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1109767

registered interest
date	04/04/2019
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	Pensions: Consumer Information
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent estimate his Department has made of the cost to the public purse of delivering the online pensions dashboard; and what the timescale is for that delivery.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
tabling member printed	Paul Farrelly
uin	240970
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/04/2019 answer text <p>Pensions dashboards are a digital democratiser – they will open up pensions to millions - providing an easy-to-access online view of a saver's pensions.</p><p> </p><p>Government’s work on dashboards builds upon the Pensions Dashboard Prototype Project, managed by the Association of British Insurers (ABI) with the involvement of 17 pensions firms. We believe that, in the long term, as they develop to become more sophisticated, pensions dashboards could, as a minimum and as set out in our consultation response, help to achieve the following objectives:</p><p> </p><p>- increase individual awareness,</p><p>- build individual control,</p><p>- increase engagement,</p><p>- support the guidance process,</p><p>- reconnect individuals with lost pension pots</p><p>- and enable more informed user choices.</p><p> </p><p>A key priority for 2019 is for the Money and Pensions Service to establish the industry delivery group, and we also expect to see industry creating and testing dashboards this year. Government is committed to compelling pension schemes to make consumers’ data available to them through their chosen dashboard. Schemes need to start getting ready now, particularly in terms of preparing data. Pension schemes should be ready to provide consumer’s information to them via dashboards within a three to four years window.</p><p> </p><p>A copy of the consultation with details on next steps, legislation and timelines can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/pensions-dashboards-feasibility-report-and-consultation" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/pensions-dashboards-feasibility-report-and-consultation</a></p><p> </p><p>There is a role for government in facilitating industry's delivery of dashboards which work for consumers and put people in control of their data. That’s why, at the Autumn Budget 2018, the Chancellor allocated £3.35 million worth of funding for 2019/20 to support this endeavour.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, the government’s response to the consultation on pensions dashboards stated that the Money and Pensions Service will draw on the Financial Services Levy and the General Levy on pension schemes to fund the non-commercial dashboard and the dashboard architecture. This levy is paid for by pension schemes. Additionally, there have been associated usual staff running costs for the department relating to the development of the policy.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 09/04/2019 16:09:53 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	1436 label Biography information for Paul Farrelly

1109379

registered interest
date	03/04/2019
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: Payment Methods
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his policy is on paying state pensions into a bank account held at a local post office.
tabling member constituency	Ross, Skye and Lochaber
tabling member printed	Ian Blackford
uin	240570
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/04/2019 answer text <p>Since January 2017, 99% of banks personal customers are able to withdraw cash, deposit cash and cheques, and make balance enquiries free of charge at a Post Office counter via its network of 11,600 branches.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is committed to helping more people move towards, and benefit from, mainstream banking. The DWPs standard Method of Payment is to pay electronically into a bank account, building society account, credit union account, internet based account or a basic bank account of the customer’s choice. This provides a safe, modern and reliable method of payment, which gives customers greater choice about where and when they collect their money.</p><p> </p><p>For people who do not have access to a mainstream account, the Department currently offers two exception payment methods and this includes Post Office card account which enables payment of benefit and pension into an account which is held at a local post office.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 08/04/2019 13:05:22 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4390 label Biography information for Ian Blackford

1109190

registered interest
date	02/04/2019
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	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to her Department's document Estimated costs of uprating State Pension in frozen rate countries, recipients of the UK State Pension living overseas, if she will hold discussions with her counterparts in (a) Australia, (b) Canada, (c) New Zealand and (d) other countries about the potential benefits of a reciprocal agreement including the uprating of the pensions of their UK residents; and if she will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Brighton, Pavilion
tabling member printed	Caroline Lucas
uin	239930
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/04/2019 answer text <p>The Department’s document ‘Estimated costs of uprating State Pension in frozen rate countries’ <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/estimated-costs-of-uprating-state-pension-in-frozen-rate-countries" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/estimated-costs-of-uprating-state-pension-in-frozen-rate-countries</a> shows that the estimated extra cost of up-rating the UK State Pension in countries where State Pension increases are not paid would be around £3 billion extra over five years, if all State Pensions in payment were increased to the amount that would have been payable if the recipients had never left the UK.</p><p> </p><p>The policy on the up-rating of UK State Pensions paid to recipients living outside the UK is clear and is a long-standing one of successive Governments since WW2. The annual index-linked increases are paid to UK State Pension recipients where there is a legal requirement to do so. For example, where UK State Pension recipients are living within the European Economic Area, Switzerland and Gibraltar or in countries where there is a reciprocal agreement in place that provides for the uprating of the UK State Pension. The Government has no plans to change this policy.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 10/04/2019 11:53:50 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	3930 label Biography information for Caroline Lucas

