argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
Universal Credit — House of Commons, 2020-03-09
Topic: Social Welfare
William James Quince (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank the Chairman of the Select Committee for his question. I start from the premise that we do not believe anybody has to wait five weeks for a payment under universal credit. Advance payments are available at the beginning of a UC claim and budgeting support is available for anybody who needs extra help. We have the two-week roll-on of housing benefit, and as of July this year we will also have the two-week roll-on of other legacy benefits. I will of course look carefully at the findings of the report by the right hon. Gentleman’s Committee.
Universal Credit and State Pension Payments — House of Commons, 2020-03-09
Topic: Social Welfare
William James Quince (Conservative, Centre-right): The Government recently announced that anyone reaching state pension age while claiming universal credit can receive a run-on until the end of the assessment period in which they reach state pension age. This removes any potential gap in provision, with such pensioners receiving, on average, an additional £350.
Universal Credit and State Pension Payments — House of Commons, 2020-03-09
Topic: Social Welfare
William James Quince (Conservative, Centre-right): First, I thank the right hon. Gentleman for all his work in this policy area. As he rightly pointed out, the change does remove any potential gap in provision, with people reaching state pension age and leaving universal credit receiving an additional £350 on average. I stress that the process is already in operation on an extra-statutory basis, ensuring that nobody loses out on reaching state pension age. Legislation will be amended accordingly later this year.
Universal Credit and State Pension Payments — House of Commons, 2020-03-09
Topic: Labor
William James Quince (Conservative, Centre-right): Certainly—the breathing space policy is a prime example. If my hon. Friend would like to meet me or, indeed, the Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, my hon. Friend the Member for Hexham (Guy Opperman), who is the Minister for Pensions, we would be happy to do so to set out in more detail the action that the Government are taking.
People with Disabilities: Employment Support — House of Commons, 2020-03-09
Topic: Labor
Justin Paul Tomlinson (Conservative, Centre-right): The Government are committed to seeing 1 million more disabled people in work between 2017 and 2027. We support disabled people to return to work through our work coaches and disability employment advisers. This is achieved through programmes such as the Work and Health programme, Access to Work and the new intensive personalised employment support programme.
People with Disabilities: Employment Support — House of Commons, 2020-03-09
Topic: Social Welfare
Justin Paul Tomlinson (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank my hon. Friend for that important question. The Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, my hon. Friend the Member for Colchester (Will Quince), who is the Minister for Welfare Delivery, has been doing a huge amount of work in leading on that issue. We are making sure that we offer resettlement support; support from our armed forces champions, for which posts there is a £6 million package of support; and early access to the Work and Health programme. The Office for Veterans’ Affairs is committed to putting the armed forces covenant on a statutory footing and it will have our full support.
People with Disabilities: Employment Support — House of Commons, 2020-03-09
Topic: Social Welfare
Justin Paul Tomlinson (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank the hon. Member for raising that issue, which was covered in the media. It is not something that should be happening. We have changed the mandatory reconsideration process so that we can try to support claimants who are challenging a decision to gather the additional written and oral evidence at that stage, rather than their having to wait for the lengthy independent appeal process. Stakeholders and charities are extremely supportive of that process, which is new and making a significant difference, but I am disappointed to hear that in some cases it has not been of the standard that it should be. We will review that.
Child Poverty — House of Commons, 2020-03-09
Topic: Social Welfare
Thérèse Anne Coffey (Conservative, Centre-right): There are 743,000 fewer children in workless households compared with 2010. The evidence shows that work is the best route out of poverty, and a child living in a household where all adults work is about five times less likely to be in poverty than children in households where nobody works.
Child Poverty — House of Commons, 2020-03-09
Topic: Social Welfare
Thérèse Anne Coffey (Conservative, Centre-right): I am conscious of CPAG’s report, which tends to use the relative "after housing costs" poverty measure. However, it is important to say this about the relative element; if we go back just over 10 years, we can see that just having a recession reduces relative poverty. We need to keep focused on what is really happening to families. That is why, if we use the absolute poverty measure, we will see that fewer people are in poverty than was the case 10 years ago. We will continue to work with parents to ensure that they try to earn the amount of money that they need so that they can continue support their children.
Child Poverty — House of Commons, 2020-03-09
Topic: Social Welfare
Thérèse Anne Coffey (Conservative, Centre-right): The way universal credit works is for people to have payments in arrears, but 85% of eligible childcare costs are covered, compared with 70% under the legacy system. It is also important to stress that the flexible support fund can be used to help with those sorts of costs, but we need to ensure that people are paying according to their salaries, as opposed to our simply giving grants up front.
