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1520212

	registered interest
	date	10/10/2022
	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	Universal Credit: Child Tax Credit
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government, further to their Completing the move to Universal Credit report, published on 6 June, which estimated that one million families receiving tax credits in April 2022 may need to move to universal credit, what estimate they have made of (1) how many of these families were in receipt of Child Tax Credit, and (2) how many children were living in those families.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Lister of Burtersett
	uin	HL2432
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/10/2022 answer text <p>There were a total of 1.2 million households in receipt of Tax Credits in April 2022 who we estimated to be in scope for Moving to UC. Of these 880,000 were in receipt of Child Tax Credits. We do not have a current estimate of how many children were living in those families at that time.</p> answering member printed Baroness Stedman-Scott question first answered 24/10/2022 16:31:58 answering member 4174 label Biography information for Baroness Stedman-Scott
	tabling member	4234 label Biography information for Baroness Lister of Burtersett

1549165

	registered interest
	date	06/12/2022
	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	Regional Planning and Development
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the the report by the North East Child Poverty Commission report Getting the building blocks wrong: Early childhood poverty in the North East, published on 12 October, what assessment they have made of the merits of undertaking levelling up impact assessments of all major government policy and spending decisions, including those taken by the Department for Work and Pensions.
	tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of Durham
	uin	HL4052
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/12/2022 answer text <p>No assessment has been made.</p><p> </p><p>However, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has set 12 ambitious levelling up ‘missions’ to anchor ambition and provide clarity over the objectives of public policy for the next decade. These include missions on skills and living standards.</p><p> </p><p>Missions will deliver real change to peoples’ lives by improving living standards by spreading opportunities and enhancing economic growth, restoring local pride, spreading opportunity and empowering local leaders across the country.</p><p> </p><p>Missions will also serve as an anchor for the private sector and civil society. This policy stability and consistency will unleash innovation, investment and collaboration.</p><p> </p><p>To ensure transparency and accountability, the missions are specific and measurable, and are supported by a set of metrics.</p><p> </p><p>The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities will report on progress towards delivering the missions through an annual report laid before Parliament. The obligation to publish the annual report will be established in statute, creating a regular point for Parliament and the public to debate and scrutinise progress towards levelling up.</p> answering member printed Baroness Stedman-Scott question first answered 19/12/2022 15:17:59 answering member 4174 label Biography information for Baroness Stedman-Scott
	tabling member	4312 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of Durham

1545126

	registered interest
	date	23/11/2022
	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	Employment: Young People
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the letter from Baroness Stedman-Scott to all members of the House of Lords on 22 November, what additional measures they are putting in place to help young people find employment during the "economic challenges we are facing".
	tabling member printed	Lord Storey
	uin	HL3727
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/12/2022 answer text <p>The Department for Work and Pensions’ Youth Offer is providing individually tailored work coach support to young people aged 16-24 who are in the Universal Credit Intensive Work Search group.</p><p> </p><p>This includes intensive support during the first 13 weeks of a claim through the Youth Employment Programme and a network of Youth Hubs across Great Britain that provide place-based support in partnerships with local providers to help young people into work. The Youth Offer also provides Youth Employability Coaches who support young people facing additional barriers (such as homelessness, addiction, and other complex needs) as well as offering 6 weeks of in-work support once the young person secures a job or an apprenticeship. Youth Employability Coaches also work closely with Disability Employment Advisors to support those with disabilities and health conditions, and partner organisations who can provide specialist advice.</p><p> </p><p>Departments are aligning their support across Government to help young people access high quality training and apprenticeship opportunities, as well as preparing them to take advantage of new jobs created in existing and growing sectors.</p><p> </p><p>For example, DWP and DfE officials continue to work together on the key areas of improving local skills provision and maximising awareness of skills opportunities in England. This includes taking steps to enhance the quality and joining up of services through Work Coaches and National Careers Service Advisors.</p><p> </p><p>To help young people who are already in work and on low incomes to progress, we are extending the support Jobcentres provide to help them increase their earnings and move into better paid, quality jobs. As mentioned in the letter, the nationwide roll-out of the In-Work Progression offer will focus on removing barriers to progression, such as addressing skills gaps.</p> answering member printed Baroness Stedman-Scott question first answered 07/12/2022 13:42:33 answering member 4174 label Biography information for Baroness Stedman-Scott
	tabling member	4238 label Biography information for Lord Storey

