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1642805

	registered interest
	date	07/06/2023
	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 His Majesty's Government, whether they intend to abolish the benefit cap following their research which found that only five per cent of affected households moved into work as a result of it.
	tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of Durham
	uin	HL8286
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/06/2023 answer text <p>The benefit cap continues to provide a work incentive and fairness for hard-working taxpaying households, whilst providing a reasonable safety net of support for the most vulnerable. The Government firmly believes that where possible it is in the best interests of children to be in working households and the benefit cap provides a clear incentive to move into work.</p><p> </p><p>The lower benefit cap had a positive impact with an additional 5.1% of households moving into employment as a result of it. An additional 2.6% of households left the cap as a result of their benefit entitlements being updated to include an exempting benefit and an additional 1.8% of households left the cap by moving property, at Census Output Area (COA) level, to reduce their rental costs.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 16/06/2023 11:32:48 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
	tabling member	4312 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of Durham

1642807

	registered interest
	date	07/06/2023
	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 His Majesty's Government whether they will publish the advice provided to them as part of the statutory review of benefit cap levels.
	tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of Durham
	uin	HL8288
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/06/2023 answer text <p>Under S96A of the Welfare Reform Act 2012, the Secretary of State is required to undertake a review of the benefit cap levels at least once every five years. There is no statutory requirement to publish any advice given to inform that review; and as such there are no plans to do so. This has been the policy under this and previous Governments.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 16/06/2023 12:08:26 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
	tabling member	4312 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of Durham

1613058

	registered interest
	date	20/04/2023
	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 His Majesty's Government what was the total annual value of passported benefits, for the most recent year for which figures are available, broken down by each passported benefit.
	tabling member printed	Lord Field of Birkenhead
	uin	HL7345
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/05/2023 answer text <p>Passported benefits, such as free school meals and help with healthcare costs are owned and delivered by different departments across government and Local Authorities.</p><p> </p><p>This information would not be held by one single department, to get this information you would need to approach each department individually.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 04/05/2023 14:31:25 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
	tabling member	478 label Biography information for Lord Field of Birkenhead

1613057

	registered interest
	date	20/04/2023
	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 His Majesty's Government what is the average amount paid to each individual for each passported benefit.
	tabling member printed	Lord Field of Birkenhead
	uin	HL7344
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/05/2023 answer text <p>Passported benefits, such as free school meals and help with healthcare costs are owned and delivered by different departments across government and Local Authorities.</p><p> </p><p>This information would not be held by one single department, to get this information you would need to approach each department individually.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 04/05/2023 14:34:47 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
	tabling member	478 label Biography information for Lord Field of Birkenhead

1640656

	registered interest
	date	25/05/2023
	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 His Majesty's Government what was the average amount paid to individuals for each passported benefit, including cold weather payments.
	tabling member printed	Lord Field of Birkenhead
	uin	HL8133
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/06/2023 answer text <p>There are many passported benefits, for example free prescriptions and free school meals. The information provided relates solely to Cold Weather Payments. You may get Cold Weather Payments if you’re getting Pension Credit, Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Universal Credit or Support for Mortgage Interest. Additional information on further eligibility requirements can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/cold-weather-payment/eligibility" target="_blank">Cold Weather Payment: Eligibility - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</a>.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>A Cold Weather Payment (CWP) award of £25 is made to eligible recipients for each qualifying period of cold weather to provide help with additional costs of heating during periods of severely cold weather. The average Cold Weather Payment award is therefore £25. Qualifying individuals may receive more than one payment during each CWP season.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 08/06/2023 15:03:05 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
	tabling member	478 label Biography information for Lord Field of Birkenhead