Child Poverty — House of Commons, 2020-03-09
Topic: Social Welfare
Thérèse Anne Coffey (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Gentleman will be aware that child benefit continues to be paid for all children, as well as an additional amount for any disabled children. He is hitting the wrong note here, as is the Daily Mirror, when it comes to the "Give Me Five" campaign, as this is not a targeted policy to reduce child poverty. I simply say that, by keeping the two-child policy, providing support for a maximum of two children ensures fairness between claimants and those who support themselves and their families solely through work.
Special Rules for Terminal Illnesses: Review — House of Commons, 2020-03-09
Topic: Social Welfare
Justin Paul Tomlinson (Conservative, Centre-right): The Department is prioritising a full review in this vital area, evaluating how the benefits system supports people nearing the end of their lives and those with severe conditions. We are making significant progress on this, having engaged with claimants, clinicians and stakeholders to bring forward options.
Access to Employment for Ex-offenders — House of Commons, 2020-03-09
Topic: Law and Crime
Thérèse Anne Coffey (Conservative, Centre-right): I work closely with my right hon. Friend the Lord Chancellor as does the Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, my hon. Friend the Member for Colchester (Will Quince). The Under-Secretary also works with the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice, my hon. and learned Friend the Member for South East Cambridgeshire (Lucy Frazer). We have visited HMP Downview to see at first hand the excellent work of our prison work coaches, of which there are 130 based across the country. We have identified prisons that currently do not have a work coach as part of delivering on our manifesto commitment to break the cycle of crime.
Access to Employment for Ex-offenders — House of Commons, 2020-03-09
Topic: Law and Crime
Robert James MacGillivray Neill (Conservative, Centre-right): I am grateful for that progress, but can the Secretary of State tell me when we will be in a position where all prisons will have this provision? Will she also tell me what progress there has been in ensuring that all prisoners are able to claim universal credit before the end of their sentence, because it is well established that access to a job or honest, legitimate benefits is one of the best means of preventing reoffending?
Access to Employment for Ex-offenders — House of Commons, 2020-03-09
Topic: Labor
Thérèse Anne Coffey (Conservative, Centre-right): The Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, my hon. Friend the Member for Colchester, is working carefully on the pilot scheme that is currently being rolled out in certain Scottish prisons, and we are working with the Prison Service to ensure that universal credit claims are made in a safe way. This includes booking appointments at the jobcentre in advance by using a telephony-based system to avoid the risk of IT crime that could happen as a consequence.
Access to Employment for Ex-offenders — House of Commons, 2020-03-09
Topic: Law and Crime
Thérèse Anne Coffey (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Gentleman will be aware that it is primarily the role of the Ministry of Justice to consider these issues and help people to prepare for release. We are keen to have a work coach in every prison so that when people do leave they can get back into the world of work as quickly as possible. This issue is very much front and centre, and the Prime Minister has set up a specific taskforce, which he chairs, to ensure that we try to crack this cycle of crime, especially when people leave prison.
Support into Self-employment — House of Commons, 2020-03-09
Topic: Labor
Miriam Jane Alice Davies (Conservative, Centre-right): Supporting people into self-employment and backing them to grow their businesses is a priority for me, as the employment Minister. Since 2011, the new enterprise allowance has resulted in nearly 131,000 new businesses. We expanded this provision in 2017 to include universal credit claimants with existing businesses and provide them with specialist support to boost their earnings.
Support into Self-employment — House of Commons, 2020-03-09
Topic: Macroeconomics
Michael Louis David Fabricant (Conservative, Centre-right): That is very encouraging news indeed. As my hon. Friend will know, it was Adam Smith, not Napoleon Bonaparte, who said that Britain is a nation of shopkeepers. That is especially so in the west midlands, in that people have small businesses that expand into large businesses. When will she meet the Mayor of the West Midlands, Andy Street, to discuss how we can stimulate the economy there still further?
Support into Self-employment — House of Commons, 2020-03-09
Topic: Labor
Miriam Jane Alice Davies (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank my hon. Friend for raising that. In fact, later today in the Chamber the west midlands will be standing proud as we see the debate on the Birmingham Commonwealth Games Bill. The legacy around jobs and skills from that will be very welcome indeed. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State will be meeting Andy Street this Thursday; I am sure that everyone will be delighted about that. I recently held a roundtable to redesign how we look at self-employment going forward, listening to people across the country talk about how they can build, create and boost their businesses.
Support into Self-employment — House of Commons, 2020-03-09
Topic: Labor
Questions: Freelance IT contractors in my constituency are already losing contracts because of the complexities and legal risks around IR35. Now that they face periods of self-isolation, possibly for days or weeks on end, the Government urgently need to clarify their entitlement to support from the welfare system, and also generally to outline what the Government are going to do to get them through this difficult period.
