Pension Credit Claimants: Kettering Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering)
(Con) 2. How many and what proportion of state pension claimants in
Kettering constituency claim pension credit. (906169) The
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Guy
Opperman) This Government provide more than £5 billion of pension
credit. In August 2021, there were 1,864 people receiving pension
credit in the Kettering constituency. That accounts for
approximately...Request free trial
Pension Credit Claimants: Kettering
(Kettering) (Con)
2. How many and what proportion of state pension claimants in
Kettering constituency claim pension credit. (906169)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
()
This Government provide more than £5 billion of pension credit.
In August 2021, there were 1,864 people receiving pension credit
in the Kettering constituency. That accounts for approximately
10% of those in receipt of the state pension in the Kettering
constituency in broad terms.
Mr Hollobone
Pension credit is largely unclaimed across the country; there
could be 4,500 people in north Northamptonshire who are eligible
but not claiming. Those who do claim it get extra help with
council tax, heating bills, dental treatment and TV licences.
Would the Minister be kind enough to join me in Kettering at an
older persons fair that I am organising in the summer so that we
can encourage the take-up of pension credit in the Kettering
constituency?
Rumours had reached me of the Kettering older persons fair, which
I believe is taking place on Friday 1 July. All roads lead to
Kettering on that occasion. I would be honoured and privileged to
attend to support my hon. Friend, who is a doughty champion of
his constituency, and all the good charities, such as Age UK and
Citizens Advice, that are working hard to get those numbers up,
which is what we all want to do.
Mr Speaker
We now come to the Chair of the Select Committee .
(East Ham) (Lab)
The Minister could have a busy summer ahead. Take-up of pension
credit remains low: an estimated 850,000 pensioner households
across the country are not receiving the help that they are
entitled to. The Department could feasibly work out who those
households are and simply make them an award of pension credit.
Given the scale of the current cost of living crisis, will the
Department commit to an ambitious target for increasing the
take-up of pension credit across the country and to a much more
ambitious campaign to promote it?
I hate to disagree with the Chair of the Select Committee but he
is wrong. As he knows, because he did this job in 2007-08, the
Department does not know the exact numbers of a means-tested
benefit that was set up by specifically for circumstances
where there is not the capability of saying exactly who can
apply. The right hon. Gentleman is also wrong, however, that the
stats are going up, not down, because they are up on the main
income element.
indicated dissent.
The right hon. Gentleman is shaking his head, but he is wrong:
they have gone up from 70% to 73%.
Huge efforts are also being made by the Department in the form of
the work with the BBC and the utility companies, the pension
credit taskforce, and all the letters that were written only this
morning. I wrote to the right hon. Gentleman’s local paper and to
that of the shadow Secretary of State, the right hon. Member for
Leicester South (), to set out what we are
doing to try to get people to take up pension credit and why we
want everybody to do so.
Cost of Living: Pensioners
(Blackpool South) (Con)
3. What steps she is taking to help support pensioners with the
cost of living. (906171)
(Ogmore) (Lab)
9. What steps her Department is taking to support pensioners to
manage the increase in the cost of living. (906177)
(Slough) (Lab)
10. What steps her Department is taking to support pensioners to
manage the increase in the cost of living. (906178)
(Stoke-on-Trent North)
(Con)
12. What steps she is taking to help support pensioners with the
cost of living. (906180)
(Crawley) (Con)
20. What steps she is taking to help support pensioners with the
cost of living. (906188)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
()
This year, we will spend more than £129 billion on the state
pension and benefits for pensioners in Great Britain, including,
as I said, £5 billion on pension credit for the vulnerable.
Pensioners can also benefit from wider Government support with
energy costs on top of the warm home discount, the winter fuel
payment and cold weather support.
I thank the Secretary of State for visiting Blackpool last week
and for opening our brand-new, Government-funded youth hub, which
will help young people to find work. Many pensioners will be
extremely concerned about the recent increases in the cost of
living. Alongside the measures that the Minister mentioned, what
steps is he taking to ensure that those eligible for pension
credit and the expanded warm home discount are able to apply and
do so?
I know that the Secretary of State loved her trip to Blackpool
and I congratulate my hon. Friend on his jobs fair, which I
gather was a great success. He is a great champion for Blackpool
and for the elderly residents in his community, and he is a big
improvement on his predecessor. I am delighted to say that I
wrote to the Blackpool Gazette this morning to set out in more
detail how we are trying to get more people to take up pension
credit, and it is definitely the case that we are doing that.
Mr Speaker
Order. I do not think it is becoming of anybody to condemn a
Member of Parliament who has not been here for a long, long time.
I do not really want to get into that, so we should think about
what we say in future.
The Minister will know that, in my constituency, 88% of people
will see their energy bills go up next week, more than 50% of
whom are over the age of 64. What more will the Department do to
ensure that older people in my constituency get more support with
their energy bills? Simply ignoring the issue, or giving
pensioners a loan to pay back, penalises people who do not have
enough money to survive—it is heating or eating under this Tory
Government.
(Leicester South)
(Lab/Co-op)
Has the Minister written to the local paper?
I have—I have written to all local papers in the country.
The bottom line is that there is a £200 discount on energy bills
from this autumn for domestic electricity customers in Great
Britain. There is also the £150 non-repayable council tax rebate
and the £144 million of discretionary funding for local
authorities to support households who need support but are not
eligible for the council tax rebate.
Mr Dhesi
We know that the Government have already abandoned their promises
on keeping the pensions triple lock and free TV licences for the
over-75s. Now, before the soaring inflation and the soaring
energy bills have even kicked in, thanks to the Government’s
policies, almost a fifth of all pensioners in the UK are living
in poverty. One million households are missing out on pension
credits and thousands of pensioners, including in my Slough
constituency, are bothered by delays, underpayments and other
issues. When will the Government finally get a grip and resolve
these problems?
With respect, there are 200,000 fewer pensioners in absolute
poverty, both before and after housing costs, than in 2009-10.
[Interruption.] With respect, the statistics are correct. The
hon. Gentleman will recall, as a Labour Member of Parliament,
that when the Government changed in 2010, the state pension was
barely £100; the new state pension will be over £185 this coming
year. It has risen by £2,300 in cash terms over the last eight
years.
