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1130254

registered interest
date	05/06/2019
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Arcadia Group: Pensions
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to review (1) decisions taken by the trustees of the Arcadia Group Pension Scheme which may have contributed to an aggregate deficit of liabilities over assets of some £700 million, (2) the oversight of the Arcadia Scheme by the Pensions Regulator, and (3) the Pensions Regulator's use of its powers in relation to the Arcadia Scheme.
tabling member printed	Lord Myners
uin	HL16115
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/06/2019 answer text <p>The Government cannot intervene with the decisions taken by trustees of pension schemes.</p><p> </p><p>The Pensions Regulator is an independent body, and as such the Government cannot comment on any cases dealt with by the Regulator. Due to this, the Government does not have plans to review the oversight exercised over the Arcadia scheme, or the use of powers in relation to the scheme.</p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe question first answered 19/06/2019 15:46:29 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
tabling member	3869 label Biography information for Lord Myners

1127442

registered interest
date	20/05/2019
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Poverty: Children
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Agnew of Oulton on 16 May (HL15606), whether they will now answer the question put.
tabling member printed	Baroness Primarolo
uin	HL15853
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/06/2019 answer text <p>The information on numbers of children entering and exiting poverty is not available. However, figures for percentages of children moving in and out of poverty are collected in the Income Dynamics publication. These are available in Table 8.1, and in the table below:</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>2010-2011 to 2011-2012</p></td><td><p>2011-2012 to 2012-2013</p></td><td><p>2012-2013 to 2013-2014</p></td><td><p>2013-2014 to 2014-2015</p></td><td><p>2014-2015 to 2015-2016</p></td><td><p>2015-2016 to 2016-2017</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>% children entering poverty</strong></p></td><td><p>6</p></td><td><p>6</p></td><td><p>6</p></td><td><p>7</p></td><td><p>6</p></td><td><p>7</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>% children exiting poverty</strong></p></td><td><p>34</p></td><td><p>35</p></td><td><p>37</p></td><td><p>33</p></td><td><p>33</p></td><td><p>35</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>The percentage of children entering poverty is the percentage of only those children who were <em>not in poverty</em> in the earlier year but who were in poverty the following year. The percentage of children exiting poverty is the percentage of only those children who were <em>in poverty </em>in the earlier year but who were out of poverty the following year. Entry and exit rates are very different (since entry / exit rates are expressed as a percentage of only those not previously in poverty / previously in poverty respectively).</p><p /><p>The threshold used is 60 per cent of median equivalised household income Before Housing Costs (BHC). Since household incomes are subject to measurement error, and the threshold is subject to sampling and measurement error, the analysis only includes ‘clear’ transitions. For an entry/exit to count, household incomes must cross the 60 per cent of median income threshold and be at least 10 per cent higher / lower than the threshold in the following year.</p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe question first answered 04/06/2019 16:27:01 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
tabling member	217 label Biography information for Baroness Primarolo

1110693

registered interest
date	09/04/2019
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	River Stour: Insecticides
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the annual treatment of the River Stour in Dorset to prevent infestations of the Blandford Fly is effective; and what is their assessment of the risks of that treatment, if any, to (1) human, (2) animal, and (3) plant life.
tabling member printed	Lord Patten
uin	HL15157
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/04/2019 answer text <p>Local monitoring by General Practitioners of the incidence of bites in the 1990s showed a decline. Whether this was due to the annual treatments cannot be proved conclusively.</p><p> </p><p>Dorset Council is undertaking a trial into the effectiveness of a biocidal product against the Blandford Fly. The Health and Safety Executive’s assessment of the product in question, conducted as part of providing an authorisation for its use, concluded that the risks for humans, non-target animals and the wider environment were acceptable.</p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe question first answered 24/04/2019 14:26:07 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
tabling member	1137 label Biography information for Lord Patten

1092795

registered interest
date	21/03/2019
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Housing Benefit
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Buscombe on 20 March (HL14427), what guidance they have given to local authorities to assess the amount of housing benefit to which those individuals identified as entitled to income-related employment and support allowance (ESA) but who were moved to contributory-based ESA from incapacity benefit would have been entitled, and on the steps taken to compensate those individuals for any loss.
tabling member printed	Baroness Sherlock
uin	HL14746
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/04/2019 answer text <p>As part of the ESA underpayment exercise we are informing local authorities of any new, past awards of income-related ESA in line with our business as usual procedures; including guidance on treatment of awards for past periods. This will support local authorities to consider any possible impacts of the ESA underpayment exercise and pay any arrears of past Housing Benefit that are due.</p><p> </p><p>Our focus is on paying arrears to claimants in line with the primary legislation.</p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe question first answered 03/04/2019 14:45:47 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
tabling member	4147 label Biography information for Baroness Sherlock