1107823

registered interest
date	29/03/2019
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: Single People
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the number of single old age pensioners who currently rely solely on basic state pension for income.
tabling member constituency	Wansbeck
tabling member printed	Ian Lavery
uin	238643
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/04/2019 answer text <p>The basic State Pension applies to people who reached State Pension age before the 6<sup>th</sup> April 2016. We estimate that 2% of single pensioners in the UK had income from only the basic State Pension in 2017/18.</p><p> </p><p>Pensioners who receive any income of any amount from sources other than the basic State Pension have not been counted in the 2%, except for some seasonal payments these individuals may additionally receive (including Winter Fuel Payment and Christmas Bonus).</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 08/04/2019 16:22:33 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4139 label Biography information for Ian Lavery

1105618

registered interest
date	27/03/2019
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	Workplace Pensions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people working on the Automatic Enrolment Programme are (a) contingent labour, (b) supplier resource and (c) civil servants.
tabling member constituency	Hemsworth
tabling member printed	Jon Trickett
uin	237607
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/04/2019 answer text <p>Automatic Enrolment has transformed workplace pension’s savings. To date, in excess of 10million eligible workers have been automatically enrolled, by over 1.4million employers. A link to the 2017 Automatic Enrolment Review can be found here:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/668971/automatic-enrolment-review-2017-maintaining-the-momentum.PDF" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/668971/automatic-enrolment-review-2017-maintaining-the-momentum.PDF</a></p><p> </p><p>The current resourcing is 26 full time equivalent civil servants and this headcount consists of programme management, policy, analytical and stakeholder partnering expertise.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 03/04/2019 16:32:36 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	410 label Biography information for Jon Trickett

1105123

registered interest
date	26/03/2019
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	Workplace Pensions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress her Department has made on the consultation into legislating for collective defined contribution pension schemes in the UK.
tabling member constituency	Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill
tabling member printed	Hugh Gaffney
uin	237106
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/04/2019 answer text <p>The Government’s consultation on Collective Defined Contribution schemes closed in January 2019. A formal Government response to the consultation, including a summary of respondents’ views, was published on Monday 18th March and a Written Ministerial Statement was laid before the House (HCWS1422). The consultation response can be found here:</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/delivering-collective-defined-contribution-pension-schemes" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/delivering-collective-defined-contribution-pension-schemes</a></p><p> </p><p>I am grateful for the comments and support received in response to the consultation, and the Department now intends to move forward with legislating to facilitate single and associated employer Collective Defined Contribution scheme provision as soon as Parliamentary time allows and detailed drafting of the proposed measures has been considered and then actioned.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 02/04/2019 16:27:27 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4614 label Biography information for Hugh Gaffney

1105288

registered interest
date	26/03/2019
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	Pensions: Advisory Services
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the level of coordination between the Pensions Regulator and the Financial Conduct Authority in relation to defined benefit pension transfer advice.
tabling member constituency	Blaenau Gwent
tabling member printed	Nick Smith
uin	237080
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/04/2019 answer text <p>The DWP are urging the two organisations to work much more closely together. The Pension’s Regulator and the Financial Conduct Authority carry out their functions independently. The Pension’s Regulator launched a joint protocol with Financial Conduct Authority in January 2019. The Protocol is intended to improve coordination between the Financial Conduct Authority, The Pension’s Regulator and the Pensions Advisory Service to help pension scheme trustees to ensure their members are adequately and fully informed when considering transferring their defined benefit pensions.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 02/04/2019 16:28:51 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	3928 label Biography information for Nick Smith

