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1664767

	registered interest
	date	16/10/2023
	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	State Retirement Pensions: Canada
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government, why UK state pensioners resident in Canada do not receive an annual pension increase; what assessment they have made of whether, in the light of the annual pension increases received by UK state pensioners in the USA and other counties, UK state pensioners resident in Canada should also receive such an increase; and what plans they have to provide such an increase to UK state pensioners resident in Canada.
	tabling member printed	Lord Wasserman
	uin	HL10597
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/10/2023 answer text <p>It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 26/10/2023 11:11:15 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
	tabling member	4207 label Biography information for Lord Wasserman

1674515

	registered interest
	date	30/11/2023
	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: Disqualification
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government, in the most recent period of 12 months for which data are available, how many benefit claims were cancelled or suspended while third-party accusations about claimants' circumstances were investigated, what proportion of those claims were fully reinstated following an investigation, and what was the average length of time taken to investigate those claims.
	tabling member printed	Lord Field of Birkenhead
	uin	HL760
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/12/2023 answer text <p>DWP values the role played by members of the public in reporting suspected fraud and takes appropriate action in relation to all such allegations. However, we do not hold information regarding the number of such cases suspended or closed whilst a fraud investigation is ongoing.</p><p> </p><p>A claim would only be suspended whilst investigations are ongoing where there is strong intelligence/evidence that benefit entitlement is in doubt. The claimant would be informed of the specific reason for this, with all decisions on suspension being made in accordance with legislation and case law.</p><p> </p><p>Such decisions are not taken lightly but are important in ensuring not only that losses to the public purse as a result of suspected fraud are minimised, but also in ensuring that the individual concerned does not incur potentially large benefit overpayments that they might later be required to repay.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 12/12/2023 13:42:53 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
	tabling member	478 label Biography information for Lord Field of Birkenhead

1652575

	registered interest
	date	12/07/2023
	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	Food Banks: Refrigeration
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the reply by Lord Markham on 14 December 2022 (HL Deb col 653), what assessment they have made of the provision of freezers and fridges to increase food banks’ storage capacity.
	tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of St Albans
	uin	HL9301
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/07/2023 answer text <p>Foodbanks are independent, charitable organisations and the Department for Work and Pensions does not have any role in their operation.</p><p> </p><p>Whilst Government recognises that food charities are a great example of the generosity of spirit of communities across the country, it is important to recognise the important distinction between government welfare support and discretionary charitable support. Therefore, the Department for Work and Pensions is unable to make an assessment as Foodbanks are independent, charitable organisations who design their own delivery models and criteria to access their services.</p><p> </p><p>Government understands the pressures people, including parents, are facing with the cost of living and is taking action to help. Overall, the government is providing total support of over £94bn over 2022-23 and 2023- 24 to help households and individuals with the rising cost of bills.</p><p> </p><p>The Government also announced over £100 million of support for charities and community organisations in England at the Spring Budget. This will support frontline organisations experiencing increased demand and higher delivery costs and will provide some investment in energy efficiency measures. It will be targeted towards those organisations most at risk from cost of living pressures, due to increased demand and higher delivery costs, as well as providing investment in energy efficiency measures. Further detail will be published by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport shortly.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 25/07/2023 16:01:59 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
	tabling member	4308 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of St Albans

1693994

	registered interest
	date	05/03/2024
	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 Funds
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the letter from Viscount Younger of Leckie to Baroness Hayman dated 6 July 2023, when officials will hold a briefing for peers on their work on pension fund trustees and fiduciary duty.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Hayman
	uin	HL3031
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/03/2024 answer text <p>The pension industry stakeholder roundtables planned this spring will explore interpretations of fiduciary duty in relation to climate change and responsible investments. Following these the Department will ensure a briefing session is held in which interested Parliamentarians will have the opportunity to provide insight and discuss the conclusions drawn from these events.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 13/03/2024 11:54:03 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
	tabling member	1649 label Biography information for Baroness Hayman

1652144

	registered interest
	date	11/07/2023
	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	Universal Credit: Carers
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the book by Kate Andersen Welfare That Works for Women? Mothers’ Experiences of the Conditionality within Universal Credit, published in January, what assessment they have made of the impact on families of increasing the job search requirements for lead carers.
	tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of Durham
	uin	HL9248
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/07/2023 answer text <p>Evidence suggests that working substantially reduces the risk of child poverty and growing up in poverty is a strong predictor of children’s education and future earnings.</p><p>These measures form one part of a wider package that also improves our childcare offer to support parents into work/into more or better paid work. The wider package is expected to encourage 700,000 lead carers of children on Universal Credit to look for work or increase their hours and will receive additional Work Coach support to do so. Previously they would have had only limited requirements, or no requirements at all.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 25/07/2023 11:33:05 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
	tabling member	4312 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of Durham

1698026

	registered interest
	date	21/03/2024
	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	Poverty: Children
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Lord Markham on 11 March (HL Deb col 1802), and taking account of the latest Households Below Average Income data, which shows a 300,000 increase in the number of children living in absolute poverty in the past year, what assessment they have made of the impact on health and well-being of the two-child limit for child benefit; and what assessment they have made of the strengths and weaknesses of using the measure of absolute poverty rather than relative poverty.
	tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of Leicester
	uin	HL3520
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/03/2024 answer text <p>It is not possible to produce a robust assessment of the impact of the two-child limit.</p><p> </p><p>Child Benefit continues to be paid for all children in eligible families.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>Relative poverty sets a threshold as a proportion of the UK median income and moves each year as average income changes.</p><p>Typically, a household is in relative poverty if its income is less than 60 per cent of the median household income.</p><p>Absolute poverty, by our definition, is a threshold as a proportion of the UK average income in a given year (2010/11) and moves each year in line with inflation.</p><p> </p><p>This government prefers to look at Absolute poverty over Relative poverty as relative poverty can provide counter-intuitive results.</p><p>Relative poverty is likely to fall during recessions, due to falling median incomes. Under this measure, poverty can decrease even if people are getting poorer.</p><p>The absolute poverty line is fixed in real terms, so will only ever worsen if people are getting poorer, and only ever improve if people are getting richer.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 27/03/2024 16:34:59 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
	tabling member	4947 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of Leicester

