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167612

registered interest
date	03/12/2014
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 Her Majesty’s Government, further to the comments by Lord Freud in the Grand Committee debate on the Child Poverty Act 2010 (Persistent Poverty Targets) Regulations 2014, that the facts Lord McAvoy had quoted were "simply not true" (HL Deb, 25 November, col GC 263), how they were not true.
tabling member printed	Lord McAvoy
uin	HL3387
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/12/2014 answer text <p /> <p>I wrote to the Noble Peer on this issue on 4<sup>th</sup> December 2014. I have placed a copy of this letter in the library of the House and have also attached it to this response.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 08/12/2014 15:43:27 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud attachment 1 file name Letter to Lord McAvoy 4.12.14.PDF title Letter to Lord McAvoy 4th Dec 2014
tabling member	4158 label Biography information for Lord McAvoy

166851

registered interest
date	01/12/2014
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: EU Nationals
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what effect they expect the Prime Minister’s proposals for curbs on welfare benefits for European Union migrants to have if implemented.
tabling member printed	Lord Taylor of Warwick
uin	HL3269
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/12/2014 answer text <p /> <p>In his speech on 28 November, the Prime Minister announced a number of proposals to restrict EU migrants’ access to welfare benefits. He made clear that the intention of his proposals was to make the immigration system fairer and reduce the current high level of migration from within the EU into the UK.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 08/12/2014 12:14:09 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
tabling member	1796 label Biography information for Lord Taylor of Warwick

166641

registered interest
date	27/11/2014
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 impact assessment they have made of further planned benefit freezes, including the impact on in-work poverty.
tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of St Albans
uin	HL3232
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/12/2014 answer text <p>This Government has no plans to further freeze benefits, so there are currently no plans to provide estimates of the potential effects or the impacts on in-work poverty.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 02/12/2014 15:06:23 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
tabling member	4308 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of St Albans

166212

registered interest
date	26/11/2014
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	Travellers
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what has been the outcome of the advice of the Traveller Movement representative on the Department for Work and Pensions Ethnic Minority Adviser Group on promoting access to vocational training and higher education.
tabling member printed	Baroness Whitaker
uin	HL3196
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/12/2014 answer text <p /> <p>The aim of the Department for Work and Pensions’ Ethnic Minority Employment Stakeholder Group (EMESG) is to offer Ministers and officials advice on the Department’s services and strategy for the employment/self-employment of ethnic minorities and minority groups.</p><p> </p><p>The EMSG does not provide advice on vocational training and higher education as these issues fall outside of DWP’s responsibilities.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 03/12/2014 14:48:55 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
tabling member	2510 label Biography information for Baroness Whitaker

166216

registered interest
date	26/11/2014
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	Housing Benefit (Habitual Residence) Amendment Regulations 2014
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made following the conclusions of the Social Security Advisory Committee that the Housing Benefit (Habitual Residence) Amendment Regulations 2014 will lead to an increase in homelessness and rough sleeping.
tabling member printed	Baroness Suttie
uin	HL3200
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/12/2014 answer text <p /> <p>The Committee suggests there is a direct link between the policy change and an increase in rough sleeping which we do not agree the evidence supports. The causes of rough sleeping are multiple and difficult to disentangle. The Government wishes to deter EEA migrants from coming to the UK if they do not have a firm offer of or realistic chance of securing work and those who come to the UK to look for work should ensure that they have sufficient resources to pay for their accommodation needs, as well as other support that they or their family may need while here.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 02/12/2014 12:25:57 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
tabling member	4298 label Biography information for Baroness Suttie

