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1092779

	registered interest
	date	21/03/2019
	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	Social Security Benefits
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the sample size used to inform the design of the benefit cap policy.
	tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of Durham
	uin	HL14730
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/04/2019 answer text <p>The rationale behind the benefit cap policy is set out in the Impact Assessment, which supported the Welfare Reform and Work Act 2016. The final update was published in August 2016 and is attached.</p><p> </p><p>DWP and HMRC administrative data was used to inform the design of the benefit cap policy, and sample data was not used.</p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe question first answered 03/04/2019 16:07:11 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe attachment 1 file name welfare-reform-and-work-act-impact-assessment-for-the-benefit-cap.pdf title Welfare Reform and Work Act 2016 Impact Assessment
	tabling member	4312 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of Durham

757303

	registered interest
	date	05/09/2017
	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
	hansard heading	Social Security Benefits
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of (1) the future annual cost of ending the freeze on working-age and children's benefits, and (2) what the additional annual cost of those benefits would now be had the freeze not been implemented.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Lister of Burtersett
	uin	HL1288
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/09/2017 answer text <p>These estimates can be derived using the published “Welfare Reform and Work Bill: Assessment of the Benefit Rate Freeze” attached.</p><p> </p><p>Using the figures published in the impact assessment for the benefit freeze, we can estimate the annual cost of ending the freeze on working-age and children’s benefits. Assuming the freeze was ended after 2017/18 (such that savings from 2017/18 onwards are constant at £0.9bn), the annual cost of ending the freeze would be £2.7bn by 2020/21.</p><p> </p><p>Assuming the freeze ends after 2017/18, the additional annual cost to working-age and children’s benefits had the freeze not been implemented is £0.9bn per annum.</p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe question first answered 19/09/2017 15:19:43 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe attachment 1 file name Welfare Reform and Work Bill Impact Assessment of the Benefit rate freeze.pdf title Welfare Reform and Work Bill: Impact Assessment
	tabling member	4234 label Biography information for Baroness Lister of Burtersett

784724

	registered interest
	date	06/11/2017
	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
	hansard heading	Social Security Benefits
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Baroness Buscombe on 30 October (HL Deb, cols 1156–7), what assessment they have made of the impact of the freeze on working-age benefits on incentivising claimants into work.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Lister of Burtersett
	uin	HL2942
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/11/2017 answer text <p>The Government’s assessment of the impact of the benefit freeze is set out in the analysis of the measures in the Welfare Reform and Work Act published at the time of the Summer Budget 2015.</p><p> </p><p>As I said in my response to the Noble Baroness’ question on 30 October, the benefit freeze is part of a package of welfare reforms designed to incentivise claimants into work. These include introducing the National Living Wage, increasing the tax-free personal allowance, providing 30 hours of free childcare to working families in England and rolling out of Universal Credit. Analysis published by the department in September 2017 showed that UC claimants are four percentage points more likely to have been in work at any point within six months of starting their claim than the matched sample of JSA claimants (63 per cent to 59 per cent).</p><p> </p><p>The employment rate now stands at a near record high and the number of children living in workless households has fallen to a record low.</p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe question first answered 15/11/2017 17:19:32 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe attachment 1 file name HL2942 universal-credit-employment-impact-analysis-update.pdf title UC Employment Impact Analysis
	tabling member	4234 label Biography information for Baroness Lister of Burtersett

777489

	registered interest
	date	25/10/2017
	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
	hansard heading	Social Security Benefits
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the impact of the changing cost of living on incomes, particularly for those in receipt of income-related benefits.
	tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of Durham
	uin	HL2504
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/11/2017 answer text <p>The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) forecasts rates of inflation (through the Consumer Price Index) and average earnings known as the OBR Historical Official Forecasts database. A copy of this is attached.</p><p> </p><p>Using figures published in the OBR Historical Official Forecasts Database, we note that between 2018 and 2021 earnings growth is forecasted to be consistently higher than inflation.</p><p> </p><p>Our welfare reforms to working-age benefits are part of the Government’s commitment to incentivise work as the best route out of poverty and support working families. This includes the introduction of the National Living Wage and cutting income tax for over 30 million people. For those in a position to work, earnings provide the best opportunity for income progression. Further, benefits for the additional cost of disability and benefits for pensioners continue to be uprated, as we are committed to supporting the most vulnerable groups.</p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe question first answered 02/11/2017 15:26:07 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe attachment 1 file name HL2504.xlsx title OBR Historical Official Forecasts Database
	tabling member	4312 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of Durham

