Pre-1997 Non-indexed Occupational Pensions Justin Madders
(Ellesmere Port and Neston) (Lab) 1. What support he provides to
people whose pre-1997 occupational pensions are not subject to
indexation. (904565) The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for
Work and Pensions (Laura Trott) You will notice, Madam Deputy
Speaker, that I am not the Secretary of State. He sends his
apologies as he is currently travelling back from the G7 in Japan,
but we will endeavour to...Request free
trial
Pre-1997 Non-indexed Occupational Pensions
(Ellesmere Port and Neston)
(Lab)
1. What support he provides to people whose pre-1997 occupational
pensions are not subject to indexation. (904565)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
()
You will notice, Madam Deputy Speaker, that I am not the
Secretary of State. He sends his apologies as he is currently
travelling back from the G7 in Japan, but we will endeavour to do
a reasonable job in his absence.
Pre-1997, as the hon. Gentleman knows, occupational pension
defined-benefit schemes were not required to be indexed. I
emphasise that defined-contribution schemes, which most people
are on today, are also, obviously, not required to be
indexed.
As we know, inflation is racing ahead at the moment, and more and
more pensioners who are members of occupational pension schemes
with pre-1997 service that has not been index linked, and those
who are part of the Pension Protection Fund, are noticing the
difference. Will the Department carry out an audit of how many
people are being affected by those rules, and by how much?
Those rules were in place for a large period of the last Labour
Government, and if Labour Members were interested in changing
them, I suggest they should have done so at the time.
Social Security Recipients: Employment and Earnings
(Vauxhall)
(Lab/Co-op)
2. What steps he is taking to help increase the future employment
and earnings potential of people receiving social security
benefits. (904566)
The Minister for Employment ()
We have comprehensive support in place to help Department for
Work and Pensions claimants to secure, stay and succeed in work,
including in-work progression, youth hubs and targeted support
for people of all ages. In addition, there is a comprehensive
package in the Budget to assist each and every one.
I thank the Minister for his response. My constituents in
Vauxhall have seen food prices go up by nearly 20%, their
household bills go through the roof, and their already high rents
going up, in some cases by up to 16.5%. That is while real-terms
pay has been falling for 18 months. How does the Minister propose
to give workers in Vauxhall, and those on benefits, a real pay
rise?
A whole host of things are being done on in-work progression.
More importantly, vacancies have fallen for nine successive
quarters, employment is up, the claimant count is down, economic
inactivity has fallen, and disability employment is up. All those
things are helping the hon. Lady’s constituents, and all other
constituents up and down the country.
(Preseli Pembrokeshire)
(Con)
I strongly support the efforts that my hon. Friend is making to
boost in-work progression. After all, the original vision behind
universal credit was to see more people on benefits earning more
and increasing their income over time. Does he agree that one key
to the success of this, alongside tailored and relevant training,
is better contracts? Research seems to show that a claimant on a
permanent contract does significantly better with in-work
progression than those on zero-hours or temporary contracts.
My right hon. Friend makes a number of very good points. He is a
former Secretary of State in this Department, and has great
wisdom on this issue. The main thing that the Department is doing
is providing the in-work progression offer, which assists people
who are in work and trying to progress to greater hours and
full-time work. We are also fully in support of greater training,
whether through sector-based work academies or the skills
bootcamps, to allow people to have permanent long-term contracts,
and enable them to thrive and survive in a better way.
Madam Deputy Speaker ( )
I call the shadow Minister.
(Westminster North) (Lab)
The Department’s recently published research on sanctions,
including those relating to in-work conditionality, show that
sanctions have a negative impact on claimant earnings. How will
the Minister take account of those findings in setting future
sanctions policy?
We want to encourage claimants to comply with reasonable
requirements, which are set and agreed with their work coach in
the claimant commitment. That will continue on an ongoing basis,
and I see no change to that.
Disabled People: Benefits System Support
(Chipping Barnet)
(Con)
3. What steps he is taking to support disabled people through the
benefits system. (904567)
The Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work ()
Our recent White Paper sets out our ambitions to create a better
experience for disabled people when applying for, and receiving,
health and disability benefits. Our proposals will transform
support, so more disabled people can start, stay and succeed in
work.
A disabled constituent who came to my advice surgery recently
described the many hurdles she had to go through to get welfare
support. She felt stigmatised by the whole process and was
subjected to really frustrating delays, so I am keen to hear from
the Minister what the Government are doing to reform assessments
and improve the way the benefits system works to help disabled
people get the support they need without it feeling like a
battle.
I really appreciate my right hon. Friend highlighting the
concerns raised with her by her constituent. I know she supports
the fundamental change we are determined to bring about, whereby
we will focus more on what people can do. We will remove what is
a structural barrier to work: the impediment that means people
feel prevented from trying work because of the fear that if it
does not work out they will lose their entitlement and have to go
back through a re-application and reassessment processes. I hope
she will welcome the steps we are taking, for example to link
expert assessors with particular conditions to help us to get
decisions right first time, as well as the commitment we have
made to reduce the assessment burden more generally.
Sir (East Ham) (Lab)
The experiences of the constituent of the right hon. Member for
Chipping Barnet () are, unfortunately, far
too common. The assessments disabled people go through often go
badly wrong and the great majority of appeals against refusal
succeed. It all causes immense and unnecessary anxiety for
disabled people. The Select Committee on Work and Pensions
recommended that all assessments should be recorded to help put
things right. The assessment providers all support that
recommendation. Will the Minister give the House an assurance
that he will give that recommendation very serious and
sympathetic consideration?
I am always grateful for the opportunity to hear from the
Chairman of the Work and Pensions Committee. It is important to
recognise that both the Minister for Employment, my hon. Friend
the Member for Hexham (), and I are set to appear before the Committee next
week. What I will not do this afternoon is make specific
commitments, but I can say—I have said this regularly now,
including in the many conversations we have had with disabled
people and various stakeholders that we want to work
constructively to get the reforms right. This is the biggest set
of welfare reforms for over a decade, so I am very willing to
consider all views about how we can improve processes. Of course,
people are able to make recordings of assessments at the moment,
but we should look at that. I am very willing to do that, and to
come back to the Committee formally.