Claiming pension credit is a passport to a variety of other
benefits for elderly residents in Stoke-on-Trent North, Kidsgrove
and Talke, so could my hon. Friend advise local people what
support becomes available to them if they submit a valid claim
for pension credit?
Have you written to the local paper?
I have. Literally hundreds of pounds a month can become available
in the form of support for housing, council tax, the TV licence
for the over-75s, NHS dental, warm home discounts and many other
things—as I am setting out in my hon. Friend’s local paper. I am
delighted to say that in so many different ways we are making the
case that pension credit and the support is out there for our
local residents.
What success has my hon. Friend had in ensuring there is greater
take-up of pension credit in the Crawley constituency, and will
he consider joining me at the older persons fair that I am
planning to hold later this year?
Again, all roads lead to Crawley, and quite right too. I would be
delighted to attend my hon. Friend’s older persons fair in the
summer or the autumn. It is definitely the case that there is a
larger take-up of pension credits on an ongoing basis, and that
is something we want to see going forward.
Mr Speaker
I call the shadow Minister, .
(Reading East) (Lab)
Pensioners who have worked hard and paid in all their lives face
an absolutely enormous increase in the cost of living. Food
prices are up, the cost of heating is going up and the cost of
living as a whole is going up. This huge increase in inflation
was clear before the invasion of Ukraine and it is crystal clear
now, yet so far the Government have only come up with a
buy-now-pay-later scheme for heating bills, so I would like to
ask the Minister: just when will the Government start listening
to pensioners and when exactly will they show even a shred of
understanding of the dreadful situation facing our pensioners at
this time?
The hon. Member will be aware that we raised state pension by
2.5% this year, when we did not need to do so, and it is going up
by 3.1% in April, on top of which there is the support from the
Chancellor with the £9 billion scheme set out only a few weeks
ago. He will also be aware that huge efforts are being made to
ensure there is take-up of the support benefits, which definitely
assist. There is over £5 billion of them, but we want much more
to be taken up.
Mr Speaker
I call the SNP spokesperson, .
(Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
(SNP)
Despite what the Minister says, the Government’s last-published
figures show that there are 200,000 more pensioners in poverty
compared with 2018-19, and it is going to get worse. Next month,
pensioners will face an increase in their heating bills of over
£800 a year compared with this time last year, and at the same
time, due to breaking their triple lock promise, the Government
will have taken £500 a year out of the pockets of pensioners. It
is shameful. Does he agree that Wednesday represents the one
opportunity the Chancellor has to reverse the breaking of the
triple lock and to do something to help pensioners?
I wish the hon. Gentleman a swift recovery from the trip or fall
that caused his injury.
It is definitely the case that pensioner poverty is declining.
[Interruption.] The hon. Gentleman’s statistic is manifestly
wrong on that: pensioner poverty is down in relation to 2009-10.
Of course, there are conversations with the Chancellor, but it is
absolutely the case that state pension has increased year on year
on year, and we have never paid a higher state pension than we
presently do.
Upskilling and Changing Career Paths
(South Basildon and East
Thurrock) (Con)
5. What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to support
people to upskill and change career paths.(906173)
(Bexleyheath and Crayford)
(Con)
13. What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to support
people to upskill and change career paths.(906181)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
()
We have introduced Department for Work and Pensions Train and
Progress to address our claimants’ skills needs. Working across
Government, we have been able to extend the length of time during
which universal credit claimants can undertake full-time
training, including skills boot camps in England, to up to 16
weeks. I am also pleased about the role that kickstart has played
in helping more than 152,000 young people to gain vital new
skills and work experience to help them in their future
careers.
Ensuring that people have relevant skills is essential to helping
them stay in work throughout their working lives. What
opportunities are available to my constituents through jobcentres
to access training to ensure they can apply for a wider range of
opportunities in south Essex?
I thank my hon. Friend for the chance to highlight our jobcentre
teams in Basildon and east Thurrock, who are working closely with
partners to provide a wide range of support for local jobseekers,
including with South Essex College, which has delivered a
sector-based work academy programme—SWAP—for candidates to help
them prepare to go into new roles in healthcare, logistics and
administrative jobs with Essex Police.
I welcome the work being done by the Government in this important
area, which is appreciated in my constituency. Will my hon.
Friend update the House on the SWAP and how it is helping people
upskill and change careers?
This is a very successful programme, helping jobseekers,
including in my right hon. Friend’s constituency, get an
opportunity to develop the key new skills that employers are
looking for, including through training and work experience, and
a guaranteed job interview in that new sector. I am delighted to
be able to say that we have surpassed our delivery goal, with
over 146,000 SWAPs having been started since April 2020.
(Oldham East and
Saddleworth) (Lab)
We know we are at record levels of in-work poverty, with more
than 8 million people in that category, so why are three out of
four people who were in low-paid work in 2010 still in low-paid
work now?
The hon. Lady makes an important point about progressing; there
is a focus on that at DWP and I hope the Select Committee she
serves on will have a look at it, because we have just mentioned
two areas where this is working for people and filling vacancies
that need to be filled. We will be filling half a million new
jobs by the summer through our Way to Work campaign; that will
help people progress, and I hope the hon. Lady will welcome
it.
Mr Speaker
I call shadow Minister .
(Wirral South) (Lab)
The Minister has just accepted the point made by my hon. Friend
the Member for Oldham East and Saddleworth () that far too many people
in this country are stuck in low-paid work. Last month the
Secretary of State told me that she was the block to the
Government’s response to the report on in-work progression, and
last week the Minister told me it would be coming soon. It looks
like nothing is happening, so may I give the Minister one last
chance: when will the Government respond to the report they
commissioned last year on in-work progression?
I thank the hon. Lady for giving me one last chance at the
Dispatch Box—that sounded rather ominous. In-work progression is
absolutely vital; from April we will, as was just mentioned, have
more work coaches supporting people who have got stuck, as some
people have—there might be things going on in their lives which
mean they need more skills or confidence. The Secretary of State
and I are working on this response and will be bringing it
forward very shortly.