1092427

registered interest
date	20/03/2019
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	World Down Syndrome Day
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to mark the UN's World Down Syndrome Day on 21 March; and what steps they are taking to ensure that people with Down syndrome have equal opportunities in all aspects of society.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL14684
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/04/2019 answer text <p>The UK Government marked this year's World Down Syndrome Day by co-sponsoring and participating in a key side event called &quot;Leave no one behind&quot; at the 21<sup>st</sup> Session of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Geneva. The event's theme was “Ensuring all persons with Down Syndrome can access meaningful employment and an adequate standard of living on a full and equal basis with others.”</p><p> </p><p>The Government is fully committed to its vision - to create a society that works for everyone, where all can participate fully and be included. Therefore, Government Departments have invested in a range of programmes and initiatives to ensure that disabled people including persons with Down Syndrome are not left behind in all aspects of society such as in employment, education, health, housing, transport and sport.</p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe question first answered 02/04/2019 15:28:58 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1082427

registered interest
date	05/03/2019
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Biocidal Products: EU Law
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to depart from the framework of the Biocidal Products Regulation (EU) No 529/2012 after the UK's exit from the EU.
tabling member printed	Baroness Masham of Ilton
uin	HL14264
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/03/2019 answer text <p>The Government does not intend to depart from the framework of the Biocidal Products Regulation 528/2012 (BPR) after the UK’s departure from the EU. Using powers in the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 the BPR will be retained in UK law and amended by a statutory instrument solely to correct deficiencies arising from EU exit and to enable the Regulation to function correctly in a UK context post-exit.</p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe question first answered 19/03/2019 12:21:21 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
tabling member	1850 label Biography information for Baroness Masham of Ilton

1078284

registered interest
date	26/02/2019
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Poverty: Children
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to tackle child poverty across the United Kingdom.
tabling member printed	Lord Hay of Ballyore
uin	HL14056
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/03/2019 answer text <p>I refer the noble Lord to the answer I gave on Wednesday 27 February HL13942</p><p>There is clear evidence that work offers the best opportunity for families to move out of poverty and towards financial independence. Children in workless households are around 5 times more likely to be in poverty after housing costs than those where all adults work. 62% of children living in a workless couple family are in relative poverty (before housing costs) compared with only 3% where both adults work full-time.</p><p>This is why we are continuing to undertake the most ambitious reform to the welfare system in decades – so that it supports people to find and to stay in work. Nationally, there are now over 3.5 million more people in work. Universal Credit is at the heart of these reforms. It is designed to promote full-time work and employment for partners where possible, through smoother incentives to increase hours.</p><p>Working parents on UC can have up to 85% of their childcare costs reimbursed – worth up to £1,108 per month for someone with two or more children. We have also introduced additional flexibility on support for up front childcare costs, increased work allowances, and doubled free childcare available to working parents of 3 and 4 year olds to 30 hours per week.</p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe question first answered 05/03/2019 16:03:19 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
tabling member	4352 label Biography information for Lord Hay of Ballyore

1077089

registered interest
date	25/02/2019
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Workplace Pensions
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the withdrawal of credit insurance to a company sponsoring a pension fund with a large deficit requires approval by the Pensions Regulator.
tabling member printed	Lord Myners
uin	HL14009
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/03/2019 answer text <p>The Pensions Regulator does not have jurisdiction over corporate business transactions, such as the withdrawal of credit insurance, and does not have the power to require insurance companies to seek approval before withdrawing insurance cover.</p><p> </p><p>The Pensions Regulator operates a voluntary clearance procedure to those who are considering transactions involving companies with defined benefit schemes. If clearance is not applied for and granted, the Regulator may exercise its anti-avoidance powers, if it considers that the transaction was aimed at avoiding a debt to the pension scheme. These powers can be applied up to six years after a transaction has taken place.</p><p> </p><p>Employers sponsoring defined benefit pension schemes are also required to notify the Regulator of certain prescribed events. These do not include the withdrawal of credit insurance but should the withdrawal of such insurance trigger a prescribed event, including insolvency, then the employer would be required to notify the Pensions Regulator.</p><p> </p><p>Defined benefit pension schemes also go through a valuation process every three years (tri-annual evaluation), comparing assets against liabilities, and the withdrawal of credit insurance might be identified by the Regulator as part of this process.</p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe question first answered 08/03/2019 14:09:54 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
tabling member	3869 label Biography information for Lord Myners