777488

	registered interest
	date	25/10/2017
	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
	hansard heading	Social Security Benefits
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the impact that the four-year freeze on income-related benefits will have on family budgets in England and Wales.
	tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of Durham
	uin	HL2503
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/11/2017 answer text <p>The Welfare Reform and Work Act 2016 has frozen the majority of working-age benefits for four tax years, from 2016-17 to 2019-20. The analysis published at the time of the 2015 Budget assesses the impact of the measures in the Welfare Reform and Work Act 2016. 30 per cent of households were estimated to be impacted by the benefit rate freeze. The average notional loss was estimated to be £6 a week in 2019/20. This analysis does not take into account employment effects in response to our welfare reforms. I attach the analysis to this response.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe question first answered 02/11/2017 15:00:52 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe attachment 1 file name HL2503 Impact Assessment.pdf title Impact Assessment
	tabling member	4312 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of Durham

1105359

	registered interest
	date	26/03/2019
	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	Social Security Benefits
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many families are subject to the benefit cap.
	tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of Durham
	uin	HL14822
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/04/2019 answer text <p>Households can have their benefits capped either under Housing Benefit, or under Universal Credit, and the latest statistics were published in February 2019, covering households capped to November 2018.</p><p> </p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong>Point-in-time caseload: Number of households capped by family type at November 2018, GB</strong></p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>Total</p></td><td><p>Single, no child dependant</p></td><td><p>Single, with child dependant(s)</p></td><td><p>Couple, no child dependant</p></td><td><p>Couple, with child dependant(s)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Housing Benefit</strong></p></td><td><p>52,650</p></td><td><p>3,540</p></td><td><p>38,850</p></td><td><p>40</p></td><td><p>10,210</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Universal Credit</strong></p></td><td><p>9,810</p></td><td><p>1,600</p></td><td><p>5,920</p></td><td><p>..</p></td><td><p>2,290</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p><strong>Data Sources:</strong> DWP 100% Single Housing Benefit Extract and DWP Universal Credit Official Statistics Database</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong>Table Notes:</strong></p><ol><li>Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10. Numbers less than 10 have been replaced with '..'</li><li>Figures include households that have had their Housing Benefit or Universal Credit full service capped. Universal Credit full service is available to all claimant types but only in certain areas of the country at November 2018.</li><li>Figures for Universal Credit may be revised in future publications, as Universal Credit awards may be retrospectively revised.</li></ol><p> </p><p>The Housing Benefit caseload data is taken from DWP Stat-Xplore, whilst the Universal Credit caseload data is taken from the official statistics caseload tables, published on 7th Feb 2019.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe question first answered 04/04/2019 16:01:20 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
	tabling member	4312 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of Durham

1105360

	registered interest
	date	26/03/2019
	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	Social Security Benefits
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of households subject to the benefit cap that have moved into work in comparison with the number of households that have moved into work that are not subject to that cap.
	tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of Durham
	uin	HL14823
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/04/2019 answer text <p>The Department published its evaluation of the original benefit cap levels “Benefit cap: Analysis of Outcomes of capped claimants” in December 2014. From the findings the Government estimated that capped households were 4.7 percentage points (41%) more likely to flow into work after a year compared to similar uncapped households.</p><p> </p><p>Households working more than 16 hours a week and eligible for working tax credits or entitled to Universal Credit and earning at least £542 (£569 from April 2019) a month are exempt from the benefit cap.</p><p> </p><p>Statistics published on 7 February 2019 show that in November 2018, out of a total of 196,840 capped Housing Benefit awards since May 2013, 55,360 were no longer capped because they had moved into work. In addition, out of a total of 19,660 Universal Credit awards capped since October 2016, 2,420 were no longer capped because they had earnings above the earnings threshold (currently £542). These figures will include some households that would have moved into work in the absence of the cap.</p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe question first answered 02/04/2019 16:28:37 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
	tabling member	4312 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of Durham