Cost of Living
(Cumbernauld, Kilsyth
and Kirkintilloch East) (SNP)
6. Whether she has had discussions with the Chancellor of the
Exchequer ahead of the spring statement on tackling the rise in
the cost of living. (906174)
The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Dr Thérèse
Coffey)
Yes, I have.
I thank the Secretary of State for that illuminating answer. Jack
Monroe was right that this cost of living crisis could be fatal
for some, and that is not a term to be used lightly. Has the
Secretary of State urged the Chancellor to reverse the £20
universal credit cut and rule it out to legacy claimants, or has
she asked to replicate the Scottish Government’s £20 per week
child payment? Where is her comprehensive plan to stop our
constituents suffering—and by “plan” I do not mean more
loans?
Dr Coffey
There is a cross-Government effort to tackle the cost of living;
that has been ongoing for some time, and was most recently
revealed by the Chancellor’s announcement on council tax rebates,
but also—[Interruption.] Council tax rebate is not a loan; the
hon. Member for Wirral South () is misinformed. There is
also a phasing of energy bills. [Interruption.] I am afraid the
hon. Lady is yet again wrong in her assertion about the council
tax rebate. However, moving on, the Chancellor really listened
when he moved to make sure that the taper rate was reduced to 55%
in the autumn Budget; that is ongoing, and it recognises the
principle of universal credit that people will be better off
working than not working. It is already delivering that, and I
welcome the fact that the Chancellor did that.
(Crewe and Nantwich)
(Con)
One thing that would help single-parent families with the cost of
living is receiving child maintenance. In fact, research by York
University has found that securing child maintenance payments
would lift 60% of children living in single-parent households
that currently are not receiving them out of poverty. We have
made good progress, but I think we can do more, for example by
using home curfew to penalise non-payers. What plans does the
Department have to move forward with home curfew?
Dr Coffey
I agree with my hon. Friend that we should be doing and want to
do more on child maintenance. There are a number of reasons why
sometimes parents are not so keen on that process. However, that
specific power was created in primary legislation, and it is my
intention later this year to bring the curfew order into effect.
I will be working carefully across Government to make sure that
we get the appropriate consultation and clearance for
regulations.
(Glasgow East) (SNP)
The Government speak about their plan for jobs. I think many of
us were quite shocked that a plan for jobs meant butchering
back-office jobs in the Secretary of State’s own Department; I
suspect that she might want to reflect on that. Given that her
right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer is a
multimillionaire who has no idea what it is like to get by on
poverty, as many of my constituents and those on these Opposition
Benches do, has she suggested that he should follow the Scottish
Government’s approach of uprating benefits by 6% with a fixed
budget? Is that something she is planning to ask him to do on
Wednesday, or is it going to be more of the same from her
Department—no action?
Dr Coffey
The House has just recently voted through the uprating order,
recognising the traditional way in which the inflation index is
used. We will continue to strive to get more people working than
ever before. We have seen that certainly on payrolls. I am
conscious that the surveys on self-employment may differ in that
regard. That is why we will keep working in different ways to try
to make sure that we try to lift as many people out of poverty as
we can, and we will do that the best way we know: through our
work coaches.
Deprivation: Benefits Policy
(Gainsborough) (Con)
7. What steps her Department is taking to tackle deprivation
through its benefits policy. (906175)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
()
We know that moving into work—particularly full-time work—is the
best way to tackle poverty. We are taking decisive action to make
work pay, giving nearly 2 million families an extra £1,000 a year
through our changes to the universal credit taper rate and work
allowances.
I represent Gainsborough South West ward, the 24th most deprived
in the country. I wonder whether the Minister would like to come
to Gainsborough and discuss with me how we can have pilot
schemes, perhaps in the 100 most deprived wards in the country,
to really tackle the problem of deprivation with a
cross-Government approach that would improve universal credit and
tax credits to get people into work and keep them in work, help
businesses create jobs in those wards and, above all, help with
housing. Is that not a good idea?
It is always a good idea to meet my right hon. Friend, and I will
look forward to that. He is absolutely right: the best way to
assist people is to help them gain the skills they need to move
into work and to progress in work. In Gainsborough, the local
jobcentre has worked in partnership with the local council,
training providers and the owners of a local business park to
recruit staff for a new hospitality venue called the Caldero
Lounge through a sector-based work academy programme to help get
unemployed people back into work, and there is another SWAP
already in train in his constituency. I look forward to meeting
him.
(Denton and Reddish)
(Lab)
Back in the real world, we have seen food bank use rocket over
the last 12 years—the Trussell Trust alone distributed 2.5
million emergency food parcels in 2020-21, compared with 40,000
in 2010—and it is set to balloon further as the cost of living
soars. That is not tackling poverty through the benefits policy.
What does the Minister think went wrong with the welfare state
under the Conservatives?
With a record 1.3 million vacancies in the UK, our top priority
needs to be to get people into work. We have the household
support fund to help people who have vulnerabilities in their
lives. That has played a very important role, with £500
million.
(Westminster North) (Lab)
The new report from the centre-right Centre for Social Justice is
about the latest scourge to hit the desperate and the destitute:
illegal money lending. Over a million people have been driven
into the arms of illegal money lenders. The report—by the Centre
for Social Justice, not the Labour party—states:
“We can expect this to get worse. The emergent cost-of-living
crisis casts a looming shadow of financial anxiety.”
It adds that
“pressures on household budgets, low financial resilience and
increasingly limited credit options”
are creating “a perfect storm”, driving people “towards
exploitation”. Given soaring inflation and falling real living
standards, does the Minister expect that there will be more or
fewer people in destitution this year?
We work hard to ensure that people receive the money they need
and we also work hard to ensure people get into work. As far as
people needing debt management advice, we can do that through our
jobcentres. The Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions,
my hon. Friend the Member for Hexham (), also does a huge amount of work in this area to
provide the right sort of advice on money and pensions.
(Darlington) (Con)
My hon. Friend will know that in February, 9,846 people were
claiming universal credit in Darlington. Does he agree that the
decision to increase the living wage, extend the work allowance
and reduce the taper rate will massively improve the income of
people on universal credit?
Absolutely. We want to make sure that work pays, and my hon.
Friend has highlighted that fantastically.
