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938807

registered interest
date	11/07/2018
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: Blood Diseases
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government when they last issued any guidance to Department for Work and Pensions disability assessors on the functional effects of thalassaemia and sickle cell disease on claimants; and whether they have any plans to address this issue specifically in the training programme undertaken by assessors.
tabling member printed	Lord Boateng
uin	HL9423
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/07/2018 answer text <p>Guidance on Sickle Cell Disease, including the functional effects, was developed and first issued to Centre for Health and Disability Assessments Healthcare Professionals in June 2014. It is quality assured by external specialist practitioners and regularly updated. It was most recently reissued on 18 December 2017.</p><p> </p><p>The Personal Independence Payment assessment is not a medical assessment and there is no requirement for the Disability Assessor to diagnose a condition and recommend treatment options. We do not issue guidance on specific clinical conditions to Capita and Independent Assessment Services. Their Disability Assessors are trained to be experts in disability analysis and have knowledge of the functional effects of a wide range of health conditions. Each Provider develops their own guidance as part of their ongoing training</p><p> </p><p>All Healthcare Professionals have access to a range of resources as well as experienced clinicians to support them in assessing claimants with conditions that they may not be familiar with.</p><p> </p><p>We work extensively with our Assessment Providers to make improvements to guidance and training to ensure that all claimants receive objective, accurate and high quality assessments and have agreed to work directly with the Sickle Cell Society and Thalassemia Society to review our current materials and approach.</p><p> </p><p>Assessment Providers continue to engage with medical experts, charities and relevant stakeholders to strengthen, review and update their training programmes.</p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe question first answered 25/07/2018 11:53:33 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
tabling member	147 label Biography information for Lord Boateng

938809

registered interest
date	11/07/2018
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: Post Offices
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether state pensions can be collected at post offices.
tabling member printed	Baroness Eaton
uin	HL9425
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/07/2018 answer text <p>The majority of pensioners have their State Pension paid into a bank account. As most bank accounts can be accessed at the Post Office, claimants can collect their payments that way. Since January, 99% of banks’ personal customers are able to withdraw cash, deposit cash and cheques, and make balance enquiries at a Post Office counter via its network of 11,600 branches. The Department also has arrangements in place to ensure that the majority of those who cannot access a bank account, can collect their State Pension at the Post Office using a Post Office card account.</p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe question first answered 17/07/2018 13:23:09 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
tabling member	4184 label Biography information for Baroness Eaton

938813

registered interest
date	11/07/2018
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	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, in the light of the demand on the services of food banks, whether they plan to introduce any modifications and improvements to the administration of Universal Credit; and in particular whether they will reduce (1) the waiting time for first payments, and (2) the level of advance loan repayments.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL9429
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/07/2018 answer text <p>We continuously modify and improve Universal Credit in response to feedback, and have also implemented a number of further improvements.</p><p>This package of measures, which are set out below, not only addresses concerns raised around the first assessment period and the budgeting issues faced by some claimants at the start of their claim, but also supports the vast majority of claimants transitioning onto Universal Credit. They include:</p><ul><li>from 29 November 2017, all DWP Universal Credit phone lines are free and claimants will not be charged when they need to get help with their Universal Credit claim.</li></ul><ul><li>from 3 January, the repayment period of Universal Credit advances has been increased to 12 months and claimants can now get up to 100 per cent of their estimated monthly entitlement upfront. These advances are available to claimants interest-free. Earlier this month (July 2018), advances also became available to apply for online.</li></ul><ul><li>from 14 February, the seven-day waiting period that some claimants had at the start of their Universal Credit claim was removed; and,</li></ul><ul><li>from 11 April, we have provided an additional payment for claimants already receiving support towards their housing costs of two weeks of their Housing Benefit to support them as they transfer onto Universal Credit. Claimants will not be required to repay this money.</li></ul> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe question first answered 24/07/2018 16:37:41 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