Madam Deputy Speaker ( )
I call the shadow Minister.
(Lewisham, Deptford)
(Lab)
On a recent call with stakeholders in the Department for Work and
Pensions, the Department revealed that only 11 individuals had so
far been included in the severe disability test group, which, as
the Minister knows, is aimed at simplifying the application
process for those with the most severe disabilities and health
conditions. Worryingly, there also appears to be very little
clarity about the definition of severe disability. Despite that,
the Department signalled that it was preparing to further roll
out the group. Can the Minister confirm today whether that number
is correct, provide further information on which individuals
qualify, and confirm when the Department will start the
roll-out?
What I am certainly very willing to do is to provide further
detail to the shadow Minister, separate from this afternoon’s
proceedings. I am absolutely clear that the severe disability
group has an important role to play, recognising the challenging
conditions people have and that, for many, those conditions will
not improve. I am keen to reduce the reassessment burden on
people wherever we can, streamline processes, and ensure that
people feel properly supported and properly cared for during the
course of those processes. That is the right step to take. I am
determined that we get this right. Exactly as I said just now, I
want to work collaboratively and constructively as we move
forward with the White Paper reforms. We have made commitments to
test and trial various things, and we will get on and do
that.
Pensioners in Poverty
(Halifax) (Lab)
4. What recent estimate he has made of the number of pensioners
in poverty. (904568)
(North Ayrshire and Arran)
(SNP)
19. What recent assessment he has made of trends in the number of
pensioners living in poverty. (904585)
(City of Chester) (Lab)
21. What recent estimate he has made of the number of pensioners
in poverty. (904588)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
()
In 2022, there were 200,000 fewer pensioners in absolute poverty
than in 2010.
Mr Brooke from my constituency is nearly 70. He contacted me when
his application for pension credit was rejected on the basis that
he is £2.55 over the threshold, which rules him out of not only
pension credit but any other associated benefit. Mr Brooke signed
off his letter to me saying:
“I just can’t afford to live. Yours, Truly Broken”.
What are this Government doing to help people such as Mr Brooke
in that incredibly difficult position?
I appreciate the hon. Lady’s raising that case. I encourage her—I
am sure she has already—to check whether her constituent would be
eligible for housing benefit in her constituency. That is not
necessarily linked to pension credit, although it automatically
passports. We are doing other things to support pensioners in
those situations—the pensioner cost of living payment was
received by 8 million pensioner households over the winter, and
will be repeated this year.
The UK already has the lowest state pension as a proportion of
pre-retirement wages in north-west Europe. Independent Age has
highlighted that 5% of pensioner couples and 19% of single
pensioners have no source of income other than state pension or
any associated potential benefits. Will the Minister finally take
action to address pensioner poverty and shockingly low state
pensions relative to most of Europe?
We challenge those figures, as the hon. Lady knows. I point her
to the record increase in state pension that we have just
introduced—10.1% for both the state pension and pension credit.
That will make a real difference to pensioner poverty levels,
alongside the cost of living payments that are going out this
year—£900 for pensioners on pension credit and £300 for all
pensioner households.
Two weeks ago I visited West Cheshire Foodbank in my
constituency, where volunteers told me that for the first time a
couple who were both pensioners had turned up in tears because
they could not afford the cost of living and the basics. The
Government have failed to fix the issues with pension credit
uptake, with over a third of those entitled not claiming. Given
that there are 400,000 more pensioners in poverty today than when
Labour left office, why should the pensioners forced to visit the
food bank in Chester trust a Government who have repeatedly let
them down?
I am sorry to hear about the pensioners involved. If they are
eligible for pension credit and not claiming, I assume the hon.
Lady is helping them. As a Department we are happy to give any
assistance to those individuals. We are doing all we can to boost
pension credit uptake. There was a campaign before Christmas,
which I am sure she was part of, to get people to claim the cost
of living payment, which we will repeat this year. We saw a 177%
increase in claims just before Christmas. There will also be the
pension credit week of action for the summer on 12 to 16 June,
which I hope many hon. Members will take part in.
(New Forest West) (Con)
Ministers agitated for us all to get involved in the campaign to
extend the uptake of pension credit. Has the Minister any
innovative plans that will make it easier for us to do so, such
as toolkits and the like?
Absolutely. I am also looking at what more we can do to use data
from housing benefit and from His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs
to make it easier to target people for a claim. Working together,
we can make a real difference in the number of pension credit
claimants in this country.
Support into Work: People over 50
(Guildford) (Con)
5. What steps he is taking to support people aged over 50 into
work. (904569)
(Harrow East) (Con)
15. What steps he is taking to support people aged over 50 into
work. (904580)
The Minister for Employment ()
The Government’s 50-plus plan and our offer to help older workers
return to work are being rolled out. That includes more intensive
tailored support for eligible jobseekers, 37 full-time 50-plus
champions, delivery of the mid-life MOT in jobcentres, online and
with the private sector pilot project, and multiple older worker
job fairs up and down the country.
I thank the Secretary of State, who I know cannot be here today,
for his visit to a mid-life MOT session for the over-50s at the
brilliant jobcentre in Guildford. I was incredibly impressed with
everyone I saw participating in that session. Will the Minister
join me in welcoming this Government’s belief that no one is ever
too old to retrain and start a new career?
In common with anybody who is over 40, which I confess to, I
think we should support all older workers in whatever shape or
form—I certainly want to do so. I particularly recommend the
Guildford jobs fair for older workers that is taking place in
May, which I know my hon. Friend will try to support and which
her constituents should go along to as well.
I declare an interest in the issue of older workers.
