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943401

	registered interest
	date	17/07/2018
	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	Older Workers: Discrimination
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to address age discrimination in the workplace and to ensure that older workers remain competitive.
	tabling member printed	Lord Taylor of Warwick
	uin	HL9614
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/07/2018 answer text <p>The number of workers aged 50 and over currently in employment is at a record high of 10.1 million - an increase of 1.4 million over the last 5 years and an increase of 2.2 million over the last 10 years.</p><p> </p><p>The Equality Act 2010, already provides strong protection against direct and indirect age discrimination in employment and makes it unlawful for an employer or an employment service provider such as a recruitment agency, to discriminate against an older employee or job applicant because of their age, and this applies both where the employer is making arrangements to fill a job, and in respect of anything done during the course of a person’s employment. DWP continues to work with businesses and stakeholder organisations to support older workers to remain in and return to work and challenge outdated perceptions about older workers.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is committed to supporting people aged 50 and over to remain in and return to the labour market and in Feb 2017, published a new strategy ‘Fuller Working Lives: A Partnership Approach’. The Strategy is led by employers, but also sets out the case for action by individuals, and the role of Government in supporting older workers to remain in and return to work. The Strategy and supporting evidence base are available on the gov.uk website. Additionally, the Government announced a National Retraining Scheme in the Autumn Budget 2017 - an ambitious, far-reaching programme to drive adult learning and retraining. The National Retraining Scheme will give individuals the skills they need to progress in work, redirect their careers and secure the high-paid, high-skilled jobs of the future, focusing on those individuals and places who need it most.</p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe grouped question UIN HL9669 question first answered 31/07/2018 12:11:40 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
	tabling member	1796 label Biography information for Lord Taylor of Warwick

944434

	registered interest
	date	18/07/2018
	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	Older Workers
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to (1) encourage more people over 50 years old to participate in the work place, and (2) increase training and skills opportunities available for this age group.
	tabling member printed	Lord Taylor of Warwick
	uin	HL9669
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/07/2018 answer text <p>The number of workers aged 50 and over currently in employment is at a record high of 10.1 million - an increase of 1.4 million over the last 5 years and an increase of 2.2 million over the last 10 years.</p><p> </p><p>The Equality Act 2010, already provides strong protection against direct and indirect age discrimination in employment and makes it unlawful for an employer or an employment service provider such as a recruitment agency, to discriminate against an older employee or job applicant because of their age, and this applies both where the employer is making arrangements to fill a job, and in respect of anything done during the course of a person’s employment. DWP continues to work with businesses and stakeholder organisations to support older workers to remain in and return to work and challenge outdated perceptions about older workers.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is committed to supporting people aged 50 and over to remain in and return to the labour market and in Feb 2017, published a new strategy ‘Fuller Working Lives: A Partnership Approach’. The Strategy is led by employers, but also sets out the case for action by individuals, and the role of Government in supporting older workers to remain in and return to work. The Strategy and supporting evidence base are available on the gov.uk website. Additionally, the Government announced a National Retraining Scheme in the Autumn Budget 2017 - an ambitious, far-reaching programme to drive adult learning and retraining. The National Retraining Scheme will give individuals the skills they need to progress in work, redirect their careers and secure the high-paid, high-skilled jobs of the future, focusing on those individuals and places who need it most.</p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe grouped question UIN HL9614 question first answered 31/07/2018 12:11:40 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
	tabling member	1796 label Biography information for Lord Taylor of Warwick

