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1147998

	registered interest
	date	02/10/2019
	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	Welfare Assistance Schemes
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has departmental responsibility for local welfare assistance schemes.
	tabling member constituency	Sheffield Central
	tabling member printed	Paul Blomfield
	uin	293545
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/10/2019 answer text <p>Local welfare assistance is an umbrella term used describe local authority provision for people who are in need of urgent help. Local authorities’ abilities to act in this area are provided under various powers, for example, section 2 of the Local Government Act 2000 enables local authorities to provide financial assistance to any individual.</p><p> </p><p>Since the reforms to the Social Fund in 2013 which abolished Crisis Loans and Community Care Grants, the Local Government Financial Settlement has included a notional amount relating to local welfare provision in each upper-tier and unitary authority’s general grant. The settlement for 2015-16 set this amount at £129.6 million for England in each year until 2019/20.</p><p> </p><p>The Department for Work and Pension's (DWP) 2014 review found that local authorities delivered support more effectively than the previous provision and that councils are best placed to decide how to target flexible help to support local welfare needs. The Government has no further plans to review provision.</p><p /> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince grouped question UIN 293440 question first answered 08/10/2019 13:21:57 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4058 label Biography information for Paul Blomfield

1147921

	registered interest
	date	02/10/2019
	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	Welfare Assistance Schemes
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the effect of the decision to abolish the Discretionary Social Fund and replace it with local welfare assistance schemes has had on the ability of people experiencing a financial crisis to access monetary support.
	tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
	tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
	uin	293440
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/10/2019 answer text <p>Local welfare assistance is an umbrella term used describe local authority provision for people who are in need of urgent help. Local authorities’ abilities to act in this area are provided under various powers, for example, section 2 of the Local Government Act 2000 enables local authorities to provide financial assistance to any individual.</p><p> </p><p>Since the reforms to the Social Fund in 2013 which abolished Crisis Loans and Community Care Grants, the Local Government Financial Settlement has included a notional amount relating to local welfare provision in each upper-tier and unitary authority’s general grant. The settlement for 2015-16 set this amount at £129.6 million for England in each year until 2019/20.</p><p> </p><p>The Department for Work and Pension's (DWP) 2014 review found that local authorities delivered support more effectively than the previous provision and that councils are best placed to decide how to target flexible help to support local welfare needs. The Government has no further plans to review provision.</p><p /> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince grouped question UIN 293545 question first answered 08/10/2019 13:21:57 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1140533

	registered interest
	date	19/07/2019
	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	Welfare Assistance Schemes
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the number of local authorities that no longer provide local welfare assistance schemes.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne North
	tabling member printed	Catherine McKinnell
	uin	279418
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/07/2019 answer text <p>The reforms to the Social Fund in 2013 allowed local authorities in England, and the devolved administrations in Scotland and Wales, to deliver their own local provision for people who are in need of urgent help. We passed funding over to local authorities and devolved administrations (from April 2013) on a non-ring-fenced basis, with no statutory duties or monitoring requirements attached. Local authorities are best placed to decide how to target flexible help to support local welfare needs. The Government has no plans to alter policy on LWP or to review this provision at this time.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince grouped question UIN 279420 question first answered 29/07/2019 14:39:47 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4125 label Biography information for Catherine McKinnell

1137151

	registered interest
	date	05/07/2019
	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	Welfare Assistance Schemes
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will ringfence funding allocated to local authorities for local welfare assistance schemes.
	tabling member constituency	Birkenhead
	tabling member printed	Frank Field
	uin	273742
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/07/2019 answer text <p>Local welfare assistance schemes is an umbrella term for local welfare provision. Local authorities decide what local provision to provide and at what cost, as they are best placed to understand the needs of their local communities.</p><p> </p><p>The Local Government Finance Settlement for 2015-16 identifies a notional amount relating to local welfare provision in each upper-tier and unitary authority’s general grant, totalling £129.6 million for England. The notional allocation for local welfare provision remains at £129.6 million in England in the Local Government Financial Settlement until 2019/20. There are no plans to ringfence this notional allocation.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 15/07/2019 10:45:34 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	478 label Biography information for Lord Field of Birkenhead

1315223

	registered interest
	date	17/05/2021
	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	Welfare Assistance Schemes
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to ensure that people receive support from local welfare assistance schemes when necessary.
	tabling member constituency	Leeds North East
	tabling member printed	Fabian Hamilton
	uin	2198
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/05/2021 answer text <p>This Government is wholly committed to supporting those on low incomes, spending an estimated £112 billion on welfare support for people of working age and children in 2020/21 including around £7.4 billion of Covid-related welfare policy measures. In December 2020 we introduced the Covid Winter Grant to help the most vulnerable children and families stay warm and well fed. Recognising that some restrictions on the economy are still in place we have created the Covid Local Support Grant which will run until June, with a total investment of £269m.</p><p> </p><p>Covid Local Support Grant is ring-fenced with at least 80% targeted to assist with food and bills, and at least 80% for families with children. Within these parameters, Local Authorities have discretion to decide how to allocate Government funding in their areas, recognising that they are best placed to understand local needs and they have shown how they are able to respond at pace to put innovative measures in place to support vulnerable households.</p><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 25/05/2021 15:22:28 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	415 label Biography information for Fabian Hamilton