In addition to encouraging people who are 50-plus to get into
work, it is also important that employers understand that such
people have immense experience and capability to add to their
organisations. What more is the Minister going to do to ensure
that companies, and all sorts of employers, take the opportunity
to employ older workers, as they can provide great benefit to
their firms?
I promised my hon. Friend I would not mention the 6-1 drubbing
that his beloved Spurs received from Newcastle United yesterday,
albeit that Spurs are obviously looking for a 50-plus manager of
quality to go forward.
More seriously, there has been much that employers are doing. I
know my hon. Friend’s two local jobcentres in Harrow East are
working together with Stanmore College and local employers to try
to drive forward older workers.
(Swansea East) (Lab)
Almost 700,000 women over 50 are currently on long-term sick
leave. Many are recorded as having depression or anxiety, with no
consideration being given to the menopause as the primary factor.
What consideration has been given to offering menopause awareness
training to occupational health specialists, to enable them to
better support women back into work?
The hon. Lady raises a serious and important point. She will know
that the Department has appointed Helen Tomlinson as its first
ever menopause employment champion, and we are working on
persuading employers to develop menopause-friendly policies. I
know the Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, my hon.
Friend the Member for Mid Sussex (), is particularly working on
this issue and will be delighted to work with the hon. Lady to
address this very important point.
(Strangford) (DUP)
Like the Minister, the closest I can get to 40 is No. 40, where I
live.
Helping over-50s to get back into some form of employment allows
them to boost their savings and increase their quality of life in
retirement. I know the Minister is keen to engage with people in
Northern Ireland, so what discussions has he had with the
Department for Communities at the Northern Ireland Assembly, so
that those who have ability, talent and energy can find
employment? There are many opportunities to do just that.
I agree with everything the hon. Gentleman says. He knows I am
attempting to visit Northern Ireland on 15 May, subject to Whips
and slips and all that fun and games. The point has duly been
noted, I am sure. The simple point is that we are engaging with
the team in Northern Ireland as much as we possibly can, and
trying to roll out the good work we are doing on the mainland as
much as possible in Northern Ireland. I will engage with him
further, hopefully when I come to see him in May.
(Ynys Môn) (Con)
Does the Minister agree that this Government are committed to
supporting over-50s, including those in Ynys Môn, into work? Will
he join me in thanking Tony Potter and the brilliant Anglesey DWP
team, who are working with me to host a jobs fair for over-50s in
Holyhead town hall soon?
Madam Deputy Speaker ( )
I call the Minister.
Diolch, Madam Deputy Speaker. My hon. Friend was kind enough to
host me in Llangefni only a couple of weeks ago, when I met Mr
Potter and all the DWP team working on the island. They are doing
a fantastic job. We should be very proud of the work they are
doing to address both mainstream employment and older-worker
employment. I am sorry I cannot be at the jobs fair for older
workers that she is hosting, but I encourage everyone on the
island to go along to that.
Personal Independence Payments: Application Process
(Rugby) (Con)
6. What steps his Department is taking to simplify the
application process for personal independence payments.
(904570)
The Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work ()
The health transformation programme is modernising the entire
personal independence payments service, including the application
process, to improve the claimant experience and ensure the
service meets the needs of claimants over the longer term.
I thank the Minister for his answer, but my constituent Gary
Thacker was diagnosed with autism later in life and, despite the
assistance of a friend, it took him many hours to complete his
PIP form. I know the Minister has introduced a variety of formal
methods of assistance, which are provided by organisations such
as Citizens Advice, but Mr Thacker was unaware of those. What
steps is the Minister’s Department taking to make sure applicants
know about the levels of support that are available?
It is fair to say that the Department offers support according to
ability and according to need. For the very vulnerable and in
exceptional cases, we are able to refer claimants not only to
visiting officers, but to the forms completion service. If my
hon. Friend provides me with more details about his case, I will
be happy to take a look, but I hope I can reassure him by saying
that we are looking to digitalise the personal independence
payment journey. That is currently in testing; it should help to
provide greater signposting within the processes and towards
other support for which people may be eligible, which I think is
really welcome. I hope that he will welcome it, too.
(Birmingham, Selly Oak)
(Lab)
In February, a survey carried out by the charity Mind and
Censuswide found that 66% of people with a mental health issue
who had experience of the benefits assessment system discovered
that it made their mental health worse. The majority of negative
decisions that make it to a tribunal are eventually overturned.
When does the Minister expect an improvement in decision making
and in the impact on people’s mental health?
I certainly think that journey times are an important factor. We
want to provide certainty as quickly as possible in relation to
people’s claims. Waiting times for PIP claims have come down very
considerably, and the PIP journey is certainly shorter than in
the pre-pandemic period. As I have said, I genuinely believe that
there is a significant opportunity, through the reforms that we
are introducing in the White Paper, to focus on quality decision
making. Reducing the assessment burden will help us to get
decisions right the first time, as will matching people who have
particular conditions with assessors with the right
expertise.
Madam Deputy Speaker ( )
I call the shadow Secretary of State.
(Leicester South)
(Lab/Co-op)
The Minister’s proposal to essentially collapse the work
capability assessment into the PIP assessment means that up to 1
million people who have fluctuating health conditions, or who may
be recovering from treatment, could lose out on up to £350 a
month. That is causing considerable distress, and it will not
actually get anyone back to work now. Why does he not adopt
instead the policy that we have put forward, which is supported
by the Centre for Social Justice: to change the work capability
assessment rules and offer an “into work guarantee” for those
with no work requirements? Is he content to leave 700,000 sick
and disabled people who want to work blocked from journeying into
work?
No. What this Government are doing is making sure that we support
people into work. We are removing the structural impediment to
getting into the workplace. We believe that scrapping the work
capability assessment is the right thing to do; we have had many
debates about the issue in this House over the years, and we
think that we are responding properly to the feedback we received
on the Green Paper proposals. There was a strong message that
people wanted to see that happening, and we will get on and
deliver it. We will focus on quality decision making and on
making sure that people are transitionally protected. There may,
for example, be people not currently claiming the PIP who will be
entitled to it; I would always encourage people to access the
benefits to which they are entitled.