753266

	registered interest
	date	18/07/2017
	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
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of (1) children, (2) adults, and (3) working families, living in poverty across the United Kingdom; and what long-term plan they have to prevent such poverty.
	tabling member printed	Lord Bird
	uin	HL954
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/07/2017 answer text <p>The most commonly used measure of poverty is relative low income.</p><p> </p><p>The latest statistics from the Households Below Average Income (HBAI) data series show that there are: 2.7 million children, 5.7 million working-age adults, and 2.1 million pensioners in relative low income in the United Kingdom on a ‘before housing costs’ (BHC) basis.</p><p>Analysis of the HBAI data shows that there are 2.1 million families in relative low income BHC where at least one adult member works at least part-time.</p><p>This Government is committed to tackling the root causes of poverty, thereby preventing the intergenerational cycle of disadvantage.</p><p> </p><p>This is why we repealed the income-related targets set out in the Child Poverty Act 2010 and replaced them with statutory measures that drive action on parental worklessness and children’s educational attainment – the two areas that we know can make the biggest difference to disadvantaged children, now and in the future.</p><p> </p><p>The Department for Work and Pensions published Improving Lives: Helping Workless Families in April 2017. Here we set out further non-statutory indicators on a wider set of parental disadvantage and children’s outcomes, which will drive collective action on areas that matter in tackling disadvantage.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe grouped question UIN HL955 question first answered 28/07/2017 10:40:12 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
	tabling member	4564 label Biography information for Lord Bird

753267

	registered interest
	date	18/07/2017
	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
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Buscombe on 13 July (HL Deb, cols 1296–98), what emphasis they place on the prevention of poverty; and how they are working to ensure that the prevention of poverty is prioritised by every Department.
	tabling member printed	Lord Bird
	uin	HL955
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/07/2017 answer text <p>The most commonly used measure of poverty is relative low income.</p><p> </p><p>The latest statistics from the Households Below Average Income (HBAI) data series show that there are: 2.7 million children, 5.7 million working-age adults, and 2.1 million pensioners in relative low income in the United Kingdom on a ‘before housing costs’ (BHC) basis.</p><p>Analysis of the HBAI data shows that there are 2.1 million families in relative low income BHC where at least one adult member works at least part-time.</p><p>This Government is committed to tackling the root causes of poverty, thereby preventing the intergenerational cycle of disadvantage.</p><p> </p><p>This is why we repealed the income-related targets set out in the Child Poverty Act 2010 and replaced them with statutory measures that drive action on parental worklessness and children’s educational attainment – the two areas that we know can make the biggest difference to disadvantaged children, now and in the future.</p><p> </p><p>The Department for Work and Pensions published Improving Lives: Helping Workless Families in April 2017. Here we set out further non-statutory indicators on a wider set of parental disadvantage and children’s outcomes, which will drive collective action on areas that matter in tackling disadvantage.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe grouped question UIN HL954 question first answered 28/07/2017 10:40:12 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
	tabling member	4564 label Biography information for Lord Bird

938082

	registered interest
	date	10/07/2018
	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	Poppy Factory
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the work of the Poppy Factory in helping disabled veterans find sustainable employment; and whether they would consider using it to assist the work of Work Choice.
	tabling member printed	Lord Lee of Trafford
	uin	HL9386
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/07/2018 answer text <p>Government values the work carried out by The Poppy Factory. The Poppy Factory made a valuable contribution to the Health and Work Green Paper consultation and also attended a special DWP consultation event for Armed Forces stakeholders.</p><p> </p><p>Work Choice is no longer accepting referrals as it is being replaced by The Work and Health Programme, which was rolled out in all areas of England and Wales between November 2017 and March 2018. The Poppy Factory was informed at the appropriate time how to bid to become a Work and Health Programme supplier. Successful suppliers were announced in early October 2017.</p><p> </p><p>The Government looks closely at schemes to help people back to work, studies relevant research and learns lessons where appropriate. The Poppy Factory’s ‘Getting You Back to Work’ programme has delivered impressive outcomes through its Individual Placement and Support approach and the organisation should be congratulated for the way it supports its clients.</p><p> </p><p>The NHS is doubling its provision of IPS services in NHS services for people with severe and enduring mental health, for whom it has proved successful. The Government is also testing whether this model of employment support is effective for other groups.</p><p> </p><p>We would be keen to learn from the experience of the Poppy Factory of running IPS for veterans. Previous DWP Armed Forces Ministers have visited the Poppy Factory in Richmond and I plan to visit later this year.</p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe grouped question UIN HL9440 question first answered 24/07/2018 16:05:59 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
	tabling member	1132 label Biography information for Lord Lee of Trafford

