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1126941

	registered interest
	date	15/05/2019
	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	Universal Credit
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 5 May 2019 to Question 249847, what assessment of a universal credit claimant’s financial situation is made when calculating what percentage of their payment will be deducted in order to repay an advance.
	tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
	tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
	uin	254734
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/06/2019 answer text <p>The maximum amount a claimant can receive as a new claim advance payment is 100 per cent of their total indicative Universal Credit award. The claimant can decide the length of repayment period when they request the advance. This can be up to a maximum 12 months. The rate of repayment is decided by dividing the total advance amount by the agreed repayment period.</p><p>Affordability is managed by ensuring the recovery rate is not more than the equivalent of 40 per cent of the standard allowance and help is available for those struggling to meet the recovery rate once recovery begins. In many cases, because claimants choose to repay advances over many months, advance repayments constitute less than 40% of a standard allowance. In exceptional circumstances, recovery can be deferred for up to 3 months from the start of the recovery period.</p><p>Advances are not loans; they are an interest free advance payment of benefit, available to help people who need immediate financial support, which is then recovered over an agreed period. The Department has taken a number of steps to ensure that advances meet the needs of claimants and that recovery arrangements are personalised and reasonable. From October 2019 we are reducing the maximum rate of deductions to 30 per cent and from October 2021 we are increasing the maximum recovery period for advances from 12 to 16 months.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 03/06/2019 13:51:25 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Lord Sharma previous answer version 119076 answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma answering member 4014 label Biography information for Lord Sharma
	tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1126537

	registered interest
	date	14/05/2019
	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	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 response her Department makes when notified by a local authority of an error in a resident’s universal credit calculation.
	tabling member constituency	East Ham
	tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
	uin	254086
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/06/2019 answer text <p>It is not clear whether the questions relate to the Local Authority as the provider of housing or as the administrator of Housing Benefit and Council Tax. This answer therefore responds on both counts.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Local Authority as landlord:</strong></p><p> </p><p>The Local Authority use the ‘Landlord Portal’ to provide details of a claimant’s rent and tenancy details. When the information provided does not match what the claimant has given, the claimant will then be able to accept or reject the information uploaded by the Local Authority by logging into their Universal Credit account.</p><p> </p><p>If the claimant accepts the information provided by the Local Authority no further action is required. If the Local Authority has provided information that is rejected by the claimant, the claimant is advised to make contact to resolve this. This could require a subsequent housing declaration to be provided. The ‘Landlord Portal’ has a summary screen that allows the Local Authority to confirm or change the information they are about to provide before it has been submitted.</p><p> </p><p>This process applies whenever there is a rent change, including annual uprating of rent. The Landlord Portal is the streamlined communication tool which allows the Local Authority to disclose the rent thus highlighting errors in the claimants Universal Credit.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Local Authority as administrator of Housing Benefit and Council Tax:</strong></p><p> </p><p>Once a claim to Universal Credit has been made, the Local Authority will receive a notification if the claimant is in receipt of Housing Benefit. This will inform the Local Authority of the claim to Universal Credit so they can take the action to close the Housing Benefit claim where needed. The Local Authority will inform Universal Credit of the action they have taken and if there is any payment to be offset within the first assessment period.</p><p> </p><p>Additionally, during the Universal Credit claim process, the claimant will be asked if their name is on the council tax bill. If the claimant answers ‘yes’, they are asked if they have applied for a reduction in their council tax. If the claimant answers that they have applied or will apply for a Council Tax Reduction, their details will be shared with the Local Authority. This is a one-way communication which allows for the Local Authority to take the appropriate action regarding an application for a Council Tax Reduction.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma grouped question UIN 254088 question first answered 03/06/2019 13:09:40 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Lord Sharma previous answer version 119078 answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma answering member 4014 label Biography information for Lord Sharma
	tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

