Every parliamentary written question tabled by Richard Tice this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.
Showing 1–20 of 20 · Department for Work and Pensions
For what reason the Minister for Child Maintenance has declined requests to meet with STOPSuicides UK.
The minister regularly meets with key stakeholders and undertakes extensive engagement via correspondence with organisations who have an interest in the Child Maintenance Service, including with STOPSuicide UK and will continue to do so.
How much was paid in (a) Universal Credit, (b) Disability Living Allowance and (c) Personal Independence Payment to people who were not British citizens in each of the last five years.
The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
How much was paid in State Pension to people not born in the United Kingdom in (a) the most recent year for which data is available and (b) in each of the previous five years.
The Department does not hold information on the country of birth of individuals in receipt of the State Pension. State Pension eligibility is determined by an individual’s National Insurance record.
Whether her Department has made an estimate of the proportion of Personal Independence Payment recipients who would remain eligible for support under the proposed changes to the disability benefits system.
The publication ‘Spring Statement 2025 health and disability benefit reforms – Impacts’ provides some information on the numbers affected by the proposed changes to the disability benefits system. In particular, table A3 on page 8 shows the estimated impacts of the proposed changes on the working age Personal Independence Payment and Daily Living Allowance caseload, and table A4 on page 9 shows the volume of people in receipt of PIP estimated to be affected by the change, divided into the pre-implementation caseload, and people claiming from November 2026 onwards. More information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper will be published in due course. A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.
What steps her Department is taking to review the calculation of child maintenance payments, in the context of the use of gross salaries for assessments; and what assessment she has made of the potential merits of adjusting those calculations to reflect (a) the disposable income of paying parents after deductions and (b) any unusual expenses.
Information about the paying parent's gross income is taken directly from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) for the latest tax year available. This allows calculations to be made quickly and accurately. Any income subject to income tax, including bonuses and overtime received by an employed paying parent, is included within their gross weekly income when calculating a child maintenance liability. Generally, the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) caseload is governed by broad administrative rules and does not provide bespoke solutions for individual cases. However, there is some scope to take account of specific situations. Variations allow the Child Maintenance Service to look at some circumstances which are not covered by the basic maintenance calculation. Either parent may apply for a variation at any time during the life of their case, provided enough information for an appropriate ground can be identified. If a variation application is successful, the maintenance calculation will be adjusted accordingly. The department is reviewing the calculation to make sure it is fit for purpose. This has included updating the underlying research and considering how we ensure the calculation reflects current and future societal trends.
What assessment he has made of the impact of the difference between the rates of the (a) basic state pension and (b) new state pension on pensioners; and whether the Department has considered the potential merits of equalising these rates.
The Government has made a commitment to the Triple Lock for the entirety of this Parliament which will mean spending on people’s State Pensions is forecast to rise by over £31 billion. It is not possible to make direct, like for like comparisons between State Pension amounts under the new State Pension and the pre 2016 State Pension systems. While the headline full basic State Pension is £169.50 per week (2024/25 rates), people under the pre 2016 system may also receive Additional State Pension. If instead they had been contracted-out of the Additional State Pension, they will also have a workplace or private pension It is also the case that not everyone under the new State Pension system will receive the full headline amount of £221.20 per week. Although the systems are different, they both reflect the National Insurance contributions an individual has made. This is reflected in the average amounts that people receive.
If she will commission an independent investigation into the mortality rates of paying parents using the Child Maintenance Service.
There are currently no plans to commission an independent investigation into the mortality rates of paying parents using the Child Maintenance Service. The Child Maintenance Service is committed to delivering a safe service that is sensitive to the needs of all parents who use it. We recognise that some parents may face difficult circumstances, particularly during separation. The Child Maintenance Service is well-prepared to respond quickly and effectively if it becomes aware that any customer's safety is at risk. All caseworkers receive extensive training and follow a well-managed process with clear steps to support vulnerable clients, including those at risk of suicide, self-harm, or domestic abuse. Our priority is to handle these cases sensitively and ensure vulnerable customers get the help and support they need to use the service safely. This may include signposting to support organizations or reporting to the police if necessary.
With reference to paragraph 28 of Schedule 7 of the Pensions Act 2004, if she will make an estimate of the number of pensioners who have accrued pensionable service before 6 April 1997 for which they do not receive annual increases in periodic compensation from the Pension Protection Fund in (a) Boston and Skegness constituency and (b) the UK.