Miriam Jane Alice Davies (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank my right hon. Friend for raising this issue. I know that other Members across the Chamber will have met constituents around this issue, as indeed I did on Friday. There are over 5 million people who are self-employed at the moment, with a huge amount of people coming into this area, which we are trying to boost, as I mentioned earlier. I am sure that as we go into the Budget, the new Chancellor will be listening to her very carefully.
Personal Independence Payment Assessments and Outcomes — House of Commons, 2020-03-09
Topic: Law and Crime
Questions: What steps she is taking to reduce the time taken for claimants to receive personal independence payment assessments and the outcomes of those assessments.
Luke Morgan Evans (Conservative, Centre-right): Constituents in my patch of Bosworth can face up to 42 weeks for clearance of their case—that is, processing and determining the tribunal hearing either in Leicester or Coventry. The national average is 30 weeks. What steps can the DWP and the Ministry of Justice take to ensure that the process is swift and that claimants are kept up to date during this time?
Personal Independence Payment Assessments and Outcomes — House of Commons, 2020-03-09
Topic: Law and Crime
Questions: What steps she is taking to reduce the time taken for claimants to receive personal independence payment assessments and the outcomes of those assessments.
Justin Paul Tomlinson (Conservative, Centre-right): Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service has developed a new digital system, and it is increasing the number of judges. This goes hand in hand with our changes to the mandatory reconsideration stage whereby we are proactively contacting claimants who are seeking to appeal their decision to see whether we can help to identify additional written or oral evidence to correct the decision at that stage, reducing the number of claimants who then need to enter the independent appeal process.
State Pension Age: Life Expectancy — House of Commons, 2020-03-09
Topic: Labor
Questions: What assessment she has made of the implications for her policies on the state pension age of trends in the level of life expectancy.
Guy Thomas Opperman (Conservative, Centre-right): The Government are committed in legislation to undertake a review of state pension age every six years. The 2017 independent review was by John Cridland. The next review will be conducted by 2023 and will give consideration to the latest life expectancy projections. The latest Office for National Statistics projections of cohort life expectancy, published in January 2020, showed that it is projected to continue to increase, and the WHO Global Health Observatory data show that people in the United Kingdom have better life expectancies than European or world averages.
Claimants with Disabilities: Number of Assessments — House of Commons, 2020-03-09
Topic: Social Welfare
Justin Paul Tomlinson (Conservative, Centre-right): As our manifesto set out, we are committed to reducing the number of assessments that disabled people face. That will build on improvements already made, including reducing the frequency of assessments for those with severe or progressive conditions and removing regular reviews for PIP claimants over pension age.
Claimants with Disabilities: Number of Assessments — House of Commons, 2020-03-09
Topic: Social Welfare
Justin Paul Tomlinson (Conservative, Centre-right): In the coming months, we will launch a Green Paper that will look at claimants’ experience, trust in the process and allowing claimants to lead full and independent lives. We will be doing a full review, working with stakeholders, claimants and charities to identify further areas of improvement on top of what we have already done.
Claimants with Disabilities: Number of Assessments — House of Commons, 2020-03-09
Topic: Social Welfare
Mark Ian Jenkinson (Conservative, Centre-right): I welcome the Department’s announcement last week that it will create a single, integrated service for PIP applicants and users. Can my hon. Friend confirm that that will make the application process much smoother for my constituents in Workington?
Claimants with Disabilities: Number of Assessments — House of Commons, 2020-03-09
Topic: Social Welfare
Justin Paul Tomlinson (Conservative, Centre-right): The Secretary of State is absolutely passionate about the need to make improvements in this area and is leading very important work. On the specific point of the NAO report, we are working at pace to drive forward improvements and learn the lessons from any cases. We have already improved support and guidance for staff on how best to support vulnerable people. The NAO report notes action that the DWP is already taking, but we are now carefully considering the NAO’s findings and how they can help to further improve our excellence plan.
Claimants with Disabilities: Number of Assessments — House of Commons, 2020-03-09
Topic: Social Welfare
Justin Paul Tomlinson (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend is absolutely spot-on. This comes up time and again, and it is driving our desire to bring forward the integrated assessment: where a claimant has already secured sufficient evidence, with the claimant’s permission, and only with the claimant’s permission, that information can be used to increase the chance of a paper-based review and reduce the need for a full face-to-face assessment for other benefits.