938824

	registered interest
	date	11/07/2018
	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	Employment Schemes: Veterans
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of research by the King's College Centre for Military Health Research which suggested an individual placement and support (IPS) approach to support back-to-work welfare services; and whether they will support The Poppy Factory, which offers an IPS employment service to wounded, injured and sick veterans.
	tabling member printed	Lord Lee of Trafford
	uin	HL9440
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/07/2018 answer text <p>Government values the work carried out by The Poppy Factory. The Poppy Factory made a valuable contribution to the Health and Work Green Paper consultation and also attended a special DWP consultation event for Armed Forces stakeholders.</p><p> </p><p>Work Choice is no longer accepting referrals as it is being replaced by The Work and Health Programme, which was rolled out in all areas of England and Wales between November 2017 and March 2018. The Poppy Factory was informed at the appropriate time how to bid to become a Work and Health Programme supplier. Successful suppliers were announced in early October 2017.</p><p> </p><p>The Government looks closely at schemes to help people back to work, studies relevant research and learns lessons where appropriate. The Poppy Factory’s ‘Getting You Back to Work’ programme has delivered impressive outcomes through its Individual Placement and Support approach and the organisation should be congratulated for the way it supports its clients.</p><p> </p><p>The NHS is doubling its provision of IPS services in NHS services for people with severe and enduring mental health, for whom it has proved successful. The Government is also testing whether this model of employment support is effective for other groups.</p><p> </p><p>We would be keen to learn from the experience of the Poppy Factory of running IPS for veterans. Previous DWP Armed Forces Ministers have visited the Poppy Factory in Richmond and I plan to visit later this year.</p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe grouped question UIN HL9386 question first answered 24/07/2018 16:05:59 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
	tabling member	1132 label Biography information for Lord Lee of Trafford

934470

	registered interest
	date	03/07/2018
	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 measures they have put in place to ensure auto-enrolment pension records are accurate; and what checks they require pension schemes to undertake to ensure the contribution payments are correct.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Altmann
	uin	HL9151
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/07/2018 answer text <p>Automatic enrolment has been a great success, with over 9.7 million employees enrolled and more than 1.2 million employers have met their duties to date. Government has put in place a robust, proportionate compliance framework. This is administered by The Pensions Regulator, and includes detailed regulatory guidance about how to comply with the law. An employer is required to select a qualifying pension scheme; enrol qualifying staff into that scheme, and deduct any contributions payable under automatic enrolment.</p><p> </p><p>Employers are also required to pay those contributions across to their chosen pension provider by a set deadline. Although the deadlines for contribution payments vary, depending on the type of scheme being used, there is an overall legal deadline of the twenty-second day of the following month; which aligns with the HMRC deadline for paying tax and National Insurance. <br></p><p>Qualifying pension schemes for automatic enrolment are subject to the same regulatory framework as all trust-based workplace pension schemes, also overseen by The Pensions Regulator. The Regulator has published codes of practice on its website setting out how trustees of defined contribution pension schemes and managers of personal pension schemes should monitor the payment of contributions; provide information to help members check their contributions; and report material payment failures to the Regulator.</p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe grouped question UIN HL9152 question first answered 10/07/2018 15:47:57 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
	tabling member	4533 label Biography information for Baroness Altmann