I must say that it is rather surprising to hear the shadow
Secretary of State’s comments today, given what one newspaper has
written:
“Disability benefits changes: Labour pledges to scrap reforms but
shadow minister holds back details”.
Where are Labour’s plans?
Madam Deputy Speaker
I call the SNP spokesman.
(Glasgow East) (SNP)
I can certainly assure the House that SNP Members will not be
trumpeting ideas advocated by right-wing think-tanks such as the
Centre for Social Justice.
The health and disability White Paper introduces a new universal
credit health element, with eligibility through PIP that could be
far more restrictive than work capability assessments. Indeed,
the Tories’ new in-work progression offer will inevitably mean
exposure to sanctions for disabled people. Given that the
Department’s own published report, which it tried to keep under
wraps for many years, shows what we knew all along—that sanctions
do not work—why will the Minister not finally do the right thing
and just scrap them?
May I congratulate the hon. Gentleman on his marathon time
yesterday? He put in an impressive effort. I know the training,
commitment and dedication that go into running a marathon, so I
congratulate him on it.
I do not accept the hon. Gentleman’s characterisation of the
Centre for Social Justice. I think that these are genuinely
common-sense reforms that reflect the feedback that we received
from disabled people and from their representative bodies. We
will work with them to make sure that we get this right.
Replacing the work capability assessment is the right thing to
do, recognising that we want to concentrate more on what people
can do than on what they cannot do, and doing so on a tailored,
individual basis.
Of course we know that more than 20% of disabled people could
start work within the next two years, and that they want to do so
and, with the right support, would. We think that the right way
of dealing with that, and supporting that employment, is to work
constructively with them on plans which work, meeting their
circumstances and needs. That is what the Budget announcements
were all about. There is good practice out there, and we want to
extend it.
Universal Credit Recipients: Food Banks
(Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney)
(Lab)
7. If his Department will make an assessment of the reasons for
which families in receipt of universal credit use food banks.
(904571)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
()
The DWP does not assess the reasons why families may use food
banks, but we do understand the pressures that they face as a
result of the cost of living, and have therefore increased
benefits by 10.1% this month. That is in addition to the increase
in the national living wage to £10.42 an hour, and the provision
of more than £11 billion in cost of living payments.
Food banks in my constituency and across the country are
struggling to deal with demand. More than 40% of people using
them are in work, and they are used by one in six children whose
families receive universal credit. Meanwhile, the local housing
allowance remains frozen and the five-week wait for universal
credit is increasing debt. All those factors contributed to the
reason why one of the food banks in my constituency nearly closed
its doors last week, namely that it had no food to give out. Can
the Minister tell me what else the Government will do to support
families? It seems that there is very little understanding of the
scale of the problem that the country is facing, let alone a
willingness to do something about it.
Let me draw the hon. Gentleman’s attention to the household
support fund, which will provide an additional £50 million to
help families in Wales through difficult times. The hon.
Gentleman’s constituents who are in need will also be pleased to
know that the next stage of the cost of living payments will
begin tomorrow, with £301 being paid to households between then
and 17 May. The DWP will be issuing further communications about
those payments.
We have heard today about social tariffs and other ways in which
people can obtain support and reduce their bills. The Help for
Households website, which I commend to everyone, provides
information about assistance with childcare, travel, energy and
household costs, and about income support. It will help the hon.
Gentleman’s constituents and, indeed, all our constituents.
Madam Deputy Speaker ( )
I call the shadow Secretary of State.
(Leicester South)
(Lab/Co-op)
The Minister has just said that the DWP did not assess the
reasons for which people are using food banks. Perhaps she will
go back to her private office after this and ask her officials to
look into whether people are using them because the Government
cut universal credit by £20 a week, and cut it in real terms last
year. Perhaps she could ask her officials whether it is because
the DWP is taking deductions from universal credit payments every
week. Perhaps she could ask the DWP if it is because earnings are
worth less than they were in 2007. Perhaps she could ask the DWP
whether it is because the Government have raised the taxes on
working people. Perhaps she could ask the DWP whether it is
because the Government crashed the economy and sent mortgages and
rents through the roof. Perhaps she could ask the DWP whether
more people are using food banks because that is the price of 13
years of economic failure.
May I remind the hon. Gentleman of Labour’s 10p tax rate, and the
fact that we have doubled tax-free allowances? [Interruption.]
Food banks are important. They are independent charitable
organisations where people in local communities can support each
other. [Interruption.] This is a great example of the generosity
of spirit in our communities. [Interruption.] If this mattered to
the hon. Gentleman, perhaps he would listen to my response rather
than chuntering from the Front Bench.
I remind the hon. Gentleman that we take the issue of food
security very seriously. That is why we added the internationally
used food security questions to the “Family Resources Survey:
financial year 2019 to 2020”. The new statistics on usage will
help the Government to understand more about the characteristics
of the people who are most in need, and we will continue to do
what we pledged to do and are proving to do in supporting the
most vulnerable.
Child Poverty
(Arfon) (PC)
8. What steps he is taking to reduce child poverty. (904572)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
()
This Government believe that work is the best route out of
poverty for families and we are supporting parents to progress,
to stay in work and to be better off. That was shown in our
spring Budget, which will deliver an ambitious package of
measures, across Government, to support people to enter into
work, increase their working hours and extend their working
lives. We have also raised benefits and benefit cap levels by
10.1% and we are providing those further cost of living payments,
which commence tomorrow.
Have the two-child limit and the benefit cap increased child
poverty?
The reality of the policy that the hon. Gentleman mentions is
about fairness for the taxpayers who support the most vulnerable
and making sure that we have a welfare and benefit system that
works. We will spend around £276 billion through the welfare
system in 2023-24, including £124 billion on people of working
age. I would again point people towards the cost of living
website and the benefits calculator on gov.uk and I would ask him
to note that the benefit cap was raised this year as well.