1104834

registered interest
date	25/03/2019
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	Pensioners: Means-tested Benefits
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the take-up rate has been of each income-based pensioner benefit in each of the last five years for which data are available.
tabling member constituency	Birkenhead
tabling member printed	Frank Field
uin	236312
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/03/2019 answer text <p>The latest Official statistics on the take-up of income related benefits relate to 2016/17 and can be found in the ‘Income-related benefits: estimates of take-up in 2016 to 2017’ publication at:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/income-related-benefits-estimates-of-take-up-financial-year-2016-to-2017" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/income-related-benefits-estimates-of-take-up-financial-year-2016-to-2017</a></p><p /><p> </p><p>Official statistics relating to earlier years can be found at:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/income-related-benefits-estimates-of-take-up--2" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/income-related-benefits-estimates-of-take-up--2</a></p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 28/03/2019 09:53:29 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	478 label Biography information for Lord Field of Birkenhead

1092604

registered interest
date	21/03/2019
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	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what impact assessment her Department has undertaken on the recent reform of pension credit; and if she will publish that impact assessment.
tabling member constituency	Wolverhampton North East
tabling member printed	Emma Reynolds
uin	235295
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/03/2019 answer text <p>The change to the Pension Credit rules was legislated for in the Welfare Reform Act 2012. As part of the Parliamentary process, an Equality Impact Assessment published on the 9 November 2011, which included an assessment of the impacts of Universal Credit reforms on older couples, including mixed aged couples. This can be found at:</p><p /><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-credit-equality-impact-assessment" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-credit-equality-impact-assessment</a></p><p> </p><p>On 28 February 2019 we published an ad-hoc statistical release which provides analysis relating to mixed age couples estimated to be affected by the change in policy to be implemented on 15 May 2019. This can be found at:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mixed-age-couples-benefit-impacts-of-ending-access-to-pension-credit-and-pension-age-housing-benefit" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mixed-age-couples-benefit-impacts-of-ending-access-to-pension-credit-and-pension-age-housing-benefit</a></p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 26/03/2019 16:46:33 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4077 label Biography information for Emma Reynolds

1092721

registered interest
date	21/03/2019
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	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to (a) publicise forthcoming changes to pension credit for mixed-age couples and (b) encourage people to make a claim for that benefit before 15 May 2019.
tabling member constituency	East Ham
tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
uin	235228
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/03/2019 answer text <p>The mixed age couple policy was legislated for in the Welfare Reform Act 2012 and will be implemented now Universal Credit has rolled out nationally for new claims. The commencement order that the mixed age couple policy change will come into force on 15 May 2019, was announced on 14 January 2019. Following the announcement the Government is implementing comprehensive plans to raise awareness of the change among people who may be affected.</p><p> </p><p>The Department has written directly to mixed-age couples who are already in receipt of Pension Credit or Housing Benefit for pensioners to inform them of the changes and encourage them to find out what it could mean for them. Importantly the letters explain that mixed age couples already claiming Pension Credit and/or Housing Benefit for pensioners immediately before 15 May will not be affected for as long as they remain in receipt of either benefit after that date, and that their State Pension will not be affected.</p><p> </p><p>This is in addition to providing information on <a href="http://www.gov.uk" target="_blank">www.gov.uk</a> and through existing departmental channels. The Department’s staff in Pension Centres and Jobcentres are able to provide help and advice about the change, as will staff in local authorities who administer Housing Benefit.</p><p> </p><p>The Department has also worked with relevant organisations, including providing them with a fact sheet to ensure that accurate information is available in the places where people are most likely to seek information.</p><p> </p><p>A regional breakdown of the estimated number of mixed age couples who would have been entitled to and claiming Pension Credit and/or Housing Benefit for pensioners is not available.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman grouped question UIN 235229 235230 question first answered 26/03/2019 16:02:04 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms