information requested is shown in the table below.

The definition of disability changed in 2013 therefore estimates for 2010 and 2022 are not directly comparable.

Number and percentage of disabled people aged 16 to 64 by country/region

Country/ region

2010

2022

Number of disabled people

Percentage of disabled people

Number of disabled people

Percentage of disabled people

United Kingdom

8,257,200

20.5

9,311,800

22.4

North East

399,400

24.0

429,500

26.4

North West

1,012,200

22.5

1,111,300

24.7

Yorkshire and The Humber

738,500

21.9

818,200

24.2

East Midlands

629,200

21.8

712,500

24.1

West Midlands

720,900

20.5

819,300

22.6

East

729,400

19.9

790,200

20.8

London

935,500

16.9

1,092,600

17.7

South East

992,100

18.3

1,144,800

20.4

South West

653,600

20.0

766,900

22.9

Wales

469,200

24.4

506,600

26.5

Scotland

746,500

21.9

861,200

25.0

Northern Ireland

230,700

19.9

258,700

22.1

Source: Annual Population Survey (APS) -Nomis - Official Census and Labour Market Statistics (nomisweb.co.uk)

Notes:

  • Numbers are rounded to the nearest 100 and percentages to one decimal place.
  • Totals may not always sum due to rounding and the exclusion of missing, unknown and not applicable categories.
  • Numbers shown are central estimates and subject to sampling variation. The precision of these estimates will be limited by sample size.
  • Annual Population Survey data has not been reweighted to incorporate the latest estimates of the size and composition of the UK population.
  • Estimates for 2010 are based on the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA) definition of disability. Estimates for 2022 use the Government Statistical Service (GSS) Harmonised Standard definition.

Written Question
Social Security Benefits: Fraud
Tuesday 26th March 2024

Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to ensure that the use of AI in benefit fraud investigations does not discriminate against vulnerable people.

Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Department does not use AI in its benefit fraud investigations.


Written Question
Employment Schemes: Advertising
Tuesday 26th March 2024

Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much his Department has spent on advertising the Back to Work Plan since November 2023 by advertising method.

Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

To date, the Department has not spent anything on advertising the Back to Work Plan.


Written Question
Social Security Benefits: Disqualification
Tuesday 26th March 2024

Asked by: Alison McGovern (Labour - Wirral South)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of how many of his Department's staff are involved in sanctions (a) referral, (b) decision making, (c) administration and (d) appeals.

Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.


Written Question
Universal Credit: Armed Forces
Tuesday 26th March 2024

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 13 March 2024, to Question 16599 on Universal Credit: Armed Forces, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of verifying the self-reported armed forces status of universal credit claimants.

Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Department has no plans to change the self-reported armed forces status for universal credit claimants. Our general approach is to trust the information provided to us by individuals and it is unclear what benefits checking this information would bring, particularly as it may place additional burdens on the claimants and departments concerned.


Written Question
Social Security Benefits: Fraud
Tuesday 26th March 2024

Asked by: Darren Jones (Labour - Bristol North West)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he has taken to ensure benefit fraud investigations do not result in discrimination.

Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

All fraud investigations are conducted in line with current legislation including Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 and the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) 1984.

All staff in the department undergo Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) training. The training is provided to ensure everyone has the right level of skill and understanding to ensure equality of treatment for all customers.