1126539

	registered interest
	date	14/05/2019
	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	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 support her Department provides to local authorities to help (a) identify and (b) remedy errors in universal credit calculations.
	tabling member constituency	East Ham
	tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
	uin	254088
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/06/2019 answer text <p>It is not clear whether the questions relate to the Local Authority as the provider of housing or as the administrator of Housing Benefit and Council Tax. This answer therefore responds on both counts.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Local Authority as landlord:</strong></p><p> </p><p>The Local Authority use the ‘Landlord Portal’ to provide details of a claimant’s rent and tenancy details. When the information provided does not match what the claimant has given, the claimant will then be able to accept or reject the information uploaded by the Local Authority by logging into their Universal Credit account.</p><p> </p><p>If the claimant accepts the information provided by the Local Authority no further action is required. If the Local Authority has provided information that is rejected by the claimant, the claimant is advised to make contact to resolve this. This could require a subsequent housing declaration to be provided. The ‘Landlord Portal’ has a summary screen that allows the Local Authority to confirm or change the information they are about to provide before it has been submitted.</p><p> </p><p>This process applies whenever there is a rent change, including annual uprating of rent. The Landlord Portal is the streamlined communication tool which allows the Local Authority to disclose the rent thus highlighting errors in the claimants Universal Credit.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Local Authority as administrator of Housing Benefit and Council Tax:</strong></p><p> </p><p>Once a claim to Universal Credit has been made, the Local Authority will receive a notification if the claimant is in receipt of Housing Benefit. This will inform the Local Authority of the claim to Universal Credit so they can take the action to close the Housing Benefit claim where needed. The Local Authority will inform Universal Credit of the action they have taken and if there is any payment to be offset within the first assessment period.</p><p> </p><p>Additionally, during the Universal Credit claim process, the claimant will be asked if their name is on the council tax bill. If the claimant answers ‘yes’, they are asked if they have applied for a reduction in their council tax. If the claimant answers that they have applied or will apply for a Council Tax Reduction, their details will be shared with the Local Authority. This is a one-way communication which allows for the Local Authority to take the appropriate action regarding an application for a Council Tax Reduction.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma grouped question UIN 254086 question first answered 03/06/2019 13:09:40 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Lord Sharma previous answer version 119077 answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma answering member 4014 label Biography information for Lord Sharma
	tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

1127445

	registered interest
	date	20/05/2019
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Vocational Education
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to work with UK businesses to address any gaps in the education and training of vocational skills.
	tabling member printed	Lord Taylor of Warwick
	uin	HL15856
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/06/2019 answer text <p>The department is working with employers to jointly design and deliver policies and programmes which will make the skills system more responsive to employer needs, whilst giving individuals the skills they need to succeed.</p><p> </p><p>T levels are being designed to better meet the needs of businesses and to help young people to move successfully into skilled employment. Over 200 employers have been involved in defining the content of T levels to ensure that they reflect current industry requirements. Students’ experience on industry placements will be ‘hands on’ so they will leave their course with the skills employers are looking for.</p><p> </p><p>Employers are leading on the design of new apprenticeships standards, putting them in the driving seat to give apprentices the skills that businesses really need. Across all sectors, they are being designed and driven by industry, creating higher quality training that will lead to a more skilled and productive economy. We are working closely with employers to help them take advantage of apprenticeships and grow their programmes.</p><p> </p><p>Employers are central to traineeships, which are an education and training programme supporting social mobility by providing quality training for young people who need to develop their skills and experience in order to enter the labour market. They consist of a high quality work placement with an employer; work preparation training; and English and maths support for those who have not achieved a GCSE grade A* to C or equivalent with a training provider.</p><p> </p><p>We are establishing a National Retraining Scheme, driven by the National Retraining Partnership, which brings together the Confederation of British Industry, Trades Union Congress and the government to set the scheme’s strategic direction and oversee its development. This partnership will work together to ensure that the voices of businesses and workers feed directly into the development of the scheme so that it will genuinely make a difference.</p><p> </p><p>Skills Advisory Panels (SAPs) aim to bring together local employers and skills providers to pool knowledge on skills and labour market needs. They aim to work together to understand and address key local challenges, including helping to tackle local skills shortages. SAPs will address both immediate needs and challenges and look at what is required to help local areas adapt to future labour market changes and to grasp future opportunities. This will help colleges, universities and other providers deliver the skills required by employers, now and in the future.</p> answering member printed Lord Agnew of Oulton question first answered 03/06/2019 13:05:19 answering member 4689 label Biography information for Lord Agnew of Oulton
	tabling member	1796 label Biography information for Lord Taylor of Warwick

1128024

	registered interest
	date	21/05/2019
	answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
	answering dept id	10
	answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
	answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
	hansard heading	Social Media: Data Protection
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps, if any, they are taking to work with Instagram and other companies to secure the personal information of social media users following a recent global data breach.
	tabling member printed	Lord Taylor of Warwick
	uin	HL15909
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/06/2019 answer text <p>We take the protection and privacy of personal data extremely seriously. We have made it clear that all organisations, including the biggest social networking services who process vast amounts of personal data, must comply with the UK’s data protection laws.</p><p> </p><p>It is essential that people are confident their personal data will be protected and used in an appropriate way. The Data Protection Act 2018 and GDPR impose strict obligations on organisations to ensure that UK citizens’ data is processed safely and securely. Organisations that fail to comply with the legislation may be investigated by the Information Commissioner’s Office and subject to enforcement action including fines.</p> answering member printed Lord Ashton of Hyde question first answered 03/06/2019 11:16:32 answering member 4247 label Biography information for Lord Ashton of Hyde
	tabling member	1796 label Biography information for Lord Taylor of Warwick

1127441

	registered interest
	date	20/05/2019
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Special Educational Needs
	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 local health partners are playing an equitable role alongside local government in supporting children with special educational needs and disabilities.
	tabling member printed	Lord Porter of Spalding
	uin	HL15852
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/06/2019 answer text <p>Creating an effective inter-agency approach, where local government works in partnership with health partners to meet needs, is a key feature of the reforms to the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) system introduced in the 2014 Children and Families Act.</p><p> </p><p>We introduced joint Ofsted/Care Quality Commission local area inspections of SEND services in May 2016 to hold services to account and support them with improving. Where issues with performance are identified, including following a SEND inspection, the Department for Education (DfE), Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England collaborate to drive improvement.</p><p> </p><p>In addition to the inspections, we have strengthened joint accountability through the introduction of a 2-year trial, which began in April 2018, extending the remit of the First-tier Tribunal (SEND) to make non-binding recommendations on health and social care elements of education health care (EHC) plans.</p><p> </p><p>To improve timeliness, the 2017-18 NHS Provider Contract for NHS Trusts included a new requirement to report on meeting the 6-week deadline for health input into EHC plans.</p><p>We are clear that strong strategic leadership across health, education and care is key to effective SEND services and we have:</p><p> </p><blockquote><p>Established a new joint SEND system leadership board, with representatives from education, health and social care, working alongside joint roundtables chaired by Ministers from both DfE and DHSC.</p></blockquote><p> </p><blockquote><p>Established a national network for Designated Medical Officers and Designated Clinical Officers, funded a local authority-led regional network and developed resources to support joint self-assessment and peer review.</p></blockquote><p> </p><blockquote><p>Funded a consortium of partners, including the Condition Data Collection, to work with health and social care services, including producing guidance on effective joint commissioning and improving EHC plans.</p></blockquote><p> </p><blockquote><p>Funded a SEND leadership programme and legal training for all local authorities and their health partners to ensure they are clear on their statutory responsibilities.</p></blockquote><p> </p><p>We have also re-emphasised the requirement to jointly commission Information, Advice and Support (IAS) Services across health and the local authority through our new minimum standards, backed by £10 million investment through the IAS programme.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Agnew of Oulton question first answered 03/06/2019 13:06:33 answering member 4689 label Biography information for Lord Agnew of Oulton
	tabling member	4555 label Biography information for Lord Porter of Spalding