Supporting Disabled People into Work
(West
Dunbartonshire) (SNP)
8. What steps her Department is taking to help ensure that
disabled people are supported in work. (906176)
(Motherwell and Wishaw)
(SNP)
19. What steps her Department is taking to help ensure that
disabled people are supported in work. (906187)
(Southend West) (Con)
21. What steps she is taking to help disabled people into work.
(906189)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
()
We are committed to seeing 1 million more disabled people in work
by 2027. A wide range of initiatives are available to support
disabled people to stay in work or move into work, including
contracted employment support, Access to Work, Disability
Confident, and initiatives in partnership with the health
system.
I am sure the Minister would agree that an important part of
preventing the disability employment gap from widening further is
the provision of assistive technology for disabled claimants who
are applying for jobs. Can the Minister advise the House on
whether every jobcentre is equipped with assistive technology for
disabled claimants and whether that is supported by appropriate
staff training—and if not, why not?
We have 900 disability employment advisers who individually work
with claimants to help them to progress. One of the most positive
outcomes of the kickstart scheme has been the number of people
with neurodiversity or disabilities getting a first start into
work because they worked directly with their work coaches to
understand what support they needed to get into work. There is
also, of course, the Access to Work programme.
This Thursday, the all-party parliamentary group for multiple
sclerosis is launching a report on the support that people with
MS receive to get into and remain in employment, and to leave
employment. According to the report, people with MS are not
receiving enough support from their employers to remain in work.
On average, 80% of people with a diagnosis have to retire within
15 years of receiving that bad news. Will the Department commit
to improving Access to Work by reducing waiting times, ending the
payment cap altogether, and helping employees to better support
their disabled employees to thrive and remain in work?
I thank the hon. Lady for raising a really important point about
employers being able to understand and work with their employees
as their health needs change. Employers stepping forward to do
more to retain quality staff is absolutely right. She will be
pleased to know that we are adapting Access to Work to support
hybrid working. We have introduced a new flexible offer, and we
are also piloting an adjustment passport to help to smooth
transitions into employment. Perhaps we need to look at that in
terms of those leaving or having to change their employment. I am
sure the Minister for disabled people, the Minister of State,
Department for Work and Pensions, my hon. Friend the Member for
Norwich North (), who is unwell today, will be
keen to hear from the hon. Lady.
Many people who live with disabilities struggle to enter the
workplace as they often lack the soft skills and the confidence
needed. In my constituency of Southend West, we have a wonderful
charity called the Phabulous Café, which provides a training
centre for young people with disabilities, learning difficulties
and mental health issues to help them gain those essential soft
skills. What support do the Government give such charities to
help people with disabilities live their lives to the full?
The Phabulous Café is exactly what its name says. I welcome my
hon. Friend to her place, as this is my first time responding to
her. Support for small charities exists in the form of the work
with the Regional Stakeholder Network, which provides charities
with a platform to influence policies that directly impact the
lives of disabled people. Through the RSN, support is provided
for small charities by helping them to navigate the often
difficult process of accessing public sector grants and
contracts. I am keen to see the Phabulous Café in action
soon.
Moving into Work: Childcare Costs
(Vauxhall)
(Lab/Co-op)
11. What steps she is taking to help people with childcare costs
to move from universal credit into work. (906179)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
()
To support people to become financially resilient by moving into
work and progressing in employment, eligible UC claimants can
claim back up to 85% of their registered childcare costs each
month regardless of the number of hours they work, compared with
70% in tax credits.
Today is national Single Parents’ Day, a day on which I remember
my late mum and everything she did to raise me and my sisters.
Many single parents in Vauxhall struggling on universal credit
find it impossible to pay up front for childcare, because
universal credit pays them in arrears. How can the Minister
justify forcing universal credit claimants to pay money that they
simply do not have for childcare while parents receiving tax-free
childcare receive that funding immediately?
The hon. Member makes an important point, and I also pay respect
to her mum and to single parents across the UK on today of all
days. I thoroughly recommend that her constituents go to the
jobcentre and see the work coaches, because a flexible support
fund is available that can help to take care of up-front payments
for childcare. I would gladly talk to her about that afterwards
if she needs further direction.
Taylor Review
(Weston-super-Mare) (Con)
14. If she will take steps with the Secretary of State for
Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to implement the
recommendations of the Taylor review of modern working practices,
published in July 2017. (906182)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
()
The Government have made significant progress in implementing
those recommendations, improving the working conditions for
agency workers and more harshly penalising employers who treat
their workers badly. I will continue to work with my right hon.
Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial
Strategy to make sure that we fulfil our commitment to ensuring
that everyone, no matter what their background, has the
opportunity to start, stay and progress in work.
Ministers from both Departments originally promised to implement
the full set of the Taylor review recommendations back in 2018,
but four years later, we still have gaps and missing dates for
legislation. The conditions faced by many lower-skilled and
insecure workers create huge barriers to opportunity, career
progression and social mobility. Is it not past time for us to
smash these glass ceilings as a key part of levelling up?
I thank my hon. Friend for raising this matter, and I am sure
that BEIS Ministers will have heard him loudly as well. It is
absolutely right that we have boosted the secondary legislation,
which boosts the rights of workers by quadrupling the available
aggravated breach penalty used in employment tribunals, but it is
right too that he and I work with my colleagues to make sure that
employers—and the experience at work—are better, because they
need to be.
Benefits System: Identify Fraud and Abuse
(Bosworth) (Con)
15. What steps she is taking to tackle identity fraud and abuse
of the benefits system. (906183)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
()
We take all fraud very seriously and have a wide range of
measures in place, supported by £613 million of additional
funding. Our integrated risk and intelligence service
co-ordinates the detection of, and response to, fraud risks from
identity fraud, including threats from organised criminals. We
will continue to do all that we can to track down fraudsters.
Dr Evans
I am grateful for the Minister’s answer. I was contacted by my
constituent, Dr Ralph Mitchell, after he was contacted by a debt
collection agency on behalf of the DWP for a £1,500 outstanding
debt. He has never taken UC or made any form of claim before. He
rang the Department and, after many phone calls, was unable to
have the debt removed. He was told that he was a victim of
identity theft. It took the involvement of my office and myself
to get that resolved. What are we doing to prevent identity
theft, and what is the Department doing to make sure that the
communications with those who fall victim to it are sorted out as
swiftly as possible?
