Written Parliamentary Questions - Social Security Benefits: Lone Parents

Resource type - Parliamentary Question [UID: 1364122]
Key Information
Written Parliamentary Question (WPQ)
24.11.2008
483 c1007-8W
Jones, Lynne
Social Security Benefits: Lone Parents
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effect on demand for child care services and on the availability of child care services of the Social Security (Lone Parents and Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2008; what steps he has taken to assess the adequacy of the availability of services; and if he will make a statement.
Dept for Work and Pensions
Ussher, Kitty
We will be monitoring the effect of the lone parent changes on demand for child care services as the policy is implemented.We can, however, state that the availability of child care places has improved significantly. The stock of registered child care is now approaching 1.3 million places, more than double the 1997 level, representing an increase of well over 17 per cent. or 194,000 places, since March 2004.The Childcare Act 2006 places a legal duty on local authorities in England and Wales to secure, as far as practicable, sufficient childcare to meet the needs of working parents, in particular for those on low incomes and with disabled children. The position in Wales is slightly different in that the duty is an enabling power which the Welsh Assembly Government has the option of enacting. We have a published commitment that by 2010 there will be a child care place for all children in England aged between 3 and 14 years old, between the hours of 8am to 6pm each weekday.
234625
05.11.2008
10.11.2008
House of Commons (HoC)
Commons Chamber
Answered
07-08

Resource type - Parliamentary Question [UID: 1364119]
Key Information
Written Parliamentary Question (WPQ)
19.11.2008
483 c568W
Jones, Lynne
Social Security Benefits: Lone Parents
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he made of the effect of possible higher unemployment levels on (a) the labour market and (b) Jobcentre Plus when drafting the Social Security (Lone Parents and Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2008.
Dept for Work and Pensions
Ussher, Kitty
The labour market is dynamic with millions of moves between employment, unemployment and inactivity every year. Job opportunities will continue to become available. At present there are around 600,000 job vacancies in the economy.We are committed to providing unemployed people with support to get back into work. Jobcentre Plus provides information, advice and access to skills development to help people return to employment as quickly as possible.We have made a comprehensive assessment of Jobcentre Plus’s capacity to implement the changes and are satisfied that the plans Jobcentre Plus has in place will enable the organisation to manage the change. Plans include: additional resources to manage the move of lone parents from income support on to other benefits; supporting lone parents in receipt of jobseeker’s allowance or employment and support allowance; communicating with staff; and learning and development for staff.
234622
05.11.2008
10.11.2008
House of Commons (HoC)
Commons Chamber
Answered
07-08

Resource type - Parliamentary Question [UID: 1364120]
Key Information
Written Parliamentary Question (WPQ)
19.11.2008
483 c568-9W
Jones, Lynne
Social Security Benefits: Lone Parents
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what safeguards have been put in place in (a) the Social Security (Lone Parents and Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2008 and (b) Jobcentre Plus operations to protect the most vulnerable lone parents.
Dept for Work and Pensions
Ussher, Kitty
We propose introducing additional flexibilities and safeguards in regulations. These will meet the specific needs of parents, particularly lone parents, and further safeguard the welfare of children.Jobseeker’s allowance regulations will be amended to enable Jobcentre Plus staff to consider just cause and good cause so that a parent who is claiming or receiving jobseeker’s allowance may not be penalised if they leave paid employment, or fail to take up paid employment, because appropriate or affordable child care is not available. The amendments will also give Jobcentre Plus staff additional flexibilities to treat parents as available for, or actively seeking, work in certain circumstances. For example, if a child is excluded from school or if there would be no reasonable prospects of a person with caring responsibilities obtaining suitable jobs in the area if they were to reduce their hours to a minimum of 16 hours a week. The existing jobseeker’s allowance hardship regime will be extended to include lone parents as a vulnerable group, and Jobcentre Plus staff will be able to consider whether travel time to a job is reasonable, taking health or caring responsibilities into account.We also propose to introduce operational safeguards which will ensure that lone parents affected by the introduction of these changes and making a new claim are aware of their obligations to attend quarterly work-focused interviews, and that voluntary interviews will be available to them six weeks before their entitlement to income support ends. Also, if they fail to attend a fortnightly job review, at least one attempt at contacting them will be made by telephone on the day the meeting was missed. If no contact is made, a letter will be sent to their home address telling them that if they do not make contact within five working days their entitlement to benefit will end.
234623
05.11.2008
10.11.2008
House of Commons (HoC)
Commons Chamber
Answered
07-08