1640655

	registered interest
	date	25/05/2023
	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 His Majesty's Government what was the average amount paid to individuals for each passported benefit, including (1) warm home discounts, and (2) help from energy and water suppliers.
	tabling member printed	Lord Field of Birkenhead
	uin	HL8132
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/06/2023 answer text <p>I refer the noble Lord to the answers I gave to questions <a href="https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2023-04-20/hl7344" target="_blank">HL7344</a> and <a href="https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2023-04-20/hl7345" target="_blank">HL7345</a> on 4 May.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><em>Passported benefits, such as free school meals and help with healthcare costs are owned and delivered by different departments across government and Local Authorities.</em></p><p><strong><em> </em></strong></p><p><em>This information would not be held by one single department, to get this information you would need to approach each department individually.</em></p><p> </p><p>The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) does not hold data on all ‘passported benefits’. <em>Passported benefit </em>is a term used to refer to additional support/discounts or schemes, usually available to those on an income-based benefit, like Universal Credit or Pension Credit.</p><p> </p><p>The vast majority of ‘passported benefits’ are provided by departments other than DWP, including Warm Home Discount, and help from energy or water suppliers. Many departments use receipt of a means-tested benefit as part of the eligibility criteria for the ‘passported benefits’ it may offer, in order to target extra support to those on the lowest incomes.</p><p> </p><p>Warm Home Discount and support from energy suppliers is a matter for the Department for Energy, Security and Net Zero (DESNZ). It has confirmed that:</p><p> </p><p>Households may be eligible to receive £150 directly off their energy bills each winter under the Warm Home Discount scheme.</p><p> </p><p>For any queries regarding this scheme, DESNZ is best placed to provide it.</p><p> </p><p>Support for water bills is a matter for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). It has confirmed that:</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>We expect all companies to make sure households are aware of the schemes available to help those struggling to pay their bills. In England, the water sector has both statutory (WaterSure) and voluntary measures (social tariffs) in place for households who struggle to pay for their water bills.</p><p> </p><p>The Consumer Council for Water (CCW) provides information on the number of households in receipt of WaterSure and social tariffs. A detailed breakdown can be found <a href="https://www.ccw.org.uk/advice-and-support/households/company-performance/" target="_blank">on CCW’s website</a> (<a href="http://www.ccw.org.uk/advice-and-support/households/company-performance" target="_blank">www.ccw.org.uk/advice-and-support/households/company-performance</a>).</p><p> </p><p>Approximately 202,898 households benefitted from WaterSure in England and Wales in 2021/22. The average bill discount was £307 per annum.</p><p> </p><p>All companies offer their own social tariffs to support vulnerable customers. Approximately 1,148,310 households benefitted from social tariffs in England and Wales in 2021/22. The average bill discount was £149 per annum.</p><p> </p><p>For further information on ‘passported benefits’, the relevant department is best placed to provide it.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 09/06/2023 10:45:12 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
	tabling member	478 label Biography information for Lord Field of Birkenhead

1640698

	registered interest
	date	25/05/2023
	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 His Majesty's Government what was the average amount paid to individuals for each passported benefit, including (1) funeral payments, and (2) maternity grants.
	tabling member printed	Lord Field of Birkenhead
	uin	HL8134
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/06/2023 answer text <p>There are many passported benefits, for example free prescriptions and free school meals. The information provided relates solely to Funeral Expenses Payments and Sure Start Maternity Grant.</p><p> </p><p>Funeral Expenses Payment (FEP) provides help towards the cost of a funeral. To be eligible for FEP, you (or your partner) must get one or more of the following benefits: Universal Credit, Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Pension Credit, Housing Benefit, the disability or severe disability element of Working Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit. You might also be eligible if you’re getting a Support for Mortgage Interest loan. This is in addition to other eligibility criteria which is available here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/funeral-payments/eligibility" target="_blank">Get help with funeral costs (Funeral Expenses Payment): Eligibility - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</a></p><p> </p><p>Sure Start Maternity Grant (SSMG) is payment of £500 to provide help with the costs of a new baby (or babies in the event of a multiple birth) if there are no other children under 16 in the claimant’s family. To be eligible for SSMG, you (or your partner) must get one of these benefits: Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Pension Credit, Child Tax Credit, Working Tax Credit that includes a disability or severe disability element or Universal Credit. You may also qualify if you’re getting a Support of Mortgage Interest Loan. This is in addition to other eligibility criteria which is available here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/sure-start-maternity-grant/eligibility" target="_blank">Sure Start Maternity Grant: Eligibility - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</a>.</p><p> </p><p>The table below provides information of the average award for both FEP and SSMG. Information on average awards along with other data such as number of awards can be found in Annex 1 of the Annual Social Fund Reports which can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/social-fund-accounts-and-reports" target="_blank">Social Fund accounts and reports - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</a>. The 2021/22 Social Fund Report is due to be published in the near future and thus the data below goes up to 2020/21.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p><strong>Table 1: Average award for Funeral Expenses Payments and Sure Start Maternity Grant </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>£</p></td><td><p><strong>2020/21</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2019/20</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2018/19</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>FEP</strong></p></td><td><p>508</p></td><td><p>508</p></td><td><p>508</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>SSMG</strong></p></td><td><p>1,838</p></td><td><p>1,561</p></td><td><p>1,517</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>Notes:</p><ol><li>Data is for England and Wales.</li><li>For SSMG and FEP, the average award value is calculated by dividing gross expenditure by the number of awards.</li><li>The average SSMG award is higher than the award value of £500 to reflect the additional award made for multiple births.</li><li>SSMG devolved to Scotland on 10 December 2018. From this date, SSMG is only awarded in England and Wales. Therefore, the figures report on Great Britain up to 10 December 2018, and on England and Wales from that date onwards.</li><li>Due to missing data for 2019 to 2020, the SSMG average award figure has been estimated using a historical average. From this, the number of awards has been calculated by dividing gross expenditure by this average award.</li></ol> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 08/06/2023 15:08:28 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
	tabling member	478 label Biography information for Lord Field of Birkenhead