1127438

	registered interest
	date	20/05/2019
	answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept id	201
	answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	hansard heading	British Steel: Loans
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they took into consideration British Steel’s acquisition of Ascoval when reaching their decision on lending to that company.
	tabling member printed	Lord Myners
	uin	HL15849
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/06/2019 answer text <p>The purchase of Ascoval was undertaken by the shareholder, and not by British Steel.</p> answering member printed Lord Henley question first answered 03/06/2019 11:17:09 answering member 2616 label Biography information for Lord Henley
	tabling member	3869 label Biography information for Lord Myners

1128000

	registered interest
	date	21/05/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Stronger Towns Fund: Cumbria
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they anticipate that Workington and Whitehaven will be eligible to receive support from the Stronger Towns Fund.
	tabling member printed	Lord Inglewood
	uin	HL15885
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/06/2019 answer text <p>The Stronger Towns Fund is a new £1.6 billion fund to support towns in England to harness their unique strengths to grow and prosper.</p><p>I confirmed to the House on 5 March the Government will publish further detail on the operation of the Fund in due course.</p> answering member printed Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth question first answered 03/06/2019 12:29:55 answering member 4282 label Biography information for Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
	tabling member	1980 label Biography information for Lord Inglewood

1128070

	registered interest
	date	22/05/2019
	answering body	Department for Transport
	answering dept id	27
	answering dept short name	Transport
	answering dept sort name	Transport
	hansard heading	Aviation: Scotland
	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 sufficiency of competition in the provision of air services from Scotland to London.
	tabling member printed	Lord Forsyth of Drumlean
	uin	HL15919
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/06/2019 answer text <p>The aviation sector operates in a competitive, commercial environment, investing to attract passengers and responding to demand when determining routes to operate.</p><p> </p><p>Scotland is well-served by air services into London, with at least two airlines operating direct services from each of Scotland’s four largest airports into the London system.</p> answering member printed Baroness Vere of Norbiton question first answered 03/06/2019 14:34:13 answering member 4580 label Biography information for Baroness Vere of Norbiton
	tabling member	1141 label Biography information for Lord Forsyth of Drumlean

1128135

	registered interest
	date	23/05/2019
	answering body	Department for Transport
	answering dept id	27
	answering dept short name	Transport
	answering dept sort name	Transport
	hansard heading	Passenger Ships: Standards
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Marine and Coastguard Agency’s Consultation on the Proposed Revised Technical Requirements and Associated Impact Assessment Resulting from the Review of Standards for Older UK Passenger Ships, published on 6 November 2018, whether the Maritime and Coastguard Agency will publish updated proposals to regulate older UK passenger boats before 20 August taking into account responses already received; and whether any such proposals will include essential safety measures to improve human survival rates in the event of a major collision.
	tabling member printed	Lord Berkeley
	uin	HL15949
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/06/2019 answer text <p>The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) has adjusted the proposals in the light of responses to the first consultation and launched a second consultation on the revised proposals on 29 May 2019. The consultation can be found at <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/second-consultation-on-the-review-of-standards-for-older-passenger-ships" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/second-consultation-on-the-review-of-standards-for-older-passenger-ships</a>. These proposals retain damage stability requirements for some vessels.</p><p> </p><p>The MCA believes that the enhancements to damage stability, life-saving appliance carriage requirements and pumping arrangements will improve the outcome in the event of an incident.</p> answering member printed Baroness Vere of Norbiton question first answered 03/06/2019 14:33:53 answering member 4580 label Biography information for Baroness Vere of Norbiton
	tabling member	3526 label Biography information for Lord Berkeley