Claimants with Disabilities: Number of Assessments — House of Commons, 2020-03-09
Topic: Social Welfare
Justin Paul Tomlinson (Conservative, Centre-right): We have already made changes—for example, in the PIP process, where we no longer routinely assess those of pensioner age and those with the most severe conditions—and that work will continue to be brought forward as our knowledge of different conditions improves. As part of the ambitious and exciting Green Paper we are bringing forward in the coming months, claimants, charities and stakeholders can further identify how we can make the claimant experience much better. I know that the hon. Member has done a huge amount of work in this area, and I hope he will contribute to the Green Paper.
People with Disabilities: Financial Assistance — House of Commons, 2020-03-09
Topic: Labor
Questions: If she will hold discussions with her Cabinet colleagues on ensuring that people with disabilities receive financial assistance in addition to welfare payments for costs related to their disability.
Thérèse Anne Coffey (Conservative, Centre-right): My right hon. Friend may not be aware of this, but people with disabilities undertaking an apprenticeship can receive assistance from the Access to Work scheme to overcome workplace barriers. In addition, our flexible support fund can support eligible claimants with a variety of the costs associated with starting work, whether initial travel costs or, indeed, things like clothing.
Working-age Social Security Benefits: Four-year Freeze — House of Commons, 2020-03-09
Topic: Labor
William James Quince (Conservative, Centre-right): As I have just said, the Government have already announced that working age benefits will rise in line with inflation next month. As the hon. Lady will know, the Secretary of State has a statutory obligation each autumn to conduct a review of pension and benefit rates for the following year. This review will begin in October for implementation in the following April.
State Pension Age Equalisation: Financial Support for Women — House of Commons, 2020-03-09
Topic: Labor
Guy Thomas Opperman (Conservative, Centre-right): Changes to state pension age were made by successive Governments from 1995, including the Labour Government from 1997 to 2010, and addressed the long-standing inequality in pension age. This includes the Pensions Act 2007, which I believe the hon. Lady supported. Women continue to have the same eligibility for support from the welfare system as men with the same date of birth, and this country presently pays more in welfare support than ever before.
State Pension Age Equalisation: Financial Support for Women — House of Commons, 2020-03-09
Topic: Law and Crime
Guy Thomas Opperman (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Lady will be aware that full restitution would cost something in the region of £215 billion and that a case was before the courts last year: on all grounds, these ladies lost their case. Clearly, that matter is subject to appeal, but the case was lost in respect of every ground, including notice.
Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2020-03-09
Topic: Labor
Thérèse Anne Coffey (Conservative, Centre-right): The coronavirus is currently dominating my work at the DWP. The Department is fully prepared for all eventualities and has conducted extensive planning against reasonable worst-case scenarios. I have been in discussions with the Chancellor and will continue to work across Government to prepare. If claimants cannot attend their jobcentre appointment in person because of self-isolation, work coaches can exercise discretion, so claimants should engage with them—they will not be sanctioned as long as they let us know before the appointment As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister set out last week, nobody should be penalised for doing the right thing. That is why the Government safety net also extends to those who are self-employed or who work in the gig economy. They can apply for universal credit or new-style ESA, and advances are available for universal credit immediately. These are exceptional circumstances and we will support workers to do the right thing for the protection of their health and public health.
Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2020-03-09
Topic: Labor
Guy Thomas Opperman (Conservative, Centre-right): As my hon. Friend will be aware, this was introduced in 2012 and has been a cross-party success story. It is fantastically good news for her constituents in Kensington, where 39,000 residents are signed up to an 8% automatic enrolment. Due thanks need to be given to the 5,300 local businesses who are supporting individual constituents, who are receiving 8% per annum workplace savings.
Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2020-03-09
Topic: Labor
Questions: May I take up the Secretary of State on her comment at the beginning on sanctions in the context of coronavirus? Currently, jobseeker’s allowance requires claimants to attend jobcentres in person every two weeks and prove that they have been looking for work—they must show evidence that they have been applying for jobs and going to interviews. Claimants can be sanctioned if they fail to attend the jobcentre, turn down a training course or fail to go to an interview. The Secretary of State said that the sanctions will not be applied if jobcentres are informed in advance, but the process of going through self-isolation may be shocking to the people involved; it may be disorganising what may already be disorganised lives. Can the Secretary of State tell the House that the Department will retain sufficient flexibility to ensure that people will not be punished for doing what the Government recommend?
Thérèse Anne Coffey (Conservative, Centre-right): I have tried to make clear to the House that people will not be penalised for doing the right thing. It is important that people have that conversation with their work coach. As I emphasised to the House, work coaches can exercise discretion but the important thing is a claimant’s ongoing conversation with their work coach.