Carers: Health and Disability White Paper
(Bosworth) (Con)
9. What assessment he has made of the importance of the role of
carers in implementing the health and disability White Paper.
(904573)
The Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work ()
Unpaid carers can play a vital role in supporting disabled people
to live active lives, including through working when they are
able to do so. The White Paper sets out how we will create a
better experience for disabled people, people with health
conditions and their carers when applying for and receiving
health and disability benefits.
Dr Evans
I am grateful for the Minister’s answers, because carers are
integral to looking after people up and down the country,
especially with an ageing population who are living longer and
with more frequent and difficult disabilities. Will he make sure
that they are at the centre of the White Paper, because if this
policy is to succeed, we need to support our unpaid carers.
My hon. Friend is absolutely right. The insight and experience of
carers and their feedback were invaluable through the Green Paper
process in helping us to come up with our final White Paper
proposals. As we move forward into the implementation stage, it
is key that we continue to sustain that engagement and focus on
meeting the aspirations of carers and the disabled people they
care for. I also want to look at this issue from the other end of
the telescope, in looking at what more we can do to support those
with caring responsibilities to access employment if they want to
do so, because from a health and wellbeing perspective, there is
real value for them in that too.
Job Vacancies: Rother Valley
(Rother Valley)
(Con)
10. What steps he is taking to help fill job vacancies in Rother
Valley constituency. (904574)
The Minister for Employment ()
The jobcentres across Rother Valley have been doing some amazing
work to fill local vacancies and bring greater employment to the
local area. Our Budget package of enhanced care support for
working parents and investment in people with disabilities and
long-term health conditions will make a massive difference, on
top of the sector-based work academies and skills boot camps that
are available for further training.
I thank the Minister for that answer. Obviously, jobs are one of
the most important ways of getting people out of poverty and
growing household incomes. That is why I held three job fairs
last year and sent a leaflet round to every constituent telling
them how to get job opportunities in Rother Valley. Another job
fair is coming up next month, aimed at older people and young
people coming into employment, and I would be grateful if the
Minister could come along. Getting older people over the age of
50 and younger people who are just leaving school into jobs is
incredibly important. What further steps are this Government
taking to ensure that younger people and older people have great
job opportunities?
I think my hon. Friend has the record for the most job fairs and
doing the greatest amount of work I know with the local DWP. He
is doing a fantastic job as a doughty champion for Rother Valley
and I support the work he is doing. There is no doubt that,
whether it is through the youth hubs making a massive difference
to younger workers, the older persons’ jobs fairs being held up
and down the country or the hundreds of jobs fairs that have been
held since the Budget last year, we are massively driving things
forward to ensure that in Rother Valley and across the wider
country we have much greater employment.
Personal Independence Payments: People with Disabilities
(Bath) (LD)
11. What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of
personal independence payments for people with disabilities.
(904576)
The Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work ()
No assessment has been made of the adequacy of PIP for people
with disabilities. PIP is intended to provide a contribution
towards paying for the additional costs faced by disabled people.
Individuals then have a choice and flexibility in prioritising
according to their needs.
A report by the Work and Pensions Committee found that people
experience “psychological distress” due to the health assessment
required as part of the PIP application process. Many of my Bath
constituents feel the process does not reflect their needs and
are concerned about the lack of support—some of those issues were
covered by earlier questions. The Government have promised to
trial the use of specialist assessors with knowledge of specific
health conditions. Can the Minister please clarify which
conditions are covered and how the assessors are being
trained?
When we are able, we will set out more detail of the relevant
conditions and the approach we will take in delivering on this
commitment. I raised the issue in my conversations with officials
this morning, because I am keen to progress this as quickly as
possible. I see real benefit and value in matching assessors with
specialisms to people with particular conditions. It is clear
from the feedback that people believe this will make a
significant difference. Along the lines I set out earlier, we
want to reduce PIP journey times as much as feasibly possible,
and I want to make sure that we get more decisions right first
time and that we focus on quality, which is precisely what the
reforms will do. We will share further detail with the House when
we are able to do so.
(Lewisham West and Penge)
(Lab)
I have a bedbound constituent who relies on food banks and is
unable to do basic tasks such as getting herself dressed and
collecting food. She has two young children who are happy to take
on these tasks, yet she has been told that her PIP assessment
will take four months. How can the Minister justify families
having to rely on food banks while they wait for a PIP
assessment? What will he do to change this?
Again, I refer to my earlier remarks on the steps we are taking
to improve PIP journey times as far as possible. I am keen for
the hon. Lady to share the details with me so that I can ask
officials to look at this specific case. I want people to have
certainty on their PIP claim as quickly as possible, as people
require this important help. I would always encourage people to
apply for PIP if they believe they might be eligible. If she
provides me with those details, I will gladly look at them as a
priority.
Pensioners: Cost of Living
(Torbay) (Con)
12. What steps his Department is taking to help pensioners with
increases in the cost of living. (904577)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
()
This month, pensioners received the largest ever cash increase to
the state pension and pension credit. In addition, all pensioner
households will receive a £300 cost of living payment. The
Government are committed to helping pensioners with the cost of
living.
I thank the Minister for her answer. One of the best ways to help
pensioners with the cost of living is to ensure that everyone
claims the pension credit to which they are entitled. What work
is she doing to engage with the high street banks on their more
vulnerable customers who are over the state pension age, both to
identify those who might be missing out and to facilitate
applications for pension credit, which can make a vital
difference?
My hon. Friend is right to highlight the vital role that high
street banks play in interacting with vulnerable pensioners and
vulnerable customers. Organisations such as Virgin Money and HSBC
have worked to promote pension credit uptake. I will be working
with them and a variety of other stakeholders as we build up to
the cost of living payment deadline on 19 May and the inaugural
DWP pension credit awareness week on 12 to 16 June.