I am grateful for my hon. Friend’s support for his constituent.
Verification of identity remains a critical requirement for all
DWP benefits, and we are recruiting an additional 2,000 trained
specialists to identify and stop scammers. We work hard to make
sure that victims of identity fraud are not penalised and that
universal credit benefits staff have access to information and
intelligence from other sources prior to the payment, which
allows them to make a real-time risk assessment on a case. Anyone
who contacts us about a notification regarding a debt for a claim
that they believe they never made will have their case referred
to our stolen ID team, and we will endeavour to contact them
within 48 hours.
Disabled People: Benefit Rates
(Bath) (LD)
16. What assessment she has made of the adequacy of the benefit
rates for disabled people. (906184)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
()
The Secretary of State is legally required to conduct an annual
review of benefit rates to determine whether they have retained
their value in relation to the general level of prices. We have
used the same approach since April 1987 of uprating benefits
based on the increase in the relevant inflation index, the
consumer prices index, in the 12 months to the previous
September. We will spend over £59 billion this year, 2021-22, on
benefits to support disabled people and people with health
conditions.
One of my Bath constituents, who is disabled, has been told by
his energy supplier that his bill will go up by £130 in April. He
is on legacy benefits; he is not eligible for a top-up. He does
not know how to cope. According to the charity Scope, he is not
alone: disabled people are more than twice as likely to have a
cold house and more than three times as likely not to be able to
afford food. Thousands of disabled people are losing trust in the
system. To improve trust and transparency in the DWP, will the
Minister commit to automatically providing audio recordings of
assessments, unless a claimant opts out, and to providing all
claimants with a copy of the assessor’s report by default?
We take seriously the points that the hon. Member makes. Each
interaction is key. We want to make sure that people get the
support that they need, and we can achieve that through vehicles
such as the household support fund, but I will take away her
specific point and write back to her with a full response.
Mr Speaker
I call the shadow Minister.
(Lewisham, Deptford)
(Lab)
Disability benefits are being cut in real terms. Charities such
as the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Scope, Leonard Cheshire and
the MS Society have been pressing the Government to do more to
ensure that disabled people are not pressured into using food
banks, not washing their clothes or leaving the heating off in
order to prioritise keeping life-saving medical equipment
running. Let me just repeat that, Mr Speaker: in order to
prioritise keeping life-saving medical equipment running. What
extra support are Ministers pushing the Chancellor to deliver in
Wednesday’s spring statement to help disabled people to survive
this cost of living crisis?
As the hon. Member heard over the weekend, the Chancellor said
that where he can, he will support and provide assistance to
people. There is a track record of that through the pandemic and
in response to rising energy prices, with his three-part
plan.
People in Work: Rother Valley
(Rother Valley)
(Con)
17. What steps she is taking to increase the number of people in
work in Rother Valley constituency. (906185)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
()
I thank my hon. Friend for the opportunity to talk about our
really positive Way to Work campaign bringing jobseekers and
employers together in our jobcentres and filling vacancies much
more quickly. In South Yorkshire, employers in the jobcentre are
interviewing candidates, who are often being offered new roles
the very same day. I know that my hon. Friend had a very
successful jobs fair on Friday.
The most recent claimant count in Rother Valley shows that about
2,000 people are looking for work. That is why, as the Minister
says, I hosted the first ever Rother Valley jobs fair, which was
attended by hundreds of jobseekers and by 30 organisations
advertising several thousand good jobs—and they were very local
jobs. Will my hon. Friend tell me how her Way to Work campaign
will help my constituents to find jobs? Will she talk about the
tools she is using to ensure that people are ready to work and
can start jobs as quickly as possible?
Across Rotherham, our jobcentre teams are really helping to
employ people and get those vacancies filled. I have been in
jobcentres where people have quite often been unemployed for a
very long time; the experience of being offered a job, there and
then, changes their lives. We are working locally and nationally
with employers on local recruitment days, jobs fairs and
sector-based work academies, all as part of the commitment to get
half a million claimants into work by the end of June.
Cost of Living
(Leeds East) (Lab)
18. What steps her Department is taking to support people with
the increase in the cost of living. (906186)
The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Dr Thérèse
Coffey)
The Government are providing support worth over £21 billion
across this financial year and the next to help families with the
cost of living. Through the Department for Work and Pensions,
that includes cutting the universal credit taper rate and
increasing work allowances.
Most benefits and the state pension will rise by just 3% in
April, but inflation could be over 8%, so that is a real-terms
cut of 5% for people who are already having to choose between
eating and heating. Given that, how on earth does the Secretary
of State think it acceptable to target the incomes of the poorest
in our society like this? Will she commit today to action so that
nobody’s benefits are cut during the deepest cost of living
crisis in decades?
Dr Coffey
The Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, my hon.
Friend the Member for Macclesfield (), has set out the inflation
index that has been used consistently since 1987 in consideration
of the inflation rate. I am very conscious that the House voted
for the uprating order recently—apart from the hon. Gentleman,
along with a handful of others. If his vote had been successful,
benefits would not have risen at all.
Pensioner Poverty
(Edinburgh West) (LD)
23. What steps her Department is taking to tackle levels of
poverty among pensioners. (906191)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
()
The Government are wholly committed to alleviating levels of
pensioner poverty. State pensions are at record levels, pension
credit take-up is increasing, and we are taking a number of other
steps to provide assistance. On the day of the launch of the
spring booster, I should also stress the need for all pensioners,
residents of care homes, and those like me and, I think, you, Mr
Speaker, who are immunocompromised to get that booster jab. It is
vital for everyone’s welfare.
Mr Speaker
The Minister is correct. Let us get people jabbed!
According to a recent report from Independent Age, 40% of
pensioners will spend one year in poverty during any nine-year
period, and with the situation set to be exacerbated by
spiralling inflation and the Government’s removal of the triple
lock, pensioners will now be £270 worse off every year. Does the
Secretary of State agree with my party that we should double, and
extend eligibility for, the winter fuel allowance?
