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100930

	registered interest
	date	24/10/2014
	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	Social Security Benefits
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the steps they are taking to reduce the cost of benefit fraud, what they propose to do, and how much they plan to spend, to reduce underpayments to claimants due to mistakes by officials or claimants.
	tabling member printed	Lord Beecham
	uin	HL2398
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/11/2014 answer text <p /> <p>The Department takes both under and overpayments seriously and has in place a number of initiatives to address the errors that cause them. These activities address fraud as well as error, and both under and overpayments. It is therefore not possible to separate out the cost of activities focused exclusively on underpayments as a result of error.</p><p> </p><p>Universal Credit will make the welfare system simpler by replacing six benefits and credits with a single monthly payment. This simplification is expected to lead to a reduction in fraud and error due to the fact that information about claimants will be held in one place and updated more frequently and easily.</p><p> </p><p>For claimants that have income taxed under PAYE, Universal Credit will be linked to HMRC’s Real Time Information system, which will provide an automatic monthly update of their income thus reducing the potential for both error and fraud.</p><p> </p><p>The Department has invested in compliance activity, so that case correctness is maintained and fraud and error entering the system are detected and resolved quickly. Across all delivery arms there is a focus on accuracy and quality, including a continuous quality checking regime to review claims and check processing accuracy.</p><p> </p><p>We constantly review claims by checking them against data coming into our systems, in order to highlight potential anomalies. We do this by using business rules which focus on potential error to identify both under and overpayments.</p><p> </p><p>The Department is taking steps to encourage claimants to ensure that the information provided to us is accurate and up-to-date. This includes a fraud and error communications campaign about driving behaviour change and emphasising that claimants must report any change of circumstances.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 07/11/2014 13:39:35 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
	tabling member	4181 label Biography information for Lord Beecham

147387

	registered interest
	date	10/11/2014
	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	State Retirement Pensions
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will take action to ensure that the state pension is treated as a contributory pension and not a welfare benefit.
	tabling member printed	Lord Stoddart of Swindon
	uin	HL2791
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/11/2014 answer text <p /> <p>The state pension is based on the National Insurance contributions a person has paid or been credited with and it is paid out of the National Insurance Fund. The state pension is technically and legally a benefit and has been so since the 1946 National Insurance Act. The Government does not include the state pension in the Welfare Cap.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 17/11/2014 14:18:57 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
	tabling member	950 label Biography information for Lord Stoddart of Swindon

155667

	registered interest
	date	17/11/2014
	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	Work Capability Assessment
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether people who are undergoing a work capability assessment because of mental health problems are guaranteed assessment by health professionals who have psychiatric expertise.
	tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of St Albans
	uin	HL2851
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/11/2014 answer text <p /> <p>All healthcare professionals who carry out work capability assessments on behalf of the DWP are fully trained in disability assessment and are registered with their respective Regulatory Body. Healthcare professionals receive comprehensive training in the functional effects of mental health conditions. In addition all health professionals are supported by mental function champions who have specialist knowledge of mental health conditions and provide support and best practice advice.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 25/11/2014 14:38:05 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
	tabling member	4308 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of St Albans

155685

	registered interest
	date	17/11/2014
	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	Universal Credit
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what funding they have provided for locally delivered Universal Support in the Universal Credit Pathfinder areas; what funding is planned for the roll-out in 2015; and how much of any such funding will be targeted at front-line delivery, as opposed to "enabling" activities (such as assessing needs and provision in an area, and co-ordinating existing services).
	tabling member printed	Baroness Thomas of Winchester
	uin	HL2869
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/12/2014 answer text <p /> <p>We have provided funding in the pathfinder sites and all current live Universal Credit sites through Delivery Partnership Agreements (DPAs) which were based on local agreement as to the likely level on need for support in each area.</p><p> </p><p>From February 2015, Universal Credit will rollout to new single claimants who would currently be eligible for Jobseekers Allowance across all remaining jobcentres and local authorities. This provides the opportunity to build a secure platform for the introduction of Universal Support by mobilising local partnerships nationwide, putting in place a robust infrastructure for more complex and vulnerable claimants.</p><p> </p><p>The Department will put in place Delivery Partnership Agreements (DPAs) with local authorities. As in the current live sites these will provide a framework to make available funded support for those who need additional help.</p><p> </p><p>How much funding is targeted for specific purposes by the Department will be determined by the individual partnerships, based on local need.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 01/12/2014 15:25:45 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
	tabling member	3785 label Biography information for Baroness Thomas of Winchester

156575

	registered interest
	date	19/11/2014
	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	Employment and Support Allowance
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many claimants for Employment Support Allowance who have degenerative conditions for which there is no possibility of improvement have been placed in the Work-Related Activity Group; how many have found employment; how many have had their benefits reduced for failing to find employment; whether the position of those claimants will be reviewed; and, if so, when.
	tabling member printed	The Countess of Mar
	uin	HL2998
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/11/2014 answer text <p /> <p>The information as requested is not available.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 27/11/2014 12:30:03 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
	tabling member	1861 label Biography information for The Countess of Mar

157061

	registered interest
	date	20/11/2014
	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	Jobseeker's Allowance
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people over the age of 30 have applied for Jobseeker's Allowance in (1) the United Kingdom, (2) the South West of England, and (3) Bristol.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Royall of Blaisdon
	uin	HL3006
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/12/2014 answer text <p /> <p>The information requested is publically available<strong>: </strong><a href="http://www.nomisweb.co.uk/" target="_blank">http://www.nomisweb.co.uk/</a></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>Information on current Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) claimants aged 30 or over and the number of new claims from this age group over the last 12 months, published by the Office for National Statistics, is shown in the table below. New claims do not cover all those who apply for JSA as a minority withdraw or have their claim disallowed.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>Number of JSA claimants aged 30 or over</p></td><td><p>Number of new JSA claims from people aged 30 or over</p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>October 2014</p></td><td><p>Year to October 2014</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>UK</p></td><td><p>545,535</p></td><td><p>1,325,190</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>South West</p></td><td><p>26,310</p></td><td><p>87,620</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Bristol</p></td><td><p>4,100</p></td><td><p>10,585</p></td></tr></tbody></table> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 01/12/2014 15:37:19 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
	tabling member	3703 label Biography information for Baroness Royall of Blaisdon