(Dunfermline and West
Fife) (SNP)
Pension credit continues to be a serious issue, with £1.7 billion
going unclaimed each year. Will the Minister introduce an
effective strategy in the coming year, perhaps following some of
the initiatives we see in Scotland, to make sure everyone gets
what they are entitled to in these very difficult times?
The Department for Work and Pensions is straining every sinew
because this is incredibly important to us, and to me. We need to
make sure we are doing all we can to reach those vulnerable
customers. We have done a nationwide advertising campaign, which
the hon. Gentleman may have seen. We are doing a lot in the
build-up to 19 May, and I want to work with everyone in the House
to make sure we use Members of Parliament as much as possible to
reach out to vulnerable pensioners in our constituencies.
Madam Deputy Speaker ( )
I call the shadow Minister.
(Reading East) (Lab)
The price of food is rising by 30%, yet the Government are
continuing to fail pensioners at this very difficult time: nearly
200,000 women in their 80s have been underpaid for years because
of errors at the DWP; hundreds of thousands of pensioners are
missing out on pension credit, as we have heard; and when
pensioners do get their pension credit application in, it can
take up to three months for officials in the Department to
process a claim. When will the Government finally tackle this
appalling pattern of failure?
Labour put up pensions by 75p. We put them up by nearly £20. We
are doing all that we can to support pensioners, and they know
that we have got their backs.
Disabled Jobseekers: Support at Jobcentres
(Battersea) (Lab)
13. What steps he is taking to help ensure disabled jobseekers
can access specialist support at jobcentres. (904578)
(Amber Valley) (Con)
16. What steps he is taking to help ensure disabled jobseekers
can access specialist support at jobcentres. (904582)
The Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work ()
Disability employment advisers have expertise on how to help
disabled jobseekers into work and build work coach skills to help
these claimants. That is in addition to broader support,
including our increased work coach support, the Work and Health
programme and intensive, personalised employment support.
Successive Tory Governments have failed to reduce the multiple
barriers facing disabled people entering work. Research by Sense
has found that disabled jobseekers say that they do not have the
support and equipment they need to look for work, and it is vital
that every jobcentre across this country is accessible and has
essential pieces of assistive technology so that disabled people
can find and apply for work. If this Government want to finally
get serious about reducing the disability employment gap, which
remains at about 30%, will they commit today to a jobcentre
assistive technology fund to support disabled people to look for
work?
I categorically reject the initial point made in the hon. Lady’s
question. The fact is that this Government set a target of
getting 1 million more disabled people into work and we met it
five years early, but now we must go further. That is precisely
why we have brought forward the reforms in the White Paper, which
we genuinely believe will remove that structural barrier to work.
We will have the packages of support alongside this, which I
believe people will want to engage with, because they are
aspirational and want to enter the workplace. We will never ask
people to do anything that is not appropriate for them. We will
work on an individualised, case-by-case basis to support
customers. Of course, it is absolutely right that we make sure
that our services are as accessible as possible, and that is the
whole thrust of the reform. The health model officers are helping
us to test what works, and we will continue to work along those
lines. I hope she will want to work with me, in the spirit of
partnership, to make this a success.
One frustration for disabled people occurs when they have an
assessment that identifies what support or adaptations they need
in order to go into work and then that support is never actually
available or employers cannot provide it. Is there some source of
optimism to be found in the funds and the changes announced in
the spring Budget that support will be lined up in advance, so
that people can take a job when one is offered to them?
It is really welcome that the whole of Government are focused on
what more we can do to support disabled people and people with
health conditions into work, if that is appropriate for them.
That was reflected in the commitments that the Chancellor made on
the Work Well programme and on universal support. Of course, we
are also introducing additional work coach time into jobcentres,
the latest tranche of which will go live this week in another
third of jobcentres. Those are really important steps forward.
Alongside initiatives such as Access to Work and Disability
Confident, we have the opportunity to transform matters in our
society to make our workplaces more inclusive and, on a tailored,
individualised basis, not only to support people into a role, but
to help them retain it.
(Barnsley East) (Lab)
The DWP uses private company Maximus to assess benefit
eligibility for a number of people in the claims process. That
includes responsibility for deciding on former mineworkers’
entitlement to industrial disablement benefits. What training and
qualification requirements are there for Maximus assessors making
these potentially life-changing decisions that affect so many of
my constituents?
Continual quality assurance processes are in place that monitor
and keep tabs on the quality of the decisions made by any of the
assessment providers that work with the Department. Of course, we
always keep that under constant review. If there are specific
issues that the hon. Lady is keen for Ministers to look at, I
would be very happy to do that. She knows that I am always
willing to work collaboratively and constructively along those
lines. If there is feedback about areas where she or her
constituents feel that improvements could be made, including on
responsiveness, I would be happy to look at that. I also go back
to the point I made about the reforms earlier, where, for
example, the work we are doing to try to match expert assessors
with conditions will really help to improve people’s confidence
in decision making, as well as build capacity and
performance.
Topical Questions
Amy Callaghan (East Dunbartonshire) (SNP)
T1. If he will make a statement on his departmental
responsibilities.(904590)
The Minister for Employment ()
Normally, the Secretary of State would make a statement at this
stage, but, on behalf of the whole ministerial team, I will say
just two things. First, overall, measures from the Department for
Work and Pensions in the Budget represent an investment of £3.5
billion over five years to boost workforce participation. That
includes: £2 billion of investment in support for disabled people
and people with long-term health conditions on top of the Health
and Disability White Paper; £900 million investment in support
for parents; £70 million investment in support for the over-50s;
and £485 million investment in support for unemployed people and
people on universal credit and working fewer than full-time
hours.