The rules around PPF indexation are generally in line with the legal requirements for defined benefit pension schemes. I recognise this matter has been the subject of much discussion and am aware of the concerns of pensions scheme members affected by this issue. The estimate, as of 31 March 2024, for members of the Pension Protection Fund with accrued pensionable service prior to 6 April 1997, who do not receive annual increases in periodic compensation are: Around 650 pensioners in the PPF who live in the Boston and Skegness constituency.Around 172,000 pensioners who live in the UK.
How many staff in her Department are responsible for (a) processing and (b) responding to Freedom of Information Act requests; and if she will make an estimate of the annual cost to the public purse of this work.
The Department does not keep this information centrally and to provide it would incur disproportionate costs. This is because, whilst all Freedom of Information (FOI) requests are cleared by a central team, depending on the nature of the request, any member of the Department’s staff could potentially be involved in: processing; locating information for; or drafting, a response to a FOI request. DWP Departmental spend is published here: DWP: departmental spending over £25,000 - GOV.UK
What the costs to the Child Maintenance Service are of the (a) supervision and (b) processing of (i) Direct Pay and (ii) Collect and Pay arrangements.
The cost of running the Child Maintenance Service is not separated between a) supervision and (b) processing of (i) Direct Pay and (ii) Collect and Pay arrangements, therefore, the information requested is not held.
How many paying parents party to a child maintenance agreement are assessed to have an income of less than £12,570 per year; how many paying parents are in receipt of universal credit; and how many paying parents are estimated to be earning less than the receiving parent.
At the end of September 2024, there were 289,000 Paying Parents using the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) with a recorded income of less than £12,570 per year. This is 43% of all Paying Parents for whom we held income information. Information on the number of Paying Parents claiming Universal Credit is published quarterly on StatXplore, as part of the ‘CMS Paying Parents’ dataset. Information on Universal Credit claims is generally not available for the latest published quarter, therefore the most recent information available relates to the end of June 2024 (rather than September 2024, as for most other information in this dataset). At this time, 199,000 Paying Parents claimed Universal Credit. This is 29% of all 675,000 Paying Parents who were using CMS at this time. The income of the Receiving Parent does not factor into the CMS maintenance calculation, and so this information is not collected by CMS. Therefore, the information requested in the third part of your question is not readily available (and to produce it would incur disproportionate cost). However, you may be interested in the latest Separated Families Statistics, which contain some information, derived from survey data, of the position of ‘non-resident parent’ and ‘parent with care’ households within the Great Britain income distribution. See in particular section 6 of the release document. These statistics include all separated families and are not specific to CMS users.
How many former armed forces personnel have been subject to enforcement proceedings by the Child Maintenance Service since 2021.
The information requested is not available, as the Child Maintenance Service do not maintain a historical record of employers for each paying parent.
How many separated families applied to the Child Maintenance Service for advice on creating a family-based arrangement from 2021 to 2024; and how many parents who approached the Service did not proceed with a (a) Direct Pay and (b)Collect and Pay agreement in each of those years.
The information requested is not available. However, the Get Help Arranging Child Maintenance (GHACM) service opened on 18 November 2021 and provides individuals with information about options available for paying or getting support for a child, this includes how to make a private arrangement or how to apply to the Child Maintenance Service, if they choose to do so. There were 34,796 users who accessed GHACM and elected to pursue a private family-based arrangement. This accounted for 11% of GHACM users between 18 November 2021 and 31 December 2024.
What private sector companies the Child Maintenance Service has contracted to implement enforcement proceedings; what the value of each contract is; whether funds paid by parents are paid to such companies; and what accountability mechanisms are in place.
DWP holds a number of contracts to support Child Maintenance Service enforcement proceedings. Qualco UK Ltd – Managed Enforcement Agency Services – contract award forecast value £686,750. Shakespeare Martineau LLP - Orders for Sale Litigation Services – contract award forecast value £566,171. A further contract is in place for Arrest Warrant Services for the Child Maintenance Service, details of which are due to be published by 5 February 2025. Harper MacLeod LLP – Scottish Legal Services – contract award forecast value £4,982,547. Contract held by Office for Advocate General and accessed by DWP for services. The suppliers collect funds on behalf of the Child Maintenance Service with the exception of contract for Scottish Legal Services which is in place to enable CMS to recover debt under Scottish Law. All contracts are based on government contracting and industry good practice to support the delivery of services for DWP. This includes meeting standards and regularly reviewed performance alongside compliance against relevant legislation.