1545535

	registered interest
	date	24/11/2022
	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 His Majesty's Government what progress they have made with the roll-out of changes to social security benefits.
	tabling member printed	Lord Taylor of Warwick
	uin	HL3779
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/12/2022 answer text <p>Movement of legacy benefit recipients to Universal Credit (UC) started in May 2022, with the first 500 notices taking place in Bolton and Medway. Since then, the Discovery Phase of Move to UC issued over 1500 Migration Notices across 5 geographical areas including Truro &amp; Falmouth, Harrow, Northumberland, and Cornwall.</p><p> </p><p>By the end of 2024 we estimate nearly 90% of households claiming working age means tested benefits will be on UC.</p> answering member printed Baroness Stedman-Scott question first answered 08/12/2022 14:44:00 answering member 4174 label Biography information for Baroness Stedman-Scott
	tabling member	1796 label Biography information for Lord Taylor of Warwick

1536993

	registered interest
	date	27/10/2022
	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 His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the total saving to His Majesty's Treasury through (1) housing benefit subsidy, and (2) Universal Credit, of imposing a social housing rent cap at less than the usual level of Consumer Price Index plus one per cent.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
	uin	HL2947
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/11/2022 answer text <p>The Government recently consulted on whether to make a temporary amendment to the CPI+1% cap on annual social housing rent increases. The consultation closed on 12 October and the government is carefully considering the responses.</p><p> </p><p>Any decision to change the CPI+1% cap would subsequently be reflected in the fiscal forecasts (including of Universal Credit and Housing Benefit expenditure) that are published by the Office for Budget Responsibility, and the more detailed breakdowns of these expenditure forecasts that are published by DWP.</p> answering member printed Baroness Stedman-Scott question first answered 02/11/2022 17:15:36 answering member 4174 label Biography information for Baroness Stedman-Scott
	tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1551900

	registered interest
	date	14/12/2022
	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 His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the adequacy of the current levels of benefits given the increased cost of living.
	tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of Durham
	uin	HL4282
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/12/2022 answer text <p>The government understands the pressures people are facing with the cost of living and has taken further decisive action to support people with their energy bills. The government’s Energy Price Guarantee, running from October 2022- March 2023, will save a typical British household around £900 this winter, based on what energy price would have been under the current price cap – reducing bills by roughly a third. This is in addition to the over £37bn of cost-of-living support announced earlier this year which includes the £400 non-repayable discount to eligible households provided through the Energy Bills Support Scheme.</p><p> </p><p>From 10 April 2023 we are uprating State Pension and benefit rates by 10.1%. In order to increase the number of households who can benefit from these uprating decisions the benefit cap will also be increased by 10.1%. These increases are subject to Parliamentary approval.</p><p /><p>To ensure stability and certainty for households, the government is providing £26bn in cost-of-living support for 2023/24. This includes Cost of Living Payments for the most vulnerable. In 2023/24, households on eligible means-tested benefits will get up to a further £900 in Cost-of-Living Payments. A £300 payment will be made to pensioner households and individuals in receipt of eligible disability benefits will receive a £150 payment. Also included is the amended Energy Price Guarantee which will save the average UK household £500 in 2023-24.</p><p> </p><p>For those who require extra support, the Government is providing an additional £1 billion of funding, including Barnett impact, to enable the extension of the Household Support Fund in England in the next financial year. This is on top of what we have already provided since October 2021, bringing total funding to £2.5 billion. In England this will be delivered through an extension to the Household Support Fund backed by £842 million, running from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024, which local authorities use to help households with the cost of essentials. It will be for the devolved administrations to decide how to allocate their additional Barnett funding.</p> answering member printed Baroness Stedman-Scott question first answered 21/12/2022 11:22:13 answering member 4174 label Biography information for Baroness Stedman-Scott
	tabling member	4312 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of Durham