157082

	registered interest
	date	20/11/2014
	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	Employment Schemes: Young People
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to support projects aimed at making young people more employable.
	tabling member printed	Lord Stevens of Kirkwhelpington
	uin	HL3027
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/12/2014 answer text <p /> <p>In the last 12 months youth unemployment has fallen by a record-breaking 253,000. Work Coaches offer tailored support from day one of their claim and young people also receive support Youth Contract; Work Programme; Post Work Programme Support – Help to Work. I am pleased to report we are on target to deliver an extra 250,000 work experience or sector-based work academy places by March 2015.</p><p> </p><p>We are working with Local Authorities to trial a proactive labour market engagement approach with 16-17 year olds who are not in education, training or employment.</p><p> </p><p>DWP is also supporting Movement to Work, an employer led initiative offering work training opportunities to 18-24 year olds. The Civil Service has pledged 6000 opportunities. Over 3000 places have been delivered between April and September 2014, the vast majority in DWP.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 01/12/2014 11:59:22 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
	tabling member	3733 label Biography information for Lord Stevens of Kirkwhelpington

164526

	registered interest
	date	24/11/2014
	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	Immigration: Poland
	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 Bates on 20 November (HL2693), whether the Department for Work and Pensions has made an assessment of the contribution of Polish immigrants to the United Kingdom.
	tabling member printed	Lord Patten
	uin	HL3119
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/12/2014 answer text <p /> <p>DWP has made no such assessment, nor would it be within the remit of the Department to do so.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 02/12/2014 12:26:32 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
	tabling member	1137 label Biography information for Lord Patten

166087

	registered interest
	date	25/11/2014
	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: Fees and Charges
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are measuring the impact of auto-enrolment on fees charged by the investment management industry; and what plans they have to track any changes.
	tabling member printed	Lord Mendelsohn
	uin	HL3145
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/12/2014 answer text <p /> <p>The Government’s Command Paper, ‘Better Workplace Pensions: Further measures for savers’, published in March, set out a range of measures including a cap on charges in default fund arrangements, a ban on inappropriate charges and proposals to introduce minimum governance standards and improve transparency across workplace defined contribution schemes.</p><p> </p><p>Following this, Government launched its consultation on draft regulations on governance and charges in occupational pension schemes in October 2014. Subject to Parliamentary approval, the majority of this legislation will come into force from April 2015, alongside Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) rules in relation to workplace personal pension schemes where appropriate. From April 2015, the Government intends to introduce a charge cap on the default funds of qualifying schemes, set at 0.75 per cent of funds under management and the first phase of enhanced transparency with trustees and Independent Governance Committees (IGCs) being required to report on costs and charges for the first time.</p><p> </p><p>In 2015 Government will consult on regulations under duties in the Pensions Act 2014 requiring information about transaction costs to be disclosed to members and others, and the publication of costs and charges information. The FCA also intends to consult on amending their own rules to introduce equivalent enhanced transparency provisions for workplace personal pension schemes during 2015. The Government has also set out its plans to review the level of the default fund charge cap, to see if it should be lowered, and also whether it should include some or all of the transaction costs that are ultimately borne by members within a cap. This review will take place in 2017.</p><p> </p><p>Taken together the combined effect of these measures on charges, governance and transparency and the Government’s commitment to a review should ensure that savers are being enrolled into workplace schemes that are well run and in members’ interests.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 08/12/2014 12:19:52 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
	tabling member	4286 label Biography information for Lord Mendelsohn

166089

	registered interest
	date	25/11/2014
	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 plans they have to review the basis on which projections of potential returns are used by the investment management industry in communications with pension holders.
	tabling member printed	Lord Mendelsohn
	uin	HL3147
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/12/2014 answer text <p /> <p>Since 6 April 2003, certain money purchase pension arrangements have been required to provide members with Statutory Money Purchase Illustrations (SMPIs). Legislation requires that statutory illustrations are produced in accordance with guidance prepared by a prescribed body approved by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and by the Department for Social Development in Northern Ireland.</p><p>The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) is the prescribed body and has been since 6 April 2007. The FRC fulfils its obligations through the publication of Actuarial Standard Technical Memorandum AS TM1: Statutory Money Purchase Illustrations (AS TM1). It reviews AS TM1 regularly and the last completed review was carried out in 2013 following the introduction of the Occupational and Personal Pension Schemes (Disclosure of Information) Regulations 2013 (SI 2013/2734) which came into force on 6 April 2014. The AS TM1 specifies that the investment return should take into account the current and anticipated future investment strategy of the member’s funds over the period to retirement and be consistent from year to year, with the rationale documented and made available to members on request.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) rules require a projection at point of sale for contract based pensions. The investment return must reflect the investment potential of the (expected) underlying assets, subject to an overall cap of 5%pa. Flanking projections must be provided using returns which vary by +/- 3%. The FCA has a public commitment to review the basis every 4 years and the next review is due in 2015. The FCA do not require further projections during the lifetime of the contract as pension scheme members will receive statutory statements prepared under DWP legislation. However, where a provider chooses to provide additional projections, they must follow the same basis as point of sale projections.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 08/12/2014 12:26:30 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
	tabling member	4286 label Biography information for Lord Mendelsohn