1123300

	registered interest
	date	25/04/2019
	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	Social Security Benefits
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect to publish the evaluation of the lower benefit cap they stated would be published in Spring 2019 in the letter from the Minister of Family Support to the Chair of the Work and Pensions Committee dated 18 December 2018.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Lister of Burtersett
	uin	HL15356
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/05/2019 answer text <p>Work on the evaluation of the lower benefit cap is ongoing. The impact evaluation uses a complex methodology that must first isolate the impacts of the lower cap from the original cap, and then analyse how these impacts differ across geographical regions and household types. It is important to ensure that the methodological approach is robust, and the Department has contracted the Institute for Fiscal Studies, independent experts, to advise on the evaluation design and peer review the results for the duration of the project.</p><p> </p><p>Work is progressing well, but in order to ensure that the evaluation design is as rigorous as possible we have decided to extend the timeframe over which we conduct the analysis.</p><p> </p><p>The impact evaluation findings will provide crucial context for the interpretation of the other strands of the evaluation; the claimant survey and local authority case study research undertaken by the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen).</p><p> </p><p>The full evaluation will be published when the peer review of the impact evaluation is completed; we now anticipate this to be in Autumn 2019.</p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe question first answered 03/05/2019 13:57:03 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
	tabling member	4234 label Biography information for Baroness Lister of Burtersett

1134314

	registered interest
	date	24/06/2019
	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	Social Security Benefits
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the current (1) weekly rates of Child Benefit, and (2) monthly rates of Universal Credit standard allowances and child elements; and what would each of those rates have been had they not been frozen for the past four years.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Lister of Burtersett
	uin	HL16599
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/07/2019 answer text <p>Work is the best route out of poverty and for people to be more financially independent. Our welfare reforms are part of the Government’s commitment to incentivise moves into work and progression in work, and to better support working families.</p><p>The Department completed an Impact Assessment titled ‘Welfare Reform and Work Bill: Impact Assessment of the Benefit rate freeze’ in July 2015 which included information surrounding the policy objectives and the intended effects. Benefits for the additional costs of disability, and for carers, are exempt from the benefit freeze.</p><p>Currently the weekly rate of Child Benefit is £20.70 for the eldest or only child and £13.70 for additional children.</p><p>Universal Credit is made up of a standard allowance and any additional amounts which apply to claimants with certain circumstances, such as dependent children. The current monthly rates for the requested Universal Credit components are shown in the tables below.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Standard allowance</strong></p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Single and under 25</p></td><td><p>£251.77</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Single and over 25</p></td><td><p>£317.82</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>In a couple and both under 25</p></td><td><p>£395.20 (for both)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>In a couple and either are 25 or over</p></td><td><p>£498.89 (for both)</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p><strong>Child components</strong></p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>For the first child</p></td><td><p>£277.08 (born before 6 April 2017) £231.67 (born on or after 6 April 2017)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>For the second or other eligible children</p></td><td><p>£231.67</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>For a disabled or severely disabled child</p></td><td><p>£126.11 or £392.08</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>We are unable to determine what each of the rates would have been had they not been subject to a freeze, as the legacy system is not comparable with Universal Credit.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe question first answered 08/07/2019 15:17:12 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
	tabling member	4234 label Biography information for Baroness Lister of Burtersett

1136764

	registered interest
	date	03/07/2019
	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	Social Security Benefits
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Baroness Buscombe on 25 June (HL Deb, col 1004), what sources they used to inform their statements that the UK (1) delivers the fourth most generous level of welfare support in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), (2) spends more on family benefits than any other country in the G7, and (3) spends the second highest amount on family benefits as a share of GDP, in the OECD.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Lister of Burtersett
	uin	HL16914
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/07/2019 answer text <p>(1) This statement was due to official error. We are the fourth most generous country according to the UN 2019 World Happiness Report. The UK spends £220bn on welfare each year, providing vital financial support for the most vulnerable in society.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>(2) and (3) These two statements come from OECD 2015 data (<a href="https://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?datasetcode=SOCX_AGG" target="_blank">https://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?datasetcode=SOCX_AGG</a>). 2015 data is used as it is the most recent full data set. Please note that OECD definitions do not always match UK definitions, but insure data is comparable across OECD countries.</p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe question first answered 17/07/2019 14:09:48 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
	tabling member	4234 label Biography information for Baroness Lister of Burtersett