938814

registered interest
date	11/07/2018
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	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to increase Universal Credit payments in line with inflation; and what plans they have, if any, to make payments reflect more closely the Minimum Income Standard.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL9430
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/07/2018 answer text <p>The Department will be conducting the annual review of benefit and pension rates later this year, as required by the Social Security Administration Act 1992. This will include many Universal Credit rates, though it will exclude the standard allowance which has been frozen at 2015/16 levels until the end of 2019/20, by the Welfare Reform and Work Act 2016.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is committed to supporting people who cannot work or have additional needs as a result of illness or disability and has consistently increased the carer amount, Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity amount and higher disabled child addition in line with inflation since the introduction of Universal Credit. Additionally, although work allowances, have not been increased each year they were raised in line with inflation for 2018/19.</p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe question first answered 24/07/2018 16:38:21 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

938815

registered interest
date	11/07/2018
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	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to introduce any improvement to Universal Credit in order to protect vulnerable groups, including people with mental health problems, and families with children under school age.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL9431
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/07/2018 answer text <p>We are fully committed to providing personalised support for all claimants, including vulnerable groups. Each individual’s circumstances are different and therefore their barriers to work and the support required must be tailored to their needs.</p><p> </p><p>Work coaches are supported in building a strong relationship with their claimants through a comprehensive training and accreditation programme which includes support to identify and help claimants with complex needs. All work coaches delivering Universal Credit receive training on supporting claimants with health conditions. We are developing additional training in mental health that will be available to work coaches to build their expertise and provide the most effective support. The Department has also increased the numbers of Disability Employment Advisers who provide additional support to the work coaches.</p><p> </p><p>On 7 June we announced additional transitional protection for those moving onto Universal Credit via managed migration to protect people who receive a Severe Disability Premium. We also announced changes to make sure the protection we offer people that we move on to Universal Credit is not affected by them taking on a job, earning more or claiming childcare.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is also committed to providing additional support for working families, so we have increased childcare funding from 70 per cent of eligible costs in Tax Credits to 85 per cent in Universal Credit.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe question first answered 25/07/2018 11:52:54 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

938816

registered interest
date	11/07/2018
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 whether they have any plans to review the benefits system focussing on training and support for staff, and cooperation with Citizens' Advice and credit unions, in order to prevent rent and utility arrears and defaults on Council Tax.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL9432
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/07/2018 answer text <p>DWP is committed to making sure that claimants have the right support available to them to help make and maintain a Universal Credit claim and manage their finances. The Department works with local authorities, Citizens Advice and other third sector providers to make sure that this support is in place.</p><p> </p><p>Universal Support provides Universal Credit claimants with additional help to use a computer to make or maintain their claim (Assisted Digital Support), help in managing their monthly Universal Credit payment and possible advice on their finances (Personal Budgeting Support).</p><p> </p><p>We also refer claimants to Citizens Advice and the Money Advice Service for more specialist debt advice and have also worked with the Money Advice Service to develop a Money Manager Tool. The Money Manager is designed for people on Universal Credit to make the most of their money, both when they are waiting for their first Universal Credit payment and when they are getting regular monthly payments, and is available online through the Money Advice Service.</p><p> </p><p>DWP is currently looking at how Universal Support operates and will examine feedback from providers and users before making decisions related to the future and shape of Universal Support.</p><p> </p><p>If people have problems managing their monthly payments, alternative payment arrangements (APAs) are available. These include direct payment of rent to landlords, more frequent-than-monthly Universal Credit payments, and splitting household payments in some cases. Work coaches make claimants aware of APAs. Information is also available through <a href="http://gov.uk" target="_blank">gov.uk</a>, the Universal Credit helpline and Universal Credit at Work and DWP always prioritise vulnerable claimants for APAs.</p><p> </p><p>All DWP staff delivering Universal Credit undergo comprehensive training, which includes information on Universal Support. This training includes support to recognise and help claimants with complex needs, and is delivered through a range of methods, which includes facilitator-led learning and skills practice.</p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe question first answered 18/07/2018 14:24:41 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

