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173952

	registered interest
	date	15/01/2015
	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	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what conclusions about effective approaches to universal credit in work conditionality he has drawn from the labour market trials which started between May 2013 and January 2014; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	East Ham
	tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
	uin	220869
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p><strong> </strong></p><p>The purpose of the initial Jobcentre Plus-led trials tested within Jobcentre Plus were to help inform and shape the design of larger-scale Randomised Controlled Trials that we plan to run in Universal Credit from April 2015, from which conclusions about effective in-work support will start to be drawn.</p> answering member constituency Wirral West answering member printed Esther McVey question first answered 20/01/2015 15:02:50 answering member 4084 label Biography information for Esther McVey
	tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

173954

	registered interest
	date	15/01/2015
	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	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what changes he has made to his Department's policies or procedures in response to those representations about the adequacy of his Department's hardship payments scheme.
	tabling member constituency	East Ham
	tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
	uin	220891
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>Following the recommendations of the Oakley Review of sanctions (published July 2014), Jobcentre Plus offices have improved claimants’ awareness of hardship when a sanction applies to their benefit.</p><p> </p><p>Jobcentre Plus has undertaken a comprehensive review of the Hardship process. This has focused on strengthening information provided to claimants throughout their engagement with us. All claimants are informed about the application process before a sanction decision is made and before any benefit reduction. Assistance is also provided with the application process where required. We have also sped up the hardship process so all payments are made within 3 days.</p><p> </p><p>Vulnerable claimants can continue to apply for hardship payments immediately.</p> answering member constituency Wirral West answering member printed Esther McVey question first answered 20/01/2015 16:50:05 answering member 4084 label Biography information for Esther McVey
	tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

173672

	registered interest
	date	14/01/2015
	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	Funerals
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to his Answer of 5 January 2015 to Question 219706, what estimate he has made of the number of people who went into debt in order to pay for a funeral in the last period for which figures are available.
	tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Hall Green
	tabling member printed	Mr Roger Godsiff
	uin	220814
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>My department does not collect this information.</p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb question first answered 20/01/2015 12:21:40 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb
	tabling member	304 label Biography information for Mr Roger Godsiff

173948

	registered interest
	date	15/01/2015
	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 Programme
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to page 32 of Work Programme Evaluation: Operation of the commissioning model, finance and programme delivery, published by his Department in December 2014, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policy of the finding that Jobcentre Plus managers' views on the effectiveness of the Work Programme tended to be fairly negative.
	tabling member constituency	East Ham
	tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
	uin	220893
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>Recognising the importance of Jobcentre Plus involvement, the Department has piloted a new closer working approach. Jobcentres have reported that closer working with providers in support of our hardest to help customers is assisting the removal of barriers and building greater trust for all parties.</p> answering member constituency Wirral West answering member printed Esther McVey question first answered 20/01/2015 16:27:20 answering member 4084 label Biography information for Esther McVey
	tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

173953

	registered interest
	date	15/01/2015
	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	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he plans to publish evaluations of the universal credit in work conditionality pilots.
	tabling member constituency	East Ham
	tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
	uin	220870
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>The Department is currently developing the evaluation strategy, including publication plans, for the large-scale Randomised Controlled Trials that we will deliver in Universal Credit. The first of these trials will be launched in April this year.</p> answering member constituency Wirral West answering member printed Esther McVey question first answered 20/01/2015 14:55:33 answering member 4084 label Biography information for Esther McVey
	tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

174061

	registered interest
	date	15/01/2015
	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	Food Banks
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what resources from the UK's allocatons of EU Structural Funds have been used to support food banks.
	tabling member constituency	South Shields
	tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
	uin	221033
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>The European Commission implementing decision of 3 April 2014 transferred €3.96m from the UK’s structural funds allocation to the Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived.</p><p>The Government announced on 18 December 2014 that the Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived will be used to support additional breakfast clubs in schools in deprived areas in England, subject to agreement with the European Commission. We believe that breakfast clubs effectively target help to many of the most deprived children – providing nutritious meals in some of the poorest areas, supporting academic attainment, promoting healthy eating habits at a young age and saving families money. This funding would be in addition to existing support provided by the Government – we have already committed just over £1 million over two years to support an expansion of breakfast clubs in poor areas.</p> answering member constituency Wirral West answering member printed Esther McVey question first answered 20/01/2015 16:21:10 answering member 4084 label Biography information for Esther McVey
	tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