1699232

	registered interest
	date	26/03/2024
	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	Household Support Fund
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the announcement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Budget Statement on 6 March that the Household Support Fund has been extended until September, what support they will provide to local authorities when the fund ends.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon
	uin	HL3622
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/04/2024 answer text <p>As announced by the Chancellor in the Spring Budget on 6 March, the government is providing an additional £500m to enable the extension of the Household Support Fund, including funding for the Devolved Administrations through the Barnett formula to be spent at their discretion. This means that Local Authorities in England will receive an additional £421m to support those in need locally through the Household Support Fund.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The funding will be available to Local Authorities in England from 1 April 2024 and will run until 30 September 2024.</p><p> </p><p>The Household Support Fund is not the only way we are supporting people on lower incomes. April’s benefit uprating of 6.7% will see an average increase in Universal Credit of £470, raising the National Living Wage will deliver an increase of over £1800 to the gross annual earnings of someone working full-time on that wage, and uplifting Local Housing Allowance to the 30th percentile of local rents will benefit 1.6 million private renters by, on average, £800 a year.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has also delivered a balanced package of funding through the Local Government Finance Settlement for 2024-25 which makes available up to £64.7 billion. The most relatively deprived areas of England will receive 18% more per dwelling in available resource through the 2024-25 Settlement than the least deprived areas.</p><p> </p><p>As announced by the Chancellor in this year’s Spring Budget, we are also doubling the repayment period for new Universal Credit Budgeting Advances.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie grouped question UIN HL3623 HL3624 question first answered 08/04/2024 15:13:28 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
	tabling member	4290 label Biography information for Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon

1699233

	registered interest
	date	26/03/2024
	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	Household Support Fund
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the announcement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Budget Statement on 6 March that the Household Support Fund has been extended until September, what assessment they have made of the position of local authorities who had already reduced their local crisis support services and disbanded delivery teams.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon
	uin	HL3623
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/04/2024 answer text <p>As announced by the Chancellor in the Spring Budget on 6 March, the government is providing an additional £500m to enable the extension of the Household Support Fund, including funding for the Devolved Administrations through the Barnett formula to be spent at their discretion. This means that Local Authorities in England will receive an additional £421m to support those in need locally through the Household Support Fund.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The funding will be available to Local Authorities in England from 1 April 2024 and will run until 30 September 2024.</p><p> </p><p>The Household Support Fund is not the only way we are supporting people on lower incomes. April’s benefit uprating of 6.7% will see an average increase in Universal Credit of £470, raising the National Living Wage will deliver an increase of over £1800 to the gross annual earnings of someone working full-time on that wage, and uplifting Local Housing Allowance to the 30th percentile of local rents will benefit 1.6 million private renters by, on average, £800 a year.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has also delivered a balanced package of funding through the Local Government Finance Settlement for 2024-25 which makes available up to £64.7 billion. The most relatively deprived areas of England will receive 18% more per dwelling in available resource through the 2024-25 Settlement than the least deprived areas.</p><p> </p><p>As announced by the Chancellor in this year’s Spring Budget, we are also doubling the repayment period for new Universal Credit Budgeting Advances.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie grouped question UIN HL3622 HL3624 question first answered 08/04/2024 15:13:28 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
	tabling member	4290 label Biography information for Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon

1700696

	registered interest
	date	15/04/2024
	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	Poverty: Children
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Viscount Younger of Leckie on 27 March (HL3520), why it is not possible to undertake a robust assessment of the impact of the two-child limit.
	tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of Leicester
	uin	HL3765
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/04/2024 answer text <p>We do not have the data to fully measure health and well-being behavioural impacts that may have resulted from the two-child limit.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 24/04/2024 16:01:52 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
	tabling member	4947 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of Leicester

1673020

	registered interest
	date	27/11/2023
	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	State Retirement Pensions: British Nationals Abroad
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Viscount Younger of Leckie on 26 October (HL10597), in how many countries there is a legal requirement to uprate the UK State Pensions paid to those UK pensioners who live there; and which countries they are.
	tabling member printed	Lord Wasserman
	uin	HL637
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/12/2023 answer text <p>The UK State Pension is payable worldwide to those who meet the qualifying conditions, without regard to nationality, and the amount is based on an individual’s National Insurance record. UK State Pensions are up-rated overseas only where there is a legal requirement to do so. The Government has no plans to change this policy.</p><p> </p><p>People who live outside the UK will not receive an increase in their State Pension unless they live in:</p><p>- an EEA country or Switzerland; or</p><p>- a country with which DWP have a reciprocal agreement that allows for it. These countries are:</p><ul><li>Barbados</li><li>Bermuda</li><li>Gibraltar</li><li>Guernsey</li><li>The Isle of Man</li><li>Israel</li><li>Jamaica</li><li>Jersey</li><li>Mauritius</li><li>the Philippines</li><li>Turkey</li><li>The United States of America, and</li><li>the separate republics of the former Yugoslavia* that are not EU Member States (Bosnia and Herzegovina; Kosovo; Montenegro; North Macedonia; and Serbia).</li></ul><p>*Following the break-up of Yugoslavia, the UK agreement with former Yugoslavia now covers Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 01/12/2023 14:59:50 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
	tabling member	4207 label Biography information for Lord Wasserman