Written questions by Charters.

What support is available to hearing parents of deaf children to learn British Sign Language.

Awaiting answer.

What steps his Department is taking to support people migrating to Universal Credit from legacy benefits.

All customers have access to support throughout the process, including the Move to Universal Credit Helpline and independent Help to Claim support provided by Citizens Advice, which offers tailored assistance to help people make and manage their claim. We...

Whether his Department will consider introducing a supported entry pathway into PIP and Work Capability Assessment roles for newly qualified nurses.

The department keeps its approach to recruitment for Personal Independence Payment and Work Capability Assessment health professionals (HPs) under continuous review, to ensure it supports high-quality, safe and consistent assessments for claimants. At pre...

What steps the Child Maintenance Service is taking to ensure equitable treatment of Armed Forces families.

The Child Maintenance Service operates on the principle that both parents have financial responsibility for their child, including their food and clothing, as well as contributing towards the associated costs of running the home that the child lives in. Child Maintenance legislation ensures that paying parents employed by the Armed Forces, at home and abroad, are still required to contribute towards their children. Where a Paying Parent is not paying or is inconsistent with their payments, Deduction from Earnings Orders (DEO) can be applied as a method of payment, where the Child Maintenance Service deducts maintenance directly from the Paying Parent’s wages. Deduction from Earnings Requests are similar to a Deduction from Earnings Order but used for Paying Parents who are serving members of the Armed Forces. The Child Maintenance Service can request a deduction to the Ministry of Defence (MOD), but unlike civilian employers they cannot order or enforce payment. MOD policy aims to comply with requests; however if the Paying Parent is committed to operational duties MOD may suspend the collection of debt for a limited period.

What plans her Department has to raise awareness of the availability of Pension Credit among people who may be eligible but are not in receipt of Pension Credit.

The Government is determined to ensure that the poorest pensioners get the support they need. As part of the current Pension Credit Week of Action, we have joined forces with national charities, broadcasters and local authorities to encourage pensioners t...

Whether her Department plans to implement the second bullet point of recommendation two in section seven of the report by the UK Commission on Bereavement entitled Bereavement is everyone's business, published in October 2022.

This recommendation concerns extending Bereavement Support Payment to 6 years or until completion of secondary education for the youngest child, from its current duration of 18 months. However, BSP is not a cost-of-living benefit but is intended to help with the immediate costs of bereavement. Where longer-term income support is needed, individuals can look to benefits such as Universal Credit, which have been specifically designed to provide ongoing assistance with living costs. Whilst we welcome the report, we have no current plans to change the duration of bereavement support payment.