How many and what proportion of migrants that have been granted (a) asylum and (b) leave to remain in the last five years are receiving Universal Credit; and what estimate she has made of the projected expenditure for these claimants over the next five years.
The Department is exploring the feasibility of developing suitable Official Statistics related to the immigration status of non-UK/ Irish Universal Credit customers. The Department will ensure that this work is done in line with the Code of Practice for Statistics. The Department has not made a projection of Universal Credit spend on the migrant groups requested. The Department’s published forecast of Universal Credit expenditure at Autumn Budget 2024 can be found here.
How many and what proportion of migrants who entered in the UK in the last 5 years are in receipt of state benefits.
The Department does not hold the information to produce the requested calculation. We are, however, exploring the feasibility of developing suitable statistics related to the immigration status of non-UK / Irish customers. The Department will ensure that this work is done in line with the Code of Practice for Statistics.
What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of excluding people on Personal Independence Payment from eligibility for the winter fuel payment on their ability to meet energy costs.
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. The Government also offers an array of support with energy costs for low-income groups in the winter months. This includes direct financial help to low-income pensioners through Pension Credit, Cold Weather Payments and the Warm Home Discount (in England & Wales). The Warm Home Discount scheme provides eligible low-income households across Great Britain with a £150 rebate on their winter energy bill. This winter, we expect over 3 million households, to benefit under the scheme. People struggling with the cost of living should contact their local council to see what support may be available to them, as they may be able to receive support from the Household Support Fund, Council Tax Reduction, or through energy support programmes such as the Homes Upgrade Grant and Energy Company Obligation. The Home Upgrade Grant phase 2 provides energy efficiency upgrades and low-carbon heating measures to low-income households living in the worst performing, off gas grid homes in England to tackle fuel poverty. For those with long-term health conditions or disabilities, the “extra costs” disability benefits, including Personal Independence Payment, provide a tax free, non-income-related contribution towards the extra costs people with a long-term health condition can face, such as additional heating costs. They are paid in addition to any other benefits received. These benefits also give rise to a disability addition in Pension Credit and other income-related benefits.
How many and what proportion of Universal Credit claimants are not UK citizens.
The Department checks immigration status when assessing eligibility for Universal Credit, but the requested statistics are not readily available. We are, however, exploring the feasibility of developing suitable statistics related to the immigration status of non-UK / Irish customers Universal Credit claimants.
How many National Insurance Numbers were issued to (a) Bulgarian and (b) Romanian nationals in Boston and Skegness constituency in each year since 2021.
The Department publishes quarterly statistics on National Insurance number allocations to adult overseas nationals entering the UK on Stat-Xplore. The latest statistics, for January 2002 to June 2024, can be compiled by rolling year end to June and nationality down to country level, and are available by Westminster parliamentary constituency (based on the address given at time of National Insurance number registration). Users can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest and, if needed, can access guidance on how to extract the information required.
What steps her Department is taking to (a) improve the (i) effectiveness and (ii) efficiency of the Child Maintenance Service and (b) help tackle unpaid child maintenance.
The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) has a relatively low percentage of unpaid maintenance. Only 8% of the total maintenance due to be paid since the start of the CMS remains to be collected through the collect & pay service. This was as high as 17% in March 2015. The CMS has a range of strong enforcement powers that can be used against those who consistently refuse to meet their obligations to provide financial support to their children including deducting directly from earnings, bank accounts and forcing the sale of a property. The Department plans to streamline the enforcement process further by removing the requirement to obtain a court issued liability order, and instead allow the Secretary of State to issue an administrative liability order. Introducing this simpler administrative process will enable the CMS to take faster action against those paying parents who actively avoid their responsibilities. A CMS modernisation programme is ongoing which is delivering services with increased effectiveness and efficiency by optimising the use of digital channels and self-service. These efficiencies will make it easier for customers to report changes and report non-payment so CMS caseworkers can focus on the collection of unpaid child maintenance.