Secondly, DWP Ministers had the great honour of working with the
amazing Len Goodman, who sadly passed away over the weekend. The
pension credit video that he filmed with me last summer for the
annual Pension Credit Awareness Day in June was the most
successful piece of communications that we have ever done on this
issue and massively boosted pension credit applications. I can
tell the House that, throughout the day’s filming, he was kind,
immensely professional, totally polite and a delight to work
with, and he still had all the dance moves even at his age. He
will be sadly missed by this House and by his many fans around
the country. Our thoughts, prayers and condolences go out to his
family.
Madam Deputy Speaker ( )
I am sure the whole House will join the Minister and others in
remembering with fondness Len Goodman and in sending our good
wishes to his family and friends.
I thank the Minister for his answer. On Thursday, I and my hon.
Friend the Member for Glasgow East () visited One Parent Families
Scotland. The young single parents we met were outraged and upset
about the young parent penalty, as they are receiving less
universal credit than older parents. Does the Minister care to
explain why he feels that younger parents are worth less than
those who are over 25?
We do not feel that in any way whatsoever. I will write to the
hon. Lady setting out the legal and statutory basis behind the
policy.
(Bosworth) (Con)
T2. A key area that we need to consider is people who have a
diagnosis and then try to return to work. One way that we can
solve this is potentially having DWP or jobcentre workers in
primary care to help support people from diagnosis to desk. Is
that something that Ministers will consider in the White
Paper?(904591)
The Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work ()
My hon. Friend is a passionate advocate of the join-up between
health and work, and work as a determinant of better health
outcomes for people. It is important to note that a number of
jobcentres and Health Model Offices have work coaches working
with GP surgeries to provide employment support to customers with
health conditions. That is a valuable approach, and we are
determined that the Work Well partnerships programme that was
announced in the Budget will build on this to design an
integrated approach to work and health with that proper join-up
on the ground reflective and responsive to local needs. I shall
take on board his observation as we look to shape that.
Madam Deputy Speaker ( )
I call the shadow Minister.
(Wirral South) (Lab)
We on the Labour Benches join you, Madam Deputy Speaker, and the
Minister in the tribute to Len Goodman, and we think of all his
loved ones today. He was not just a national treasure, but
someone who helped to put money in pensioners’ pockets, which is
where it belongs.
The local elections are next week, so people will be thinking of
the fortunes of their towns or cities. In many places,
unemployment is not low, as the Minister has said, but high. In
Blackpool, for example, one constituency has unemployment at an
excruciating 8%. What about that chronic poor performance should
be rewarded at the ballot box next week?
We all know that unemployment is always higher when the Labour
party leaves office. The hon. Lady might care to listen to a few
key points: vacancies have fallen for nine successive quarters;
employment is up; payroll employment is at a record high;
claimant count is down; economic inactivity has fallen;
disability employment is up by 1.3 million over the past five
years; and, as for Blackpool, massive work is being done there.
She will be aware of the intervention by the Department for
Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, which has been working
very hard across Government to transform the fortunes of
Blackpool, with record investment—something that definitely did
not happen when Labour was in Government.
(Ipswich) (Con)
T3. A few weeks ago, I visited Tools with a Mission, a
40-year-old charity in Ipswich with 70 or 80 local volunteers. It
takes old, disused and discarded tools, the volunteers work
incredibly hard to make them as good as new and those tools are
sent to developing countries, where they make a tremendous
difference—Zambia and Uganda are two examples. But the impact
does not stop there; there is a local impact also. Many of the
volunteers are of pensionable age or have recently retired; their
involvement in the charity gives them a great sense of purpose
and community, and the charity’s work with many individuals with
educational needs has helped them to go on with the skills they
have learned at the charity to get full-time jobs elsewhere. Will
the Minister join me in applauding that work, and work with me to
find funding to enhance what the charity is doing?(904592)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
()
Local charities play an important role in providing support in
our communities. I look forward to visiting my hon. Friend’s
constituency later this month to see what Combat2Coffee can do to
support veterans and their families, and I hope to take a keen
interest in Tools with a Mission too, if possible.
(Glasgow East) (SNP)
When he appeared before the Select Committee in November, the
Secretary of State said that,
“the more transparency there is, the better. It informs public
debate and allows a feedback loop for the Department. It is all
part of holding us to account and that is extremely
important”.
In light of that and in the spirit of the Department’s new
approach to transparency, can the Minister provide me with
figures on how many DWP staff are themselves reliant on universal
credit?
I know the hon. Gentleman takes a particular interest in
transparency. I work strongly on the Department’s behalf, with
the Minister in the Lords, and I will write to the hon. Gentleman
with a response.
(Harrogate and Knaresborough)
(Con)
T4. I welcome the measures in the Budget to encourage over-50s
back into work, harnessing their experience and skills. I also
notice that the Department has signed the Age-friendly Employer
pledge—I have signed my office up too. What is being done to
promote the scheme more widely among employers to encourage them
to do the same?(904593)
We are doing huge amounts of work to encourage over-50s
employment. My hon. Friend refers to the pledge, and we encourage
all employers up and down the country to sign up, to participate
in the mid-life MOT, to embrace older workers’ fairs and
generally to accept that older workers have a great deal to
offer.
(Liverpool, West Derby)
(Lab)
Some 5,260 women in Liverpool, West Derby have been affected by
the changes made to the women’s state pension age, and many have
contacted me about the devastating impact it has had on their
lives. What consideration has the Minister given to early-day
motion 1040 by my right hon. Friend the Member for Knowsley
( ), which calls for an
alternative dispute resolution process, including representatives
of the 3.8 million women affected, to address the injustices they
have been through?
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
()
The hon. Gentleman will know that state pension age equalisation
has been the policy of successive Governments since 1995.
(Torbay) (Con)
T5. As the Minister will know, the Disability Confident scheme is
a great way for employers to support people into work. What is
the Minister doing to ensure that local councils such as Torbay
Council are setting an example to other employers in their
area?(904594)
I am hugely appreciative of my hon. Friend, who is a passionate
advocate of Disability Confident. I would hope that local
authorities would want to engage with the scheme and set the
example that they would like to see businesses and other
organisations in their communities follow. I know he has good
conversations on this question with Councillor David Thomas, the
leader of the Conservative group, who I hope may be in a position
in a few weeks’ time to help set the standard in the Torbay area
and blaze a trail for Disability Confident at Torbay Council.