1537223

	registered interest
	date	28/10/2022
	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	Paraquat: Exports
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Benyon on 27 October (HL2481), which countries have been notified by the Health and Safety Executive of the risks connected with exports of the chemical herbicide Paraquat.
	tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
	uin	HL3005
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/11/2022 answer text <p>The export of paraquat from Great Britain (GB) is regulated under the GB Prior Informed Consent (GB PIC) regulatory regime for the export and import of listed hazardous chemicals. Companies intending to export any of these chemicals from GB must notify the importing country via the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the Designated National Authority. GB PIC requires all exports of listed chemicals to be labelled appropriately and accompanied by a safety data sheet (SDS) containing information on the intrinsic hazards of the chemical and on safe storage and use. Where possible, the information on the label and on the SDS must be given in an official language, or in one or more of the principal languages, of the country of destination.</p><p> </p><p>In 2021, paraquat was exported from GB to Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, India, Japan, Mexico, Singapore, South Africa and the USA.</p> answering member printed Baroness Stedman-Scott question first answered 10/11/2022 16:43:03 answering member 4174 label Biography information for Baroness Stedman-Scott
	tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

1542081

	registered interest
	date	14/11/2022
	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	Personal Independence Payment
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Stedman-Scott on 9 November (HL2940), what plans they have to direct assessors for Personal Independence Payments to speak to more claimants directly before they make an initial decision.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Thomas of Winchester
	uin	HL3394
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/11/2022 answer text <p>Following the consultation with a heath professional and receipt of the subsequent functional assessment report, DWP Case Managers are trained to make outbound calls to customers, where necessary, as part of the decision-making process to clarify any gaps in evidence or further clarify customers’ restrictions.</p><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member printed Baroness Stedman-Scott question first answered 25/11/2022 14:33:26 answering member 4174 label Biography information for Baroness Stedman-Scott
	tabling member	3785 label Biography information for Baroness Thomas of Winchester

1547143

	registered interest
	date	30/11/2022
	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	Migrants: Cost of Living
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Stedman-Scott on 8 November (HL2809), what support is available to individuals subject to No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) conditions as part of their total cost of living package of £37 billion this year, but excluding the Energy Bills Support Scheme.
	tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of Durham
	uin	HL3888
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/12/2022 answer text <p>In addition to the Government supporting those in receipt of public fund benefits with cost-of-living payments, the package also includes a range of measures that those with no recourse to public funds could also benefit from, if they meet the eligibility criteria.</p><p> </p><p>This would include an increase to the National Living Wage (NLW) by 9.7% to £10.42 an hour for workers aged 23 and over, from 1 April 2023 for those individuals who have a right to work. In addition, the Government’s commitment to the triple lock will see an increase from April 2023 of 10.1% to their State Pension.</p><p> </p><p>For those who require extra support, the government is providing an additional £1bn to help with the cost of household essentials, for the 2023-24 financial year, on top of what we have already provided since October 2021, bringing total funding for this support to £2.5 billion.</p><p> </p><p>In England this includes an extension to the Household Support Fund backed by £842m, running from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024. Guidance and individual Local Authority indicative allocations for this further extension will be announced in due course. Devolved administrations will receive £158 million through the Barnett formula.</p><p> </p><p>Local Authorities can provide a basic safety net support to an individual, regardless of their immigration status, if there is a genuine care need that does not arise solely from destitution, for example if:</p><p> </p><ul><li>there are community care needs</li><li>they have serious health problems</li><li>there is a risk to a child’s wellbeing</li></ul><p> </p><p>Local Authorities must use their judgement to decide what legal powers and funding can be used to support individuals who are ineligible for public funds or statutory housing assistance.</p> answering member printed Baroness Stedman-Scott question first answered 14/12/2022 11:58:04 answering member 4174 label Biography information for Baroness Stedman-Scott
	tabling member	4312 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of Durham

1543102

	registered interest
	date	16/11/2022
	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	Winter Fuel Payment
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Stedman-Scott on 27 October (HL2738), when they expect to have a figure available for the expenditure on the winter fuel allowance during the year 2020–21.
	tabling member printed	Lord Marlesford
	uin	HL3471
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/11/2022 answer text <p>The DWP benefit and expenditure tables show the outturn for winter fuel payments for the year 2020/21 to be £1,958 million in nominal terms.</p><p> </p><p>Further detail can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/benefit-expenditure-and-caseload-tables-2022" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/benefit-expenditure-and-caseload-tables-2022</a></p><p> </p><p>The Winter Fuel Payment statistics for 2020/21 and 2021/22 have now been published and can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/winter-fuel-payments-caseload-and-household-figures" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/winter-fuel-payments-caseload-and-household-figures</a></p> answering member printed Baroness Stedman-Scott question first answered 29/11/2022 13:18:48 answering member 4174 label Biography information for Baroness Stedman-Scott
	tabling member	1854 label Biography information for Lord Marlesford