938824

registered interest
date	11/07/2018
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 Schemes: Veterans
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of research by the King's College Centre for Military Health Research which suggested an individual placement and support (IPS) approach to support back-to-work welfare services; and whether they will support The Poppy Factory, which offers an IPS employment service to wounded, injured and sick veterans.
tabling member printed	Lord Lee of Trafford
uin	HL9440
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/07/2018 answer text <p>Government values the work carried out by The Poppy Factory. The Poppy Factory made a valuable contribution to the Health and Work Green Paper consultation and also attended a special DWP consultation event for Armed Forces stakeholders.</p><p> </p><p>Work Choice is no longer accepting referrals as it is being replaced by The Work and Health Programme, which was rolled out in all areas of England and Wales between November 2017 and March 2018. The Poppy Factory was informed at the appropriate time how to bid to become a Work and Health Programme supplier. Successful suppliers were announced in early October 2017.</p><p> </p><p>The Government looks closely at schemes to help people back to work, studies relevant research and learns lessons where appropriate. The Poppy Factory’s ‘Getting You Back to Work’ programme has delivered impressive outcomes through its Individual Placement and Support approach and the organisation should be congratulated for the way it supports its clients.</p><p> </p><p>The NHS is doubling its provision of IPS services in NHS services for people with severe and enduring mental health, for whom it has proved successful. The Government is also testing whether this model of employment support is effective for other groups.</p><p> </p><p>We would be keen to learn from the experience of the Poppy Factory of running IPS for veterans. Previous DWP Armed Forces Ministers have visited the Poppy Factory in Richmond and I plan to visit later this year.</p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe grouped question UIN HL9386 question first answered 24/07/2018 16:05:59 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
tabling member	1132 label Biography information for Lord Lee of Trafford

938082

registered interest
date	10/07/2018
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	Poppy Factory
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 work of the Poppy Factory in helping disabled veterans find sustainable employment; and whether they would consider using it to assist the work of Work Choice.
tabling member printed	Lord Lee of Trafford
uin	HL9386
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/07/2018 answer text <p>Government values the work carried out by The Poppy Factory. The Poppy Factory made a valuable contribution to the Health and Work Green Paper consultation and also attended a special DWP consultation event for Armed Forces stakeholders.</p><p> </p><p>Work Choice is no longer accepting referrals as it is being replaced by The Work and Health Programme, which was rolled out in all areas of England and Wales between November 2017 and March 2018. The Poppy Factory was informed at the appropriate time how to bid to become a Work and Health Programme supplier. Successful suppliers were announced in early October 2017.</p><p> </p><p>The Government looks closely at schemes to help people back to work, studies relevant research and learns lessons where appropriate. The Poppy Factory’s ‘Getting You Back to Work’ programme has delivered impressive outcomes through its Individual Placement and Support approach and the organisation should be congratulated for the way it supports its clients.</p><p> </p><p>The NHS is doubling its provision of IPS services in NHS services for people with severe and enduring mental health, for whom it has proved successful. The Government is also testing whether this model of employment support is effective for other groups.</p><p> </p><p>We would be keen to learn from the experience of the Poppy Factory of running IPS for veterans. Previous DWP Armed Forces Ministers have visited the Poppy Factory in Richmond and I plan to visit later this year.</p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe grouped question UIN HL9440 question first answered 24/07/2018 16:05:59 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
tabling member	1132 label Biography information for Lord Lee of Trafford

