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921797

registered interest
date	11/06/2018
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: Domestic Abuse
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 risk of significant rent arrears accumulating for victims of domestic violence who separate from their partners, given that Universal Credit is paid in equal amounts to both parties.
tabling member printed	Lord Kennedy of Southwark
uin	HL8499
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/06/2018 answer text <p>We have made no assessment because we believe that support is in place for individuals who may find themselves in these circumstances. Universal Credit is one monthly payment to a household. If a member of the household leaves due to domestic violence, they can make a new claim to Universal Credit. At this point there is a range of measures to help a victim of domestic violence to prevent the risk of rent arrears, including fast track payments to be made on the same day. If people are in urgent need, we can make payment into an alternative nominated bank, building society, post office card or credit union account.</p><p> </p><p>Universal Credit also has provisions for when someone is temporarily absent from their home through fear of domestic violence and abuse. In these circumstances we do not require a permanent address. If the person intends to return to their former home, they can receive their housing costs for both a former permanent home and temporary accommodation for up to a year. If an individual does not intend to return, they can receive these costs for up to four weeks for both properties. There is similar provision in respect of the housing cost element of Universal Credit.</p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe question first answered 25/06/2018 13:43:12 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
tabling member	4153 label Biography information for Lord Kennedy of Southwark

921809

registered interest
date	11/06/2018
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	Poverty
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how they intend to respond to the report from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation Destitution in the UK 2018 published in June revealing that there are 1.5 million people living in destitution in the UK.
tabling member printed	Lord Ouseley
uin	HL8508
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/06/2018 answer text <p>The Joseph Rowntree Trust’s report refers to people who were destitute “at some point” during 2017 not to the number of people living in destitution.</p><p> </p><p>This Government will continue with its ambitious reforms to the welfare system so that it encourages people to move into and progress in work, and move towards financial independence. Compared with 2010, there are now around 880,000 fewer adults in workless households and 1 million fewer people in absolute poverty (on a before housing costing costs basis). Of those in the poorest fifth of the population in 2010/11, just over half had moved further up the income distribution 5 years later.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is also continuing to help those who face the greatest employment barriers and who are most at-risk of being in severe and long-term low income, for example, through individualised, tailored support from Jobcentre Work Coaches. For people with health conditions or a disability, this support can include early access to the new Work and Health Programme and Specialist Employability Support. As a safeguard for people in urgent need, a well-established system of hardship payments, benefit advances and budgeting loans is in place. <br></p><p>We are also considering how we can develop and make greater use of the existing suite of official measures of poverty so that they better identify and track progress on helping those who are most in need of additional support.</p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe question first answered 25/06/2018 11:36:09 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
tabling member	2170 label Biography information for Lord Ouseley

921827

registered interest
date	11/06/2018
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	Children: Maintenance
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will publish their response to the recent consultation on the new compliance and arrears strategy for child maintenance; whether they will bring forward regulations aimed at improving how the Child Maintenance Service calculates maintenance for paying parents with complex income; and whether they still plan to write off arrears accrued under the Child Support Agency which are owed to receiving parents.
tabling member printed	Lord Stevenson of Balmacara
uin	HL8521
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/06/2018 answer text <p>We expect to publish the Government’s response within the next few weeks. Regulations to support the strategy outlined in the response will be laid as early as is practicable.</p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe question first answered 25/06/2018 11:22:54 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
tabling member	4175 label Biography information for Lord Stevenson of Balmacara

918911

registered interest
date	06/06/2018
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 what assessment they have made, or intend to make, of the effects of delayed benefit payments on the creditworthiness of benefit recipients who fall into arrears as a result of such delays.
tabling member printed	Lord Bird
uin	HL8408
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2018 answer text <p>An assessment has not been made.</p><p> </p><p>The latest Universal Credit data shows that 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: claimants have not signed their Claimant Commitment or passed identity checks, and the others have outstanding verification issues, such as for housing and self-employed earnings. Whilst their verification is ongoing, many of these claimants receive a part payment for those elements of the claim that have been resolved.</p><p> </p><p>Advances are available to provide financial support until the first payment and these can now be repaid over a course of 12 months and can consist of up to 100 per cent of the indicative monthly award. We have also abolished waiting days and now provide 2 weeks of housing support to claimants moving to Universal Credit from Housing Benefit.</p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe question first answered 18/06/2018 12:10:04 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
tabling member	4564 label Biography information for Lord Bird

918915

registered interest
date	06/06/2018
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: Children
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to amend the ordering restriction on the exemption from the two-child limit for children born as a result of non-consensual conception.
tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of Durham
uin	HL8411
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2018 answer text <p>We currently have no plans to make further amendments to the policy.</p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe question first answered 18/06/2018 12:10:13 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
tabling member	4312 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of Durham

916537

registered interest
date	04/06/2018
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: Medical Examinations
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many benefit assessment centres are fully accessible for disabled people.
tabling member printed	Lord Beecham
uin	HL8243
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/06/2018 answer text <p>Ensuring our assessment services are accessible to all claimants is a priority in line with the standards under the Equality Act 2010. Where customers are not able to access an assessment at one of our assessment centres, our assessment providers provide an alternative method of delivering the service. For example they may arrange an appointment at an alternative nearby assessment centre or arrange a home visit.</p><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe question first answered 13/06/2018 15:25:34 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
tabling member	4181 label Biography information for Lord Beecham

916538

registered interest
date	04/06/2018
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: Medical Examinations
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 Muscular Dystrophy UK Focus on disability benefits published in June 2016; and what steps they have taken to ensure benefit assessment centres are fully accessible for disabled people.
tabling member printed	Lord Beecham
uin	HL8244
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2018 answer text <p>Ensuring our assessment services are accessible to all claimants is a priority in line with the access standards under the Equality Act 2010. Where customers are not able to access an assessment at one of our assessment centres, our assessment providers provide an alternative method of delivering the service. For example they may arrange an appointment at an alternative nearby assessment centre or arrange a home visit.</p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe question first answered 18/06/2018 13:13:14 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
tabling member	4181 label Biography information for Lord Beecham

916549

registered interest
date	04/06/2018
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	Poverty
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans, if any, they have to adopt an all-of-government approach to preventing the root causes of poverty.
tabling member printed	Lord Bird
uin	HL8255
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/06/2018 answer text <p>This Government believes that works provides people with the best opportunity for getting out of poverty and into self-reliance. This is why it is committed to collective action that tackles the root causes of poverty and disadvantage through a range of policies that encourage people to move into and progress in work including Universal Credit, the National Living Wage, tax changes, and up to 30 hours of free childcare a week. There are around 880,000 fewer adults and almost 600,000 fewer children in workless households compared with 2010.</p><p> </p><p>‘Improving Lives: Helping Workless Families’, published on 4 April, set out a framework for improving outcomes for children in workless households including nine cross-departmental indicators to track progress across a number of departments in tackling the disadvantages that can affect families and their children. The Department for Work and Pensions continues to work with a range of external stakeholders and with other Departments to take forward the policies set out in the paper and is also committed to pushing annual updates against all nine indicators.</p><p><br>The Department is also represented at a ministerial level at a number of groups and forums which focus on supporting those who are most disadvantaged, whether or not they have children, including Inter Ministerial Groups on Rough Sleeping and Homelessness Reduction Taskforce, Serious Violence Strategy, Violence against Women and Girls, Race Disparity, Safe and Integrated Communities, the Reducing Reoffending Board and the Drugs Strategy Board. It also co-chairs the Financial Inclusion Policy Forum with the Economic Secretary to the Treasury.</p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe question first answered 13/06/2018 11:31:33 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
tabling member	4564 label Biography information for Lord Bird

916580

registered interest
date	04/06/2018
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: Domestic Abuse
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to provide standalone training modules for Jobcentre Plus staff to enable them to deal with applications for Universal Credit from victims of physical or mental domestic abuse.
tabling member printed	Lord Kirkwood of Kirkhope
uin	HL8286
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/06/2018 answer text <p>In supporting victims of domestic violence, the Jobcentre offers a range of support open to survivors and those still experiencing domestic abuse.</p><p> </p><p>Work Coaches delivering Universal Credit undergo a comprehensive learning journey designed to equip them with the tools, skills and behaviours required to provide a high quality service to all claimants. Specific training and guidance is provided for working with different vulnerable groups, including people who have been the victims of domestic violence.</p><p> </p><p>Work Coaches will signpost claimants to national and local organisations who can provide specialist support and apply the domestic violence easement, switching off all work-related requirements for a period of time.</p><p> </p><p>A national call was held recently to raise awareness and understanding of domestic abuse across the Jobcentre network and a video has been produced to highlight good practice when supporting individuals who have been or are currently in a domestic abuse relationship.</p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe question first answered 13/06/2018 15:57:04 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
tabling member	635 label Biography information for Lord Kirkwood of Kirkhope

916581

registered interest
date	04/06/2018
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: Domestic Abuse
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Universal Credit applicants in full service areas have been allowed conditionality easements to date as a result of reported domestic abuse.
tabling member printed	Lord Kirkwood of Kirkhope
uin	HL8287
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/06/2018 answer text <p>The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.</p><p> </p><p>When a claimant reports domestic abuse to the Jobcentre Plus we will review their conditionality requirements, and provide easements where appropriate.</p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe question first answered 13/06/2018 15:57:27 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
tabling member	635 label Biography information for Lord Kirkwood of Kirkhope