Every parliamentary written question tabled by Neil Duncan-Jordan this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.
Showing 1,121–1,124 of 1,124 · this parliament
What steps her Department is taking to reform the Work Capability Assessment.
The government is committed to reforming or replacing the Work Capability Assessment, alongside putting in place a proper plan to support disabled people into work. We will say more about this in due course. We will continue to engage with stakeholders to keep the views of disabled people and people with health conditions at the heart of what we do, as we consider our next steps.
Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the level of Arts Council England funding to the English National Opera on the availability of (a) free tickets to young adults and (b) opportunities for young singers and actors.
Decisions about arts funding are subject to the arm’s-length principle and are made by Arts Council England. In December 2023, Arts Council England and English National Opera agreed £24m funding for 2024-2026. This will enable ENO to continue to deliver a substantial opera season every year in London, whilst co-developing significant performance and learning activity in Greater Manchester as it works towards establishing a new main base by 2029. This brings ACE’s investment in the ENO to over £35m.The ENO provides invaluable opportunities for young people, including their free tickets for under 21s scheme. We are pleased to see that this initiative, amongst others, remains a key part of the ENO’s impact.
Whether pensioners who qualify for pension credit after 22 September 2024 and before 31 December 2024 are entitled to receive the winter fuel payment during winter 2024-25.
A claim for Pension Credit may be backdated for up to three months as long as the entitlement conditions are met during that period. This means that a pensioner who was eligible for, but had not claimed, Pension Credit during the qualifying week for the Winter Fuel Payment for winter 2024-25 (16 to 22 September 2024) can still qualify for the payment if they make a successful backdated application for Pension Credit by 21 December 2024.
What steps her Department is taking to ensure that shared banking hubs help improve access to cash for people who are financially excluded.
The Government is committed to protecting cash and the FCA published its final regulatory rules on 18 July. The Government also is working closely with the financial services sector to roll out at least 350 banking hubs. These will provide individuals, including those who are financially excluded, with critical cash and banking services. Cash Access UK expects to have 100 hubs open by the end of the year.