The hon. Lady will be aware that the state pension rose by 2.5%
last year, in circumstances in which prices were not so rising,
and that it will rise by 3.1% this April. Money is also being
provided in the form of the cold weather payment, the winter fuel
allowance and many other kinds of support, including the £9
billion package announced by the Chancellor and administered by
the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.
Barriers to Work: Supported Housing and Exempt Accommodation
(Bristol East) (Lab)
24. What assessment she has made of the barriers to work for
tenants who are in (a) supported housing and (b) receipt of
housing benefit at exempt accommodation rates. (906192)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
()
We are committed to tackling barriers to work for everybody,
especially those in supported housing. Through our Plan for Jobs,
we are targeting tailored support at people of all ages to help
them to prepare for, get into and progress in work.
I welcomed the announcement made by the Minister for Housing, the
right hon. Member for Pudsey (), towards the end of last
week about regulation of supported housing—that is a very good
move—but at present there are people in supported housing where
there is an exemption from the housing benefit limit, so they
could be paying hundreds of pounds a week in rent. My local DWP
branch tells me that that is a real deterrent for them to come
off housing benefit or universal credit and get into work. What
is the Minister doing to address the problem?
The income taper in housing benefit ensures that claimants will
always be financially better off working than not being in work.
We believe that maintaining housing benefit in these cases has
allowed claimants to continue to receive more tailored financial
support for their housing costs than would currently be available
through universal credit.
Topical Questions
(Harrogate and Knaresborough)
(Con)
T3. If she will make a statement on her departmental
responsibilities.(906160)
The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Dr Thérèse
Coffey)
Our Homes for Ukraine scheme was formally opened for applications
on Friday, with more than 150,000 Britons registering their
interest. Ukrainian evacuees coming to this country are able to
access DWP benefits, support and services from day one, and
jobcentres will be helping people to find and move into
employment, with assistance from an assigned work coach. Extra
support will be available through our flexible support fund. We
are also ensuring that the household benefit entitlements of
those who have stepped up to sponsor a Ukrainian individual or
family will not be affected as a result. As the public open their
hearts and homes, we are ensuring that the right support is
available to provide security, stability and safety in their hour
of need.
The excellent team at my local Jobcentre Plus have briefed my
office that they have placed 163 young people in Harrogate in
work through the Government’s kickstart programme. Will the
Secretary of State ensure that the new Way to Work scheme builds
on that, especially in sectors where we are seeing workforce
shortages, such as social care?
Dr Coffey
My hon. Friend is right to praise the young people in his
constituency who have started their careers thanks to kickstart.
Way to Work will build on our success in bringing employers and
claimants together in jobcentres so that we can try to fill local
vacancies, and will ensure that when candidates do not succeed in
getting job interviews, they receive the feedback much more
quickly. We will continue to try to directly address the barriers
to entering roles in social care through job fairs and informed
campaigns.
Mr Speaker
I call the shadow Secretary of State, .
(Leicester South)
(Lab/Co-op)
Families and retirees are facing rising energy bills so
unaffordable, tax rises so punishing, real-terms cuts in the
basic state pension so deep, and cuts in universal credit and
disability benefits so severe that money-saving expert has said that people will
either starve or freeze. Secretary of State, Mr Lewis is correct,
is he not?
Dr Coffey
We still have the household support fund, which is available for
people to apply to, to get extra support from their local
council. I encourage people who are struggling right now to make
that approach to their council as quickly as possible.
People are struggling right now, and the Secretary of State is
about to cut benefits to the tune of £500 for 9 million
households. That is a choice that she has made. She has also made
a choice by breaking her promise on the triple lock and cutting
the basic state pension in real terms by £388 this year,
according to The Daily Telegraph. Her justification for that was
that the increase in earnings was at 8%. The Bank of England
estimates that inflation will hit 8%. Can she rule out breaking
the triple lock again this year?
Dr Coffey
As was explained at the time of the emergency legislation, the
increase in earnings was a statistical anomaly due to the impacts
of covid. That is why the Opposition supported the Bill right
through this House on its very first day—
(Glasgow East) (SNP)
No we didn’t.
Dr Coffey
I said the Opposition; the SNP might be the second Opposition
party. The Labour Opposition did support the Bill until it came
back from the Lords. There was a lot of support at the time,
recognising the statistical anomaly.
(Hastings and Rye)
(Con)
T4. The jobs of the future, especially in the green industries,
require technical skills, and investing in people to improve
their technical skills is vital to the Government’s levelling-up
agenda, which is particularly important in beautiful Hastings and
Rye. What steps is my hon. Friend taking to increase the
technical skills levels of people who are already in
work?(906162)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
()
I thank my hon. Friend for that question, which I think will
interest the hon. Member for Wirral South () as well. From April this
year, our new DWP in-work progression offer will support working
universal credit claimants to progress and increase their
earnings. It will include better support to upskill and retrain,
and low-paid workers are eligible for training funded by the
Department for Education via skills boot camps in digital
engineering and the green sectors.
(City of Durham) (Lab)
T5. It is welcome that the Government have proposed reforms to
the Child Maintenance Service following the recent National Audit
Office report highlighting the failures in that organisation.
Will the reforms address the issues with self-employed fee-paying
parents hiding their income, as well as the concerns around
previously unco-operative parents being moved off collect and pay
after minimal evidence of compliance?(906163)
Dr Coffey
The hon. Lady raises an important point. All parents
automatically go into the direct payment process. I am working
with my noble Friend , the Minister who
has direct responsibility for this portfolio, to see what more we
can do to accelerate reform if people are clearly not being
compliant and not paying. Meanwhile, our financial investigations
unit will investigate where people are hiding money and, if
necessary, take them to court to ensure that the money gets
paid.
(Delyn) (Ind)
T6. I would like to thank our local DWP officials and work
coaches for their efforts to help more people in Delyn into work
in the past few months. Some parts of my constituency remain
among the most deprived in Wales. Does the Minister agree that
improved transport infrastructure is key to ensuring that people
can get to jobs? I appreciate that she is not a Minister in the
Department for Transport, but will she in principle support my
campaign to have a train station reinstated to serve Holywell and
Greenfield, to help people to access more jobs and level up their
communities?(906164)
rose—
Mr Speaker
I think the Minister might struggle to answer that question, but
if she wants to try, please do so.