Resource type - Parliamentary Question [UID: 1364116]
Key Information
Written Parliamentary Question (WPQ)
17.11.2008
483 c85-6W
Jones, Lynne
Social Security Benefits: Lone Parents
(2) what provision has been made in the Social Security (Lone Parents and Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2008 for those lone parents who home educate their children out of necessity rather than choice; what estimate he has made of the number of children who are home educated out of (a) necessity and (b) choice; and if he will make a statement.
Dept for Work and Pensions
Ussher, Kitty
The proposed Regulation changes will not apply to lone parents who: are in receipt of Carer's Allowance; have a child for whom they are receiving the middle or higher rate care component of Disability Living Allowance; foster children. These lone parents will be exempt and continue to be eligible for Income Support.Lone parents in these circumstances who are also home educators are included in this group. Those lone parents who do not qualify for exemption and are capable of work will have to claim Jobseeker's Allowance, where they will be required to actively seek and be available for work of at least 16 hours a week.However, it is recognised that lone parents who home educate may face unique and varied circumstances. Therefore we are ensuring that Jobcentre Plus Personal Advisers will have the appropriate training and guidance to deal with home educators when they make a claim for Jobseeker's Allowance. This will include making use of the proposed additional flexibilities to the Jobseeker's Allowance regime where the individual circumstances of home educators make this necessary. In addition home educators, like all other lone parents, will not be penalised if they have good cause for not taking up a job and the availability and suitability of childcare will be central to such a decision.As there is no requirement for parents to register as home educators there are no official statistics on the number of children who are being home educated. Therefore, it is not possible to provide any breakdown of lone parents who home educate whether through necessity or choice. Research carried out by York Consulting in 2006 estimated that around 20,000 children from all types of families were then registered with their local authority as being educated at home. We recognise that the figure could be substantially higher.
234619
05.11.2008
10.11.2008
House of Commons (HoC)
Commons Chamber
Answered
07-08

Resource type - Parliamentary Question [UID: 1364115]
Key Information
Written Parliamentary Question (WPQ)
17.11.2008
483 c85-6W
Jones, Lynne
Social Security Benefits: Lone Parents
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) whether the provision of additional flexibilities in the Social Security (Lone Parents and Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2008 for those lone parents who face circumstances that need special consideration will include those who home educate out of necessity rather than choice;
Dept for Work and Pensions
Ussher, Kitty
The proposed Regulation changes will not apply to lone parents who: are in receipt of Carer's Allowance; have a child for whom they are receiving the middle or higher rate care component of Disability Living Allowance; foster children. These lone parents will be exempt and continue to be eligible for Income Support.Lone parents in these circumstances who are also home educators are included in this group. Those lone parents who do not qualify for exemption and are capable of work will have to claim Jobseeker's Allowance, where they will be required to actively seek and be available for work of at least 16 hours a week.However, it is recognised that lone parents who home educate may face unique and varied circumstances. Therefore we are ensuring that Jobcentre Plus Personal Advisers will have the appropriate training and guidance to deal with home educators when they make a claim for Jobseeker's Allowance. This will include making use of the proposed additional flexibilities to the Jobseeker's Allowance regime where the individual circumstances of home educators make this necessary. In addition home educators, like all other lone parents, will not be penalised if they have good cause for not taking up a job and the availability and suitability of childcare will be central to such a decision.As there is no requirement for parents to register as home educators there are no official statistics on the number of children who are being home educated. Therefore, it is not possible to provide any breakdown of lone parents who home educate whether through necessity or choice. Research carried out by York Consulting in 2006 estimated that around 20,000 children from all types of families were then registered with their local authority as being educated at home. We recognise that the figure could be substantially higher.
234618
05.11.2008
10.11.2008
House of Commons (HoC)
Commons Chamber
Answered
07-08

Resource type - Parliamentary Question [UID: 1364118]
Key Information
Written Parliamentary Question (WPQ)
17.11.2008
483 c87W
Jones, Lynne
Social Security Benefits: Lone Parents
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what procedures he has put in place to ensure Jobcentre Plus considers individual circumstances on a case by case basis, with particular reference to cases of lone parents seeking special consideration under the Social Security (Lone Parents and Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2008.
Dept for Work and Pensions
McNulty, Tony
Lone parents impacted by these changes will be invited to an interview, six weeks before they are due to lose their income support, where they will be provided with specific advice and support to move into work or claim another benefit. Those who subsequently claim jobseekers allowance will have a further meeting with an adviser to agree a Jobseekers Agreement, which sets out the sort of work they will look for, their hours of availability and when they need to attend the Jobcentre to confirm they have been available for and actively seeking work. At this meeting the individual circumstances of each lone parent will be considered. Those who claim employment and support allowance will have a series of six work-focused interviews to help them focus on what work they are able to do.
234621
05.11.2008
10.11.2008
House of Commons (HoC)
Commons Chamber
Answered
07-08

Resource type - Parliamentary Question [UID: 1364117]
Key Information
Written Parliamentary Question (WPQ)
17.11.2008
483 c86-7W
Jones, Lynne
Social Security Benefits: Lone Parents
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of Jobcentre Plus's capacity to implement the reforms outlined in the Social Security (Lone Parents and Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2008; and if he will make a statement.
Dept for Work and Pensions
McNulty, Tony
We have made a comprehensive assessment of Jobcentre Plus's capacity to implement the changes and are satisfied that the plans Jobcentre Plus has in place will enable the organisation to manage the change. Plans include: additional resources to manage the move of lone parents from Income Support on to other benefits; supporting lone parents in receipt of Jobseeker's Allowance or Employment and Support Allowance; communicating with staff; and learning and development for staff.
234620
05.11.2008
10.11.2008
House of Commons (HoC)
Commons Chamber
Answered
07-08

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