1012147

registered interest
date	21/11/2018
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Mental Health Services: Employment
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to making the provision of mental health first aid mandatory in the workplace.
tabling member printed	Lord Ouseley
uin	HL11674
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/12/2018 answer text <p>The Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981 already allow for the consideration of mental health alongside physical health when undertaking a needs assessment. On the 21<sup>st</sup> November 2018 the Health and Safety Executive published guidance to clarify this point for employers.</p><p> </p><p>Key evidence reviews of the impact of mental health-type training in a workplace environment show that there are a number of knowledge gaps which mean it is not possible to say whether the training is effective in improving the management of mental health in workplaces, or whether it is the only effective mechanism for support. The research also identifies additional prevention and management actions that employers should put in place to create a comprehensive approach.</p><p> </p><p>In January 2017, the Prime Minister commissioned Lord Dennis Stevenson and Paul Farmer, the Chief Executive of Mind, to conduct an independent review into how employers can better support all employees, including those with mental ill health or wellbeing, to remain in and thrive at work. “<em>Thriving at Work: The Stevenson / Farmer review of mental health and employers</em> was published in October 2017.”</p><p> </p><p>In November 2017, the joint DWP/DHSC Work and Health Unit (WHU) published “<em>Improving Lives: the Future of Work, Health and Disability” </em>setting out plans for three key settings: welfare system, workplace and health system, and also set out the Government’s response to “<em>Thriving at Work”</em>. This response welcomed a key recommendation from the ‘Thriving at Work’ review for employers to adopt a set of core mental health standards that will provide a comprehensive approach to transforming mental health in the workplace. Government is committed to working with the authors of the review and key stakeholders across the public, private and voluntary sectors to ensure that employers of all sizes act to implement the core and enhanced standards and help them, and their employees, realise the benefits of healthy, inclusive workplaces.</p><p>Therefore, the Government’s view is that the best way to secure employer action is to engage with employers on a voluntary basis to implement the comprehensive mental health core standards approach rather than legislate on a single issue.</p><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe question first answered 05/12/2018 14:38:13 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
tabling member	2170 label Biography information for Lord Ouseley

990130

registered interest
date	17/10/2018
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Workplace Pensions
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that a proper audit of the accuracy of a master trust's pension contribution records has taken place before it is permitted to exit the market or merge with another trust.
tabling member printed	Baroness Altmann
uin	HL10752
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/10/2018 answer text <p>Trustees are required to act in accordance with their fiduciary duties to the beneficiaries of the scheme, as well as legislative requirements. This includes running and managing the scheme, and ensuring the accuracy of the scheme’s contribution records.</p><p> </p><p>The Pension Schemes Act 2017 introduced a requirement for Master Trust schemes to notify the Pensions Regulator if they intend to exit the market prior to the introduction of the new authorisation and supervisory regime from October 2018 and for the Regulator to have close oversight of the process.</p><p> </p><p>The new authorisation and supervisory regime for Master Trusts requires that Master Trusts demonstrate to the Pensions Regulator that they have effective systems and processes. This includes whether the scheme can process transactions, including contributions, automatically and securely and whether it has the capability to carry out data reconciliations against transactions.</p><p> </p><p>Master Trusts must be able to quickly identify missing contributions and have a process in place to rectify any issues. The Regulator has a separate Code of Practice on the payment of contributions and can take action where contributions are not invested.</p><p> </p><p>Where a Master Trust exits the market the trustees must submit a detailed implementation strategy to the Regulator for approval. This includes details of how scheme pension contributions will be handled. Trustees are required to comply with the implementation strategy to the satisfaction of the Regulator.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe question first answered 31/10/2018 15:13:30 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
tabling member	4533 label Biography information for Baroness Altmann