I am going to try, Mr Speaker.
That may be a devolved issue, but I would point out that many
employers in Wales have been putting on transportation to bring
workers in. That has been happening particularly in Ynys Môn—in
Anglesey—to support production there. Working with the jobcentre
to put on suitable transport makes a difference in getting people
into work too.
(Middlesbrough) (Lab)
T7. Pensions and benefits have been uprated by 3.1%, whereas
inflation is set to be 6.2%, or 8% if The Daily Telegraph has got
it right. That means that pensioners and benefits recipients will
not be able to pay for the most basic essentials. How can the
Minister look people in the eye when the Government have
inflicted yet another real-terms cut?(906165)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
()
The factual matter is that the state pension has increased by in
excess of 5% over the past two years. There is also £5
billion-worth of pension credit—I encourage the hon. Gentleman to
get his vulnerable constituents to apply for that—and the
Chancellor’s £9.1 billion package for energy bills. I also
encourage the hon. Gentleman to get his constituents to apply to
the local authority fund.
(Tewkesbury) (Con)
T8. Ministers will be aware that a number of organisations, such
as those in in care services, agriculture and related industries,
and hospitality, are experiencing difficulties in finding enough
workers. What can Ministers do to bring those who are looking for
work together with those kinds of industries?(906166)
I thank my hon. Friend for raising this issue. There are
currently over 1.2 million vacancies. On jobs and vacancies,
Opposition Members do not appear to understand that people are
better off in work than they are on benefits. Let us get to the
point: there are key sectors in this country that need people. To
tackle this challenge, we at the Department for Work and Pensions
are stepping up, with Way to Work bringing people into our
jobcentres and helping claimants to change their lives.
(Lancaster and Fleetwood) (Lab)
While the Secretary of State was enjoying our warm Lancashire
hospitality in Blackpool this weekend, just a few miles up the
coast in Fleetwood, my constituent Patricia was emailing me as
her MP. She is a disabled pensioner and says:
“The state pension does not keep up with rises in cost of living
or inflation…Fuel costs are crippling, as I don’t move and feel
the cold but we have to be careful with the heating. I need
carers but their costs rise faster than the annual increase.”
What does the Secretary of State have to say to my
constituent?
I urge the hon. Lady’s constituent to contact her local authority
to see whether there is local authority access to funds. As of
April, there will be £9.1 billion of energy support from the
Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities fund. There
is also pension credit and efforts are being made on a whole host
of levels. I have listed three clear examples of access to cash
for individuals such as her constituent.
(Bishop Auckland)
(Con)
Following last week’s announcement of changes to the DWP estate,
55 of my constituents are directly affected by the closure of the
Bishop Auckland back-office function. Joanne Illingworth, who has
worked for the DWP for 36 years, has written to me because she is
really concerned that moving her job would not be compatible with
balancing her work life and caring responsibilities. To give
Joanne and others reassurance, can the Minister confirm that
individuals will be given specifically tailored support to find a
new role that is suitable for them in their current
circumstances, and, if not, that, as an absolute last resort,
exit packages will be made available?
I thank my hon. Friend for raising this issue. I spoke to her
about her constituents just before the weekend. It is absolutely
right that our Department is committed to supporting customers,
families, the economy, claimants and our staff. Some 65% of our
buildings are of very poor quality; they are small and do not
allow for opportunities for progression. Thirty-six years is a
really decent innings. We will be working directly, one to one,
with our staff, using hybrid working practices to retain as many
people as we can and give them a better quality working
experience.
(Worsley and Eccles South)
(Lab)
For many people with disabilities, switching off essential
equipment to reduce energy costs is not an option. Extra power is
needed to run equipment on which they absolutely rely—to power
ventilators, to charge electric wheelchairs or to run a
stairlift. When I asked the Prime Minister about this recently,
he said that the Government would be looking at ways to abate
these costs, so what are the Government doing to support people
with disabilities who now face unmanageable energy bills?
Dr Coffey
Throughout questions my hon. Friends have been setting out the
different types of support available for energy bills. I am
conscious of what the hon. Lady refers to, and all I can say is
that we will continue to look at opportunities to help people,
but I encourage her constituents to access support via the local
council’s household support fund.
(Redcar) (Con)
Last week was a nervous moment as we read the news that
Stockton’s DWP offices are closing and that 380 staff would be
relocated. It is now being reported that those jobs could simply
be moved down the road to Middlesbrough. Will the Minister assure
me that the Department is looking to keep as many of those jobs
as possible in Teesside and that it is working with local leaders
to see if there is any suitable usable space in the area so that
Teesside does not lose any of those jobs?
That gives me a chance to provide clarification for my hon.
Friend, as it is important for his constituents and others who
may be affected. This move is about turning opportunities into
larger hubs, with more progression, and a chance for better
career opportunities. With people working about two days a week
in the new vicinity, which may be around 10 miles away, they will
have opportunities to stay local and spend local; it will be
hybrid working and able to support people’s needs in terms of
caring and other responsibilities, such as doing the school run,
which they might not be able to do now. I ask his constituents to
lean into the engagement and I hope that they will find that the
next stage is promising for them.
Mr Speaker
The Minister should be answering the questions through the
Chair.
(Central Ayrshire)
(SNP)
A recent report by Rethink Mental Illness has highlighted that
the Department for Work and Pensions is not carrying out
investigations of claimants who have suffered significant or
serious harm, including a mental health crisis, self-harm and
even attempted suicide. We are talking about the cost of living
crisis and we know what that is going to drive people to, so will
the Department instigate independent reviews of people who have
suffered in the claims process so that they can make it more
humane and supportive?
Dr Coffey
The hon. Lady raises an important point. I am confident that my
Department and officials will undertake their duties carefully
and considerately. I am conscious that there will be times when
things go wrong and that sometimes the Department will be brought
into local investigations, usually by social services. It is
important that we respond to that, as well as to the ongoing
lessons that we learn from broader themes that we investigate
through the Serious Case Panel.
