Written questions by Yasin.

With reference to The Universal Credit (Earned Income) Amendment Regulations 2020, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of moving double-paydays to subsequent assessment periods on (a) working Universal Credit recipients and (b) resourcing within her Department; and what steps she is taking to reduce the impact on (i) claimants and (ii) resources.

The Department recognised the impact that having double earnings in an assessment period can have on individual households and their ability to manage their finances and that is why we made the regulations changes. The amendment allows the Department to reallocate a payment of earnings reported via the Real Time Information (RTI) service to a different Universal Credit assessment period, either because it was reported in the wrong assessment period or (in the case of calendar monthly paid employees) it is necessary to maintain a regular payment cycle. This will also enable certain claimants to benefit from any applicable work allowance in each assessment period. Those claimants who are paid two sets of monthly earnings in one assessment period are usually identified by an automated system that corrects the Universal Credit award. However, there are a small number of claimants who are not automatically identified and will need to be manually identified, this work has been absorbed by a multi-skilled centralised team and is resourced flexibly to meet demand. This only generally applies to a very small proportion of claimants and applies equally to all claimants.

What steps he is taking to ensure that (a) highly skilled and (b) experienced jobseekers are able to access suitable employment opportunities; and what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of perceptions of being overqualified on those jobseekers.

The government is committed to supporting customers into secure employment, including highly skilled and experienced jobseekers. DWP currently offers tailored, flexible advice and employment support through its network of Jobcentres across the UK. Work Coaches offer all customers a comprehensive menu of help, including referral into skills provision and job search support. In addition, the National Careers Service provides free, up to date, impartial information, advice and guidance on careers, skills and the Labour Market in England. Further information about the National Careers Service can be found online by visiting https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk. As part of our plans to Get Britain Working, we are reforming Jobcentre Plus and creating a new, more personalised, Jobs and Careers Service. This will enable everyone, including experienced and skilled jobseekers, to access support to find good, meaningful work. It will support people to progress in work, including through an enhanced focus on skills and careers. We are also transforming DWP’s employer commitment and working with a broader range of employers, including those requiring skilled and specialist talent, to offer customers jobs that match their skillset and qualifications.

If she will bring forward legislative proposals to extend the (a) statutory and (b) regulatory standards for drilling boreholes in mineral exploration or evaluation to the drilling of boreholes for the

The Borehole Sites and Operations Regulations 1995 (BSOR) require operators to notify the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in advance if drilling is taking place in a defined mining area. These Regulations do not apply to drilling for the purposes of ins...

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of using the same eligibility criteria for Universal Credit and Child Benefit for claimants in non-advanced education; and if she will make an asse

There are no current plans to make such an assessment.