934471

	registered interest
	date	03/07/2018
	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 have taken to ensure pension schemes have an obligation to assess auto-enrolment pension scheme contributions regularly for accuracy, and to monitor error rates in contribution data; and what reassurance they are giving to members of such schemes that the amounts paid in on their behalf by their employers are correct.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Altmann
	uin	HL9152
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/07/2018 answer text <p>Automatic enrolment has been a great success, with over 9.7 million employees enrolled and more than 1.2 million employers have met their duties to date. Government has put in place a robust, proportionate compliance framework. This is administered by The Pensions Regulator, and includes detailed regulatory guidance about how to comply with the law. An employer is required to select a qualifying pension scheme; enrol qualifying staff into that scheme, and deduct any contributions payable under automatic enrolment.</p><p> </p><p>Employers are also required to pay those contributions across to their chosen pension provider by a set deadline. Although the deadlines for contribution payments vary, depending on the type of scheme being used, there is an overall legal deadline of the twenty-second day of the following month; which aligns with the HMRC deadline for paying tax and National Insurance. <br></p><p>Qualifying pension schemes for automatic enrolment are subject to the same regulatory framework as all trust-based workplace pension schemes, also overseen by The Pensions Regulator. The Regulator has published codes of practice on its website setting out how trustees of defined contribution pension schemes and managers of personal pension schemes should monitor the payment of contributions; provide information to help members check their contributions; and report material payment failures to the Regulator.</p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe grouped question UIN HL9151 question first answered 10/07/2018 15:47:57 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
	tabling member	4533 label Biography information for Baroness Altmann

752464

	registered interest
	date	17/07/2017
	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
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	Her Majesty's Government, in the light of the findings by Citizens Advice in its report Delivering Universal Credit, what steps they plan to take to reduce the time taken for the first payment of universal credit to be made.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Lister of Burtersett
	uin	HL910
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/07/2017 answer text <p><em> </em></p><p>The assessment period and payment structure of Universal Credit creates a fixed period between date of entitlement and the first payment.</p><p> </p><p>The policy intention is that claimants receive the first payment 5 weeks after their date of entitlement (6 weeks if waiting days are served). The assessment period runs for a full calendar month from the date of entitlement, and the UC pay date will be 7 calendar days after the end of the assessment period. This mirrors the world of work and allows for a 1 month period in which to gather information about a claimants’ earnings. Advances and budgeting support are available to support claimants during this period. Advances can provide up to 50% of a claimants indicative award straight away.</p><p> </p><p>The latest internal data, for week ending 19 June, suggests some 80% of cases were paid in full at the end of the first assessment period. For the 20% of cases who were not paid in full we estimate around a third have not signed up to their claimant commitment so cannot be paid until they have. The other two thirds have an outstanding verification issue, such as providing bank statements, evidence of childcare costs, or proof of rent. Many of these claimants receive a part-payment where elements of the claim have been verified.</p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe grouped question UIN HL911 question first answered 25/07/2017 10:29:55 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
	tabling member	4234 label Biography information for Baroness Lister of Burtersett

752465

	registered interest
	date	17/07/2017
	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
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	Her Majesty's Government how many claimants of universal credit have had to wait for more than six weeks for the first payment of universal credit; and what is the average waiting time.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Lister of Burtersett
	uin	HL911
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/07/2017 answer text <p><em> </em></p><p>The assessment period and payment structure of Universal Credit creates a fixed period between date of entitlement and the first payment.</p><p> </p><p>The policy intention is that claimants receive the first payment 5 weeks after their date of entitlement (6 weeks if waiting days are served). The assessment period runs for a full calendar month from the date of entitlement, and the UC pay date will be 7 calendar days after the end of the assessment period. This mirrors the world of work and allows for a 1 month period in which to gather information about a claimants’ earnings. Advances and budgeting support are available to support claimants during this period. Advances can provide up to 50% of a claimants indicative award straight away.</p><p> </p><p>The latest internal data, for week ending 19 June, suggests some 80% of cases were paid in full at the end of the first assessment period. For the 20% of cases who were not paid in full we estimate around a third have not signed up to their claimant commitment so cannot be paid until they have. The other two thirds have an outstanding verification issue, such as providing bank statements, evidence of childcare costs, or proof of rent. Many of these claimants receive a part-payment where elements of the claim have been verified.</p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe grouped question UIN HL910 question first answered 25/07/2017 10:29:56 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
	tabling member	4234 label Biography information for Baroness Lister of Burtersett