173599

	registered interest
	date	14/01/2015
	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	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 promote (1) increased competition, and (2) the levying of fair fees and commissions, in the private pensions industry.
	tabling member printed	Lord McFall of Alcluith
	uin	HL4159
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>The Government and regulators have introduced a package of measures, including establishing Independent Governance Committees to improve governance in contract based pension schemes, improved governance standards for trust based schemes and the introduction of a 0.75 per cent cap on charges in the default funds of schemes used for automatic enrolment. Subject to Parliamentary approval, these changes will come into effect from April.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is also banning a number of charges which are no longer appropriate in the context of automatic enrolment into workplace pensions. From April 2015, we will extend the existing ban on consultancy charging to all contract-based schemes used for automatic enrolment. Likewise, adviser commission and Active Member Discounts, which penalise those who stop contributing or leave their employer and move jobs, will be banned in all schemes used for automatic enrolment from April 2016. We are also introducing measures to improve transparency throughout the value chain in the workplace pensions market and expect that this will lead to increased competition on costs and charges to the benefit of the consumer.</p><p> </p><p>The recent pensions flexibility reforms are also an opportunity for the retirement income industry to develop new products that meet the evolving needs of consumers. The new flexibility will help consumers choosing to select an annuity or another option to access their pension savings to get a better deal in a more competitive market place. The shape of the market will now be driven by the choices consumers make, placing power back into the hands of savers.</p><p> </p><p>Furthermore, as of the end of December, over 5.1 million workers have been automatically enrolled into a workplace pension. This is having a significant impact on the private pensions market and by 2020, we estimate that automatic enrolment will have generated an additional £8 to £12 billion a year in workplace pension saving. The growth in this market is supporting strong competition between providers and schemes.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 20/01/2015 15:58:49 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
	tabling member	4148 label Biography information for Lord McFall of Alcluith

173598

	registered interest
	date	14/01/2015
	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	Pensions: Fees and Charges
	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 the charges, fees and commissions paid by consumers in relation to private pensions are transparent.
	tabling member printed	Lord McFall of Alcluith
	uin	HL4158
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>The Government is committed to improving the transparency of costs and charges in workplace pension schemes. The Government’s Command Papers ‘Better Workplace Pensions: Further measures for savers’ and ‘Better Workplace Pensions: Putting savers interests first’ published in March and October 2014 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><strong> </strong></p><p>The Government has recently consulted on draft legislation which, subject to parliamentary approval, will introduce new requirements on trustees to improve the transparency of costs and charges in occupational schemes from April 2015. Under these new requirements, trustees will be required to annually report on costs and charges for the first time. Similar rules are to be introduced by the Financial Conduct Authority to require the newly formed Independent Governance Committees to report on costs and charges in workplace personal pension schemes.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>Later this year we will consult on ways to build on this first phase of enhanced transparency, to meet our duties under the Pensions Act 2014 requiring information about transaction costs to be disclosed to members of workplace pension schemes, and the publication of costs and charges information. The FCA also intends to consult on amending its rules to with a view to introducing equivalent enhanced transparency provisions for workplace personal pension schemes during 2015.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 20/01/2015 15:03:14 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
	tabling member	4148 label Biography information for Lord McFall of Alcluith

174066

	registered interest
	date	15/01/2015
	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	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average number of job searches required of jobseeker's allowance claimants is in (a) each English region and (b) each age group.
	tabling member constituency	Bishop Auckland
	tabling member printed	Helen Goodman
	uin	220936
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>There is not set number of jobsearches required.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>It is a condition of entitlement for Jobseeker’s Allowance claimants to be actively seeking work. To meet this requirement, claimants are generally expected to take all reasonable steps each week to give them the best prospects of obtaining work.</p><p> </p><p>DWP Work Coaches agree steps that it is reasonable to expect the claimant to undertake, taking into account individual circumstances and record these in a Claimant Commitment which is regularly reviewed and updated as appropriate.</p> answering member constituency Wirral West answering member printed Esther McVey question first answered 20/01/2015 15:13:11 answering member 4084 label Biography information for Esther McVey
	tabling member	1484 label Biography information for Helen Goodman

174009

	registered interest
	date	15/01/2015
	answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept id	16
	answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	hansard heading	Russia
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the Russian government about (a) human rights in general and (b) LGBT rights in that country.
	tabling member constituency	Westmorland and Lonsdale
	tabling member printed	Tim Farron
	uin	221027
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/01/2015 answer text <p>(a) We remain deeply concerned about deteriorating human rights in Russia and regularly make this clear in bilateral interactions at all levels. I discussed human rights with the Russian Ambassador in London at our last meeting on 18 December. The Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right honourable and noble friend Baroness Anelay, discussed human rights with the Russian Ambassador on 25 November. The British Embassy in Moscow regularly raises our concerns about human rights with the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, most recently with Foreign Minister Lavrov on 13 January.</p><p>(b) We have raised concerns about LGBT rights in Russia bilaterally at a number of levels since the law banning the promotion of “non-traditional” sexual relations among minors was passed in June 2013. I raised concerns about the protection of LGBT people in Russia with the Russian Ambassador at our last meeting on 18 December. Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials also discussed the safety of participants at LGBT events with the Russian authorities in November, and they regularly meet with LGBT activists and attend LGBT events to provide support.</p> answering member constituency Aylesbury answering member printed Mr David Lidington question first answered 20/01/2015 15:50:41 answering member 15 label Biography information for Sir David Lidington
	tabling member	1591 label Biography information for Tim Farron