1315209

	registered interest
	date	17/05/2021
	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	Welfare Assistance Schemes
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to ensure that the UK welfare system provides people with enough funds to access (a) food and (b) other essential supplies.
	tabling member constituency	Leeds North East
	tabling member printed	Fabian Hamilton
	uin	2197
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/05/2021 answer text <p>This Government is wholly committed to supporting those on low incomes, including by increasing the living wage, and by spending an estimated £112 billion on welfare support for people of working age in 2020/21. This included around £7.4 billion of Covid-related welfare policy measures.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>We introduced our Covid Winter Grant Scheme providing funding to Local Authorities in England to help the most vulnerable children and families stay warm and well fed during the coldest months. It will now run to the 20th June as the Covid Local Support Grant, with a total investment of £269m.</p><p> </p><p>We are investing up to £220m in the Holiday Activities and Food programme which has been expanded to every local authority across England this year. Children eligible for benefits-related Free School Meals will have the option to join a holiday club programme that provides healthy food and enriching activities during the summer, Christmas and Easter holidays in 2021. We also increased the value of Healthy Start Vouchers from £3.10 to £4.25 in April.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 24/05/2021 16:21:00 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	415 label Biography information for Fabian Hamilton

1699236

	registered interest
	date	26/03/2024
	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	Welfare Assistance Schemes
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to strengthening local welfare services.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon
	uin	HL3626
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/04/2024 answer text <p>A total of £3 billion including Barnett impact has been announced since October 2021 to enable the delivery of Household Support Fund in England. This includes over £2.5 billion allocated to Local Authorities in England. It is for the devolved administrations to decide how to allocate their additional Barnett funding.</p><p> </p><p>Councils continue to have the flexibility to use funding from the Local Government Finance Settlement to provide local welfare assistance.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The Government has delivered a balanced package of funding through the Local Government Finance Settlement for 2024-25 which makes available up to £64.7 billion. The most relatively deprived areas of England will receive 18% more per dwelling in available resource through the 2024-25 Settlement than the least deprived areas.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 08/04/2024 15:05:24 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
	tabling member	4290 label Biography information for Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon

1686927

	registered interest
	date	01/02/2024
	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	Welfare Assistance Schemes
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government how many English local authorities do not run a local welfare assistance scheme, and what assessment they have made of the impact on low-income residents in these local authority areas if the household support fund is not extended beyond this April.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Lister of Burtersett
	uin	HL2134
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/02/2024 answer text <p>Local Authorities in England have the flexibility and power to use the funding they receive from the annual Local Government Finance Settlement. We do not have robust data on the number of Local Authorities providing a local welfare scheme.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is putting significant additional support in place for those on the lowest incomes from April. Subject to Parliamentary approval, working age benefits will rise by 6.7% while the Basic and New State Pensions will be uprated by 8.5% in line with earnings, as part of the ‘triple lock”.</p><p> </p><p>To further support low-income households with increasing rent costs, the government will raise Local Housing Allowance rates to the 30th percentile of local market rents, benefitting 1.6m low-income households by on average £800 a year in 24/25. Additionally, the Government will increase the National Living Wage for workers aged 21 years and over by 9.8% to £11.44 representing an increase of over £1,800 to the gross annual earnings of a full-time worker on the National Living Wage.</p><p> </p><p>The current Household Support Fund runs until the end of March 2024, and the government continues to keep all its existing programmes under review in the usual way.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 15/02/2024 14:28:15 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
	tabling member	4234 label Biography information for Baroness Lister of Burtersett

1202394

	registered interest
	date	10/06/2020
	answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	answering dept id	13
	answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	hansard heading	Welfare Assistance Schemes
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the announcement by the Prime Minister on 10 June 2020 of a £63 million welfare assistance fund in response to the covid-19 outbreak, how her Department plans to distribute that fund among local authorities; and if she will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Airdrie and Shotts
	tabling member printed	Neil Gray
	uin	57987
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/06/2020 answer text <p>To support those people who are facing severe financial difficulties during this crisis, the Government has announced further funding of £63 million to be given to and disbursed by local authorities in England. This will ensure that the most vulnerable families can afford food and other essentials. This funding will sit alongside the £6.5 billion of extra support the Government is providing through the benefits system to protect the most vulnerable throughout this crisis.</p><p>The additional £63 million will be for local authorities to spend at their discretion and at the pace which suits the needs of their community. The money will be distributed through a Section 31 grant. Funding arrangements will be finalised shortly. Most local authorities already operate these schemes and understand the legal context within which they operate, including entitlement for those with no recourse to public funds.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis grouped question UIN 57984 57985 57988 question first answered 15/06/2020 14:21:53 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
	tabling member	4365 label Biography information for Neil Gray

1202389

	registered interest
	date	10/06/2020
	answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	answering dept id	13
	answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	hansard heading	Welfare Assistance Schemes
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how the additional £63 million funding for the Welfare Assistance Fund announced at Prime Minister’s Questions on 10 June 2020 is being funded; when it will become available; and for how long that funding will be made available.
	tabling member constituency	Airdrie and Shotts
	tabling member printed	Neil Gray
	uin	57984
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/06/2020 answer text <p>To support those people who are facing severe financial difficulties during this crisis, the Government has announced further funding of £63 million to be given to and disbursed by local authorities in England. This will ensure that the most vulnerable families can afford food and other essentials. This funding will sit alongside the £6.5 billion of extra support the Government is providing through the benefits system to protect the most vulnerable throughout this crisis.</p><p>The additional £63 million will be for local authorities to spend at their discretion and at the pace which suits the needs of their community. The money will be distributed through a Section 31 grant. Funding arrangements will be finalised shortly. Most local authorities already operate these schemes and understand the legal context within which they operate, including entitlement for those with no recourse to public funds.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis grouped question UIN 57985 57987 57988 question first answered 15/06/2020 14:21:53 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
	tabling member	4365 label Biography information for Neil Gray