1539350

	registered interest
	date	03/11/2022
	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	Cold Weather Payments
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Stedman-Scott on 27 October (HL2653), on what basis they can provide for the Cold Weather Payment being £25; when they undertook their last review into the appropriateness of that figure; and what assessment they have made of the efficacy of a one-off payment for those eligible for the Cold Weather Payment.
	tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of St Albans
	uin	HL3212
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/11/2022 answer text <p>There are currently no plans to introduce a one-off payment under the Cold Weather Payment scheme. The scheme ensures that vulnerable claimants on qualifying benefits automatically receive a payment of £25 for every 7-day period of exceptionally cold weather. This represents a generous contribution towards additional heating costs, paid at the time of need. <br></p><p>The Government has already announced additional financial support to help vulnerable people with energy costs this winter, and the Department continues to keep its policies and procedures under review.</p> answering member printed Baroness Stedman-Scott question first answered 16/11/2022 14:14:11 answering member 4174 label Biography information for Baroness Stedman-Scott
	tabling member	4308 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of St Albans

1546221

	registered interest
	date	28/11/2022
	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	Universal Credit: Deductions
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Stedman-Scott on 27 October (HL2434), on what basis a 70 per cent completion rate has been determined as a necessary criterion for publication of  data; and whether they will deposit a copy of the guidance or document specifying a requirement for a 70 per cent completion rate threshold to be met before data are published in the Library of the House.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Lister of Burtersett
	uin	HL3809
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/12/2022 answer text <p>Details of the plan for the publication of ethnicity data for Universal Credit claimants can be found under the heading of ‘Ethnicity for Universal Credit claimants’ in the background information section of the ‘Universal Credit Statistics Background Information &amp; Methodology’ document on the GOV.UK website which can be accessed in the Library of the House.</p><p> </p><p>For reporting on and interpreting non-mandatory self-declared diversity fields, the minimum threshold set by the Department for Work and Pensions is a completion rate of 70%. The level of non-completion represents both the level of uncertainty around the figures and also means the likelihood of responder bias is more prominent. The effect of responder bias could be quite substantial, yet unquantifiable. Therefore, any attempt to infer meaning from these figures until they reach a minimum level of completion would likely be misleading.</p><p> </p><p>The minimum level of 70% has been determined by analysis of the completion rates for those on Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) and Employment and Support Allowance (ESA). Ethnicity breakdowns have been published for JSA since August 2007, with a completion rate at the time of 90%, and for ESA since November 2008, with a completion rate of 74%. Due to this the threshold of 70% was chosen as the minimum level required before publication can be considered. Once the minimum threshold is achieved analysis will be performed to check the data is of sufficient quality to publish.</p><p> </p><p>Meanwhile, work is on-going to improve the completion rate. The approach to capturing ethnicity information is being addressed to ensure that claimants are supported in providing the information. Claimants can be reassured that ethnicity information is used solely for statistical purposes in an aggregate fashion, non-attributable to individuals</p> answering member printed Baroness Stedman-Scott question first answered 12/12/2022 16:22:53 answering member 4174 label Biography information for Baroness Stedman-Scott
	tabling member	4234 label Biography information for Baroness Lister of Burtersett

1547182

	registered interest
	date	30/11/2022
	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	Pension Credit
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Stedman-Scott on 22 November (HL3269), whether they will now answer the question put, namely, what are the (1) average, and (2) longest, delays being experienced by pensioners applying for pension credit for applications made (a) in late April, and (b) subsequently.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
	uin	HL3880
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/12/2022 answer text <p>DWP does not maintain data for the longest time taken to process Pension Credit applications. This information is only available at disproportionate cost to the Department for Work &amp; Pensions as the Department does not have a business requirement for this information to be retained.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>We are processing claims as quickly as possible and streamlining our processes, as well as increasing our staffing resources, which has resulted in the outstanding claims reducing considerably. We expect the clearance of claims to reduce as outstanding claims are cleared.</p><p> </p><p>All successful claims and arrears are paid accordingly to ensure no one misses out.</p> answering member printed Baroness Stedman-Scott question first answered 13/12/2022 15:23:02 answering member 4174 label Biography information for Baroness Stedman-Scott
	tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle