Written questions by Johnson.

How many staff in her Department are required to pay the NHS Health Surcharge.

The Department does not hold the data requested.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of not increasing Local Housing Allowance rates in 2025-26 on the number of households requiring temporary accommodation.

The Government recognises that homelessness levels are too high and there are a range of contributing factors. We will look carefully at these issues as we develop our strategy for ending homelessness. When reviewing the Local Housing Allowance (LHA), the...

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of surveys undertaken by the Food Foundation Food entitled Food insecurity tracking, published in July 2024, on a potent

We are committed to tackling poverty in all its forms and this includes tackling food insecurity by reducing mass dependence on emergency food parcels. Good work can significantly reduce the chances of people failing into poverty so will be the foundation...

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the end of the Household Support Fund on the number of people in poverty.

No assessment has been made of the impact of the Household Support Fund on poverty. The Government announced funding to extend the Household Support Fund for a further 6 months, from 1 October 2024 until 31 March 2025. An additional £421 million has been ...

Whether the child poverty taskforce plans to make an assessment of the potential impact of furniture poverty on families in social rented homes.

The Child Poverty Taskforce has started urgent work to publish the Child Poverty Strategy in Spring and will explore all available levers to drive forward short and long-term actions across government to reduce child poverty. The taskforce is exploring a ...

How many and what proportion of people whose personal independence payment appeals resulted in the decision being (a) lapsed and (b) overturned at tribunal hearing had their decision changed from no awa

The table below provides information on the total number of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) appeals, which were either lapsed or overturned at a tribunal hearing. It also includes the number of claimants who had no award prior to the appeal, and had t...

With reference to Tables 5Aii and 6Aii in the official statistics entitled Personal Independence Payment: Official Statistics to July 2024, published on 17 September 2024, if she will make an assessment

It is our aim to make the right decision as early as possible in the process. To support this we have made improvements to our decision-making processes, giving Decision Makers additional time to proactively contact customers if they think additional evid...

How many and what proportion of personal independence payment appeals resulted in the decision being (a) lapsed and (b) overturned at tribunal hearing in each of the last five years.

The tables below provide information on the number of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) appeal clearances; and whether they were lapsed or overturned at a tribunal hearing.Data provided is for the last five financial years. Table 1: Number of appeals cl...

If she will publish her Department's assessment of the compatibility of its policy to introduce means-testing for the Winter Fuel Payment with the Public Sector Equality Duty as set out in the Equality

An equality analysis was produced as part of Ministerial decision making in line with the requirements of the Public Sector Equality Duty. This was published on 13 September and can be found online here: DWP Freedom of Information response - GOV.UK (www.g...

With reference to the report by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman entitled Women’s State Pension age: our findings on injustice and associated issues, published on 21 March 2024, HC 638, whether her Department has made an estimate of the number of women born in the 1950s who have been affected by the State Pension age changes considered in that report.

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman’s report published on 21 March 2024 considers the communication to 1950s born women of the equalisation and increase of the State Pension age introduced by the Pensions Acts of 1995, 2007 and 2011. The Acts (collectively) increased the State Pension age for all women born after 5 April 1950. Based on current ONS figures it is estimated that there are around 3.5 million women who saw an increase in their State Pension age and were born in the 1950s.

If she will make an estimate of the number of pensioners living in (a) relative and (b) absolute poverty that are not in receipt of Pension Credit in Liverpool Riverside constituency; and if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of proposed changes to the eligibility for the Winter Fuel Payment on those numbers.

Information on number of pensioners living in (a) relative and (b) absolute poverty that are not in receipt of Pension Credit in Liverpool Riverside constituency is not held.

If she will commission a equality impact assessment on the proposed changes to the eligibility for the Winter Fuel Payment.

The Regulations will come into force on 16 September, the first day of the Winter Fuel Payment qualifying week. In making a decision on Winter Fuel Payment eligibility, the Government had regard to the equality analysis in line with the Public Sector Equality Duty requirements.

With reference to the report by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman entitled Women’s State Pension age: our findings on injustice and associated issues, published on 21 March 2024, HC 638, whether she plans to seek parliamentary time to enable hon. Members to vote on financial redress proposals.

As a newly formed Government we will need time to review and consider the Ombudsman’s report along with the evidence provided during the investigation. Now the election has concluded we need to consider the views that have been expressed on all sides. The issues outlined in the report are significant and complex, as such they require serious deliberation. Once this work has been undertaken, the Government will be in a position to outline its approach. I met with representatives from the WASPI Campaign on the 5th of September.,

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of changing eligibility requirements for the Winter Fuel Payment on the number of people living in fuel poverty.

This Government is committed to pensioners – everyone in our society, no matter their working history or savings deserves a comfortable and dignified retirement. Given the substantial pressures faced by the public finances this year and next, the government has had to make hard choices to bring the public finances back under control. Winter Fuel Payments will continue to be paid to pensioner households with someone receiving Pension Credit or certain other income-related benefits. They will continue to be worth £200 for eligible households, or £300 for eligible households with someone aged over 80. We are also providing support through our Warm Homes Plan which pensioners will benefit from. This will support investment in insulation and low carbon heating – upgrading millions of homes over this Parliament. Our long-term plan will protect billpayers permanently, reduce fuel poverty, and get the UK back on track to meet our climate goals. In making a decision on Winter Fuel Payment eligibility, the government had regard to the equality analysis in line with the Public Sector Equality Duty requirements.

How many claims for Pension Credit have taken longer than 6 weeks to process in the last 12 months.

The Department does not routinely capture data aligned to a 6-week clearance rate. However, we do capture data against a 50-day clearance rate, and our performance is published in the DWP Annual Report and Accounts DWP annual report and accounts 2023 to 2024 - GOV.UK(www.gov.uk). Of 248,000 Pension Credit claims cleared in performance year 2023/24, 192,000 were cleared within the planned 50-day timescale, equating to 77.7%. 56,000, 22.3% were cleared outside of the of the 10-week planned timescale.