937002

registered interest
date	09/07/2018
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 Wise
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 25 June (HL8507), how much they spent on the PensionWise service in each year since 2015; which organisations are responsible for the service's delivery; and how they assess the impact and effectiveness of the service.
tabling member printed	Lord Mendelsohn
uin	HL9340
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/07/2018 answer text <p>Pension Wise spent £31.7 million in 2015/16, £24.4 million in 2016/17 and £20.6 million in 2017/18. Pension Wise is a service run by the Department, and is funded by a levy on the financial services industry.</p><p> </p><p>Face to face appointments are delivered by Citizens Advice England &amp; Wales (England, Wales and Northern Ireland) and Citizens Advice Scotland. Telephone appointments are delivered by the Pensions Advisory Service, Citizens Advice Scotland and TelePerformance Ltd.</p><p> </p><p>The Pension Wise website is maintained by the Department.</p><p> </p><p>The Pension Wise service evaluation research conducted by Ipsos MORI, published in October 2017, showed that people who had a Pension Wise appointment, or had used the Pension Wise website, were significantly more likely to answer questions about their pension options correctly. They were also much more likely to have calculated how much income they would need in retirement, shopped around for quotes, and considered how much tax or charges they would pay based on their chosen options.</p><p>Customers and non-users were asked a series of questions to assess their factual knowledge of their pension options. Appointment customers had a knowledge score average of 70 per cent, just fractionally more than website customers who had a knowledge score average of 68 per cent. Both cohorts compare favourably to non users of the service, where the knowledge score average was 47 per cent</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe question first answered 17/07/2018 12:06:39 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
tabling member	4286 label Biography information for Lord Mendelsohn

935145

registered interest
date	05/07/2018
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	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the National Audit Office Rolling out Universal Credit, published 15 June, which states that of those transferred onto Universal Credit (1) 40 per cent are experiencing financial difficulties, (2) 25 per cent are unable to make online claims, and (3) 20 per cent are not paid in full on time; and what steps they intend to take to meet their legal obligations to those receiving in-work benefits.
tabling member printed	Lord Bassam of Brighton
uin	HL9262
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/07/2018 answer text <p>The National Audit Office (NAO) report recognised that the Department’s agile approach allows it to adjust its plans based on what it learns and that some elements are working well. The report also recognised that payment timeliness has improved. We have already implemented policy changes to address many of the concerns raised in the report.</p><p> </p><p>(1) The DWP Claimant Survey (which the NAO Report quoted) says that nearly seven out of ten claimants said they were confident managing their payments. We are investing up to £200 million into budgeting and digital support, to help claimants with the transition to Universal Credit and work coaches work closely with claimants, ensuring they can identify any vulnerabilities or specific needs, such as financial difficulties, at an early stage. We have listened to concerns and invested £1.5 billion in a package of measures to support claimants financially in the first assessment period, and recently announced we would be introducing further protection for people who receive the Severe Disability Premium.</p><p> </p><p>(2) The Claimant Survey research also states that 98 per cent of claims are made online, and that nearly half of claimants had help from others or from their jobcentre adviser to do so. This shows that people get the support they need to make their claim. We knew that people would require digital support with the transition to Universal Credit, that is why, as above, we are investing up to £200 million. All jobcentres across the country have free Wi-Fi, and there are more than 8,000 computers available to support customers who need help with making their claim digitally and applying for jobs online. Work coaches will also assist anyone who needs assistance. If people cannot get online we have also a freephone helpline available.</p><p> </p><p>(3) Around 80 per cent of new claims are paid in full and on time. In many cases, where full payment is not made on time by the end of the first assessment period, this is as a result of unresolved issues: some claimants have not signed their Claimant Commitment or passed identity checks, others have outstanding verification issues, such as for housing and self-employed earnings. Whilst their verification is on-going, many of these claimants receive a part payment. We know that, within five weeks of the payment due date, 95% of the claims are paid in full. As the NAO report acknowledges, we have taken steps to improve the verification processes (Paragraph 2.18). For example we have listened to feedback and built processes into the system to make it easier and quicker for people to verify their housing costs.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe question first answered 19/07/2018 14:34:09 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
tabling member	3504 label Biography information for Lord Bassam of Brighton