(Blaydon) (Lab)
T9. Do Ministers think it acceptable that thousands of women who
have been underpaid their state pensions will be forced to wait
until the end of 2024 to see that error addressed?(904598)
We have massively increased the number of people working on that
at the moment. We are undertaking work against scams, we are
prioritising cases in which the recipient is alive, and we will
try to get that done by the end of the year. I am accelerating
that as much as I can. I am very aware that it is a problem.
(Crawley) (Con)
T7. This month has seen the uplifting of pensions and benefits by
10.1%, but what more is the Department doing to ensure that
people in my constituency and around the country get the maximum
that they are entitled to and, therefore, take up pension
credit?(904596)
I thank my hon. Friend for all that he is doing to encourage
pension credit take-up in Crawley. The Government have undertaken
a sustained communications campaign to raise awareness of pension
credit and promote its take-up. The latest stats release at the
start of the year shows a substantial rise in the number of
claims.
(North East Fife)
(LD)
My constituent had a brain injury 20 years ago and was receiving
personal independence payment for care and mobility support. A
recent review said that there was no change to his condition, but
somehow the decision has been made to stop his benefits. The
Minister has already indicated that he is considering this
matter, but will he meet me to discuss that particular case?
I am always very happy to meet colleagues from across the House
to discuss such issues, and this circumstance is no
different.
(Crewe and Nantwich)
(Con)
T8. We must do more to tackle delinquent parents who do not pay
child maintenance. When can we expect the home curfew powers to
come into effect, and how many people do we expect to be subject
to them?(904597)
Enforcement action is used as a last resort when a parent is
failing to pay their maintenance payments and other action has
failed. Home detention is a powerful deterrent and, as such, we
would expect usage to be low—perhaps less than 10 cases a year on
average. I know that my hon. Friend focuses on this matter. The
Child Maintenance Service continues to explore how existing
powers can be used to encourage compliant behaviours and
facilitate constructive relationships between parents to ensure
that, importantly, financial support reaches the children for
whom they are responsible.
(West
Dunbartonshire) (SNP)
A new Work and Pensions Committee report on the health
assessments for disability benefits such as PIP and employment
support allowance has found that “issues or errors” in the DWP
health assessment system have, in some ways, contributed to the
deaths of claimants. What assurances can the Minister give the
House that those issues and errors will not continue to kill our
disabled constituents?
We take those matters incredibly seriously, which is why we have
internal process reviews in the Department to look at them. We
have serious case panels constituted by senior leaders from
within the Department, and the independent case examiner, for
example. Where there are issues and learning that must be taken
on board, that must always happen. This is structured through
that. We will look very carefully and closely at the Select
Committee report, and we will, of course, respond appropriately
in the normal way. The hon. Gentleman can be absolutely assured
that these processes must always be looked at carefully, and that
any learning is taken on board and acted on.
(Vale of Glamorgan) (Con)
T10. The apprenticeship levy can play a significant part in
improving economic activity rates, but some
employers—particularly small employers—find the process through
which they draw down and seek support to be somewhat unwieldy.
Although the policy is led by other Departments, it has direct
relevance to the Department for Work and Pensions. Will the
Minister agree to engage with the Department for Education and
the Treasury on how the apprenticeship levy can be made more
relevant to small employers?(904599)
The apprenticeship levy has been a fantastic success, but as
Employment Minister, I am conscious that there is widespread
concern among small and medium-sized enterprises, particularly
smaller businesses, that there should be greater flexibility
going forward, building on what we are already doing. I am very
happy to meet my right hon. Friend and Ministers in the
Departments that control the policy to discuss any
improvements.
(Oldham East and
Saddleworth) (Lab)
On 19 April last year, the Equality and Human Rights Commission
informed the Government that it was issuing a section 23
agreement against them under the Equality Act 2006, in response
to serious concerns regarding discrimination against sick and
disabled people. Twelve months on, that agreement still has not
been reached. When will it be reached and why has it taken so
long?
I cannot give the hon. Lady a definitive conclusion date, but
what I can say is that we have entered into a phase of advanced
discussions with the Equality and Human Rights Commission. We
will come forward with further detail as soon as we are able to
do that, and the process will be concluded in the proper way.
Sir (South Swindon) (Con)
I welcome my hon. Friend the Minister for Disabled People, Health
and Work to his place. I look forward to working closely with him
on the review into autism and employment, which we have embarked
upon this very month. What further measures will the Government
take to close the appalling gap in employment, such that only two
in 10 adults with autism are currently in work?
It is fair to say that we have had a good debate this afternoon
about the whole host of initiatives that we as a Government are
determined to take forward to shift the dial and make meaningful
improvements to support more disabled people and people with
health conditions into work, and autism is no different. I am
delighted that my right hon. and learned Friend has agreed to
take on this review on behalf of the Government. I look forward
to his bringing forward recommendations, suggested areas for
improvement and initiatives that we might want to embark on,
focusing on knowledge and responsiveness, seizing the opportunity
for workplaces to unlock the talent that undoubtedly exists out
there, and helping to improve people’s lives for the better.
Madam Deputy Speaker ( )
For the final topical question, I call .
(Glasgow South)
(SNP)
I am grateful to you, Madam Deputy Speaker. The use and abuse of
unpaid work trials continues to grow, despite the Government’s
guidance published a couple of years ago urging employers not to
use them. Given that the guidance clearly is not cutting through,
will the Minister agree to meet me to discuss what legislation
might look like?
I am not sure I totally accept the premise of the hon. Member’s
argument, but if he writes to me with the details of what he is
asserting, I will certainly consider it.
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