(Stoke-on-Trent North)
(Con)
I thank the Minister for the phone call last week about the DWP
closure and the potential for more than 200 job losses in
Stoke-on-Trent—she rightly understands the concern of local
residents. Although it is totally irresponsible of the Public and
Commercial Services Union to brief before local employees were
spoken to, it is vital that we make sure we retain these types of
jobs in Stoke-on-Trent, where we know that the average salary is
below the weekly average of the rest of the UK and that
unemployment is higher than the UK average. What can she do to
keep as many of those jobs in the city and work with the local
authority to find a new hub within Stoke-on-Trent?
I thank my hon. Friend for raising that issue. I will address
this to you equally and fully, Mr Speaker. It is vital that we
ensure that our staff our consulted and listened to. We have more
than 920 buildings, which can house 168,000 people—we currently
have 92,000 people. Some of them are poor-quality buildings,
without progression opportunities, and we have not been able to
embrace hybrid working. Let me remind the House that this is
about back-office function and retaining staff, giving them a
better quality of workplace and embracing hybrid working, and
about people staying local when they can.
(South Shields) (Lab)
As a result of my Food Insecurity Bill, the family resources
survey now reports on food insecurity. The survey found that one
of the key reasons, even pre-pandemic, that people could not
afford to eat was that benefits were grossly inadequate. Does the
Secretary of State think that the pitiful 3.1% increase in
benefits, when inflation will peak at 8%, is going to make people
more or less able to afford to eat?
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
()
The uprating was in line with inflation in the way that it has
been calculated since 1987, but additional support is available,
through the three-part plan that the Chancellor set out to tackle
energy costs and through the household support fund.
(Blackpool South) (Con)
Blackpool South has one of the highest unemployment rates in the
entire nation, but there are more than 1,000 job vacancies in the
local area. Despite that, many local businesses tell me that they
struggle to recruit, as often they have few applicants for local
roles and some of those who attend job interviews often do
everything they can not to get the job. What steps are the
Government taking to ensure that those who are able to work do
not continue to refuse reasonable offers of employment?
Dr Coffey
I was in my hon. Friend’s constituency on Thursday night and
Friday morning, and was at the jobs fair held at the Pleasure
Beach, which was a great success, as has already been referred
to. It is important that we continue to have that relationship
with claimants through the intensive work search regime. They are
expected to look for work and take work that is available that
they are capable of doing. We will continue not only to enforce
that regime but to bring employers and claimants together to try
to make sure that those interviews are successful and we get
people into work, because that will always be the best way of
getting out of poverty.
(East Ham) (Lab)
The Minister referred earlier to the modest reported percentage
increase in take-up of pension credit. Does he recognise that
that increase is a consequence of the removal of mixed-age
pensioner couples from eligibility for pension credit, rather
than of any actual increase in take-up? Is it not high time that
the Department set an ambitious take-up target and published an
action plan to deliver it?
With great respect to the right hon. Gentleman, with whom I have
repeatedly debated this matter, we already have an action plan.
We are already engaging with all the key organisations, whether
that is the energy companies, television companies or media in
the normal way. I respectfully say to him that pension credit
take-up is increasing. It is up by 3%, which is definitely not
for the reason he asserts, and we continue to make the case for
pension credit to the wider population. We want not just
individuals to claim; we want carers or people on behalf of their
mum or dad to put in a claim.
(Darlington) (Con)
Almost £4 million of pension credit remains unclaimed in
Darlington. What advice can Ministers give to my constituents and
others to encourage them to take it up?
I sincerely hope that my hon. Friend’s local paper contains a
letter from me this week explaining exactly why upwards of £3,000
is available to vulnerable pensioners—serious money that is as
yet unclaimed. We are keen that my hon. Friend’s constituents and
others claim pension credit, because it is an important source of
money for the most vulnerable. We already spend £5 billion on it,
and we want to spend more, but people must claim.
(North Shropshire) (LD)
Countless pensioners across my constituency have been forced to
make the heartbreaking choice between heating and eating. They
were told all their lives that if they worked hard enough then,
when their time came to retire, we would take care of them.
However, it is evident from those contacting me that that is no
longer the case.
As the Secretary of State and the Pensions Minister have already
outlined, the Government provide a range of benefits to older
people in a whole host of areas, including housing, NHS dental
treatment and transport costs. Those things can go a long way to
helping with the cost of living crisis, but many such benefits go
unclaimed each year. What steps is the Secretary of State taking
to ensure that older people are aware of and able to access the
benefits for which they are eligible?
Dr Coffey
My hon. Friend the Pensions Minister has already set out the huge
number of ways that we are trying to increase awareness. I think
it is accurate to say, from internal management information, that
we have seen a 30% increase in people applying, so we are
encouraging take-up. The lowest proportion of pensioners taking
up such things are those with an income above the basic state
pension who are still entitled to savings credit, and we need to
work harder on that. Just getting a few pennies from the state
can unlock hundreds of pounds for their costs.
(Rutherglen and Hamilton
West) (Ind)
With the DWP urging benefits claimants to apply for various
top-up funds to help with the mounting cost of living crisis,
what steps is the Secretary of State taking to increase awareness
of the warm home discount scheme and to maximise take-up in my
constituency?
Dr Coffey
Mr Speaker, having got through all the questions in record time
today, you are keeping us beyond 3.30 pm, which is very generous
of you—[Laughter.] Perhaps we are being rewarded for our
efficacy.
The hon. Lady has been working with my hon. Friend the Pensions
Minister on a Bill that will hopefully succeed in the upper
House, and she will know that we are working through several
avenues to try to increase take-up. The warm home discount will
be going up later this year, and we estimate that the number of
people who will qualify for the increase in the discount will go
up by a third.
Mr Speaker
Would anyone like to ask a topical question? [Laughter.]
(Glasgow East) (SNP)
I am very grateful, Mr Speaker. Although the Secretary of State
might be used to dishing out sanctions to people in our
constituencies, I gently suggest that it is inappropriate for her
to try to do that to you in the Chair.
Dr Coffey
No one is sanctioning anybody here today. I was just pointing out
how efficient this ministerial team is, which reflects the
effective work that we do on the behalf of claimants across the
country. I do like the hon. Gentleman’s shoes, and I am sure
others would claim that title as well.
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