166087

registered interest
date	25/11/2014
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: Fees and Charges
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are measuring the impact of auto-enrolment on fees charged by the investment management industry; and what plans they have to track any changes.
tabling member printed	Lord Mendelsohn
uin	HL3145
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/12/2014 answer text <p /> <p>The Government’s Command Paper, ‘Better Workplace Pensions: Further measures for savers’, published in March, set out a range of measures including a cap on charges in default fund arrangements, a ban on inappropriate charges and proposals to introduce minimum governance standards and improve transparency across workplace defined contribution schemes.</p><p> </p><p>Following this, Government launched its consultation on draft regulations on governance and charges in occupational pension schemes in October 2014. Subject to Parliamentary approval, the majority of this legislation will come into force from April 2015, alongside Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) rules in relation to workplace personal pension schemes where appropriate. From April 2015, the Government intends to introduce a charge cap on the default funds of qualifying schemes, set at 0.75 per cent of funds under management and the first phase of enhanced transparency with trustees and Independent Governance Committees (IGCs) being required to report on costs and charges for the first time.</p><p> </p><p>In 2015 Government will consult on regulations under duties in the Pensions Act 2014 requiring information about transaction costs to be disclosed to members and others, and the publication of costs and charges information. The FCA also intends to consult on amending their own rules to introduce equivalent enhanced transparency provisions for workplace personal pension schemes during 2015. The Government has also set out its plans to review the level of the default fund charge cap, to see if it should be lowered, and also whether it should include some or all of the transaction costs that are ultimately borne by members within a cap. This review will take place in 2017.</p><p> </p><p>Taken together the combined effect of these measures on charges, governance and transparency and the Government’s commitment to a review should ensure that savers are being enrolled into workplace schemes that are well run and in members’ interests.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 08/12/2014 12:19:52 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
tabling member	4286 label Biography information for Lord Mendelsohn

166089

registered interest
date	25/11/2014
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	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to review the basis on which projections of potential returns are used by the investment management industry in communications with pension holders.
tabling member printed	Lord Mendelsohn
uin	HL3147
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/12/2014 answer text <p /> <p>Since 6 April 2003, certain money purchase pension arrangements have been required to provide members with Statutory Money Purchase Illustrations (SMPIs). Legislation requires that statutory illustrations are produced in accordance with guidance prepared by a prescribed body approved by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and by the Department for Social Development in Northern Ireland.</p><p>The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) is the prescribed body and has been since 6 April 2007. The FRC fulfils its obligations through the publication of Actuarial Standard Technical Memorandum AS TM1: Statutory Money Purchase Illustrations (AS TM1). It reviews AS TM1 regularly and the last completed review was carried out in 2013 following the introduction of the Occupational and Personal Pension Schemes (Disclosure of Information) Regulations 2013 (SI 2013/2734) which came into force on 6 April 2014. The AS TM1 specifies that the investment return should take into account the current and anticipated future investment strategy of the member’s funds over the period to retirement and be consistent from year to year, with the rationale documented and made available to members on request.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) rules require a projection at point of sale for contract based pensions. The investment return must reflect the investment potential of the (expected) underlying assets, subject to an overall cap of 5%pa. Flanking projections must be provided using returns which vary by +/- 3%. The FCA has a public commitment to review the basis every 4 years and the next review is due in 2015. The FCA do not require further projections during the lifetime of the contract as pension scheme members will receive statutory statements prepared under DWP legislation. However, where a provider chooses to provide additional projections, they must follow the same basis as point of sale projections.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 08/12/2014 12:26:30 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
tabling member	4286 label Biography information for Lord Mendelsohn

166093

registered interest
date	25/11/2014
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: Hearing Impairment
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the average financial value of awards made to people whose primary medical condition was classified as difficulty in hearing for the provision of a communication support worker in each of the last five years for which figures are available.
tabling member printed	Lord Hunt of Kings Heath
uin	HL3151
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/12/2014 answer text <p /> <p>The average figures for the last five years for awards for the provision of Communication Support Workers from the Access to Work scheme are:</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Financial Year</p></td><td><p>Average award</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2009/10</p></td><td><p>£9,900</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2010/11</p></td><td><p>£11,100</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2011/12</p></td><td><p>£12,700</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2012/13</p></td><td><p>£14,600</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2013/14</p></td><td><p>£13,500</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>The above figures relate to the provision of Communication Support Workers only and do not include information regarding the provision of BSL interpreters.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 01/12/2014 15:24:12 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
tabling member	2024 label Biography information for Lord Hunt of Kings Heath

166094

registered interest
date	25/11/2014
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	Access to Work Programme
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many users of Access to Work whose primary medical condition is classified as difficulty in hearing had the financial value of their support reduced as a result of a case review in each of the last five years for which figures are available.
tabling member printed	Lord Hunt of Kings Heath
uin	HL3152
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/12/2014 answer text <p>The requested information is not available.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 01/12/2014 15:43:41 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
tabling member	2024 label Biography information for Lord Hunt of Kings Heath

164526

registered interest
date	24/11/2014
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	Immigration: Poland
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 20 November (HL2693), whether the Department for Work and Pensions has made an assessment of the contribution of Polish immigrants to the United Kingdom.
tabling member printed	Lord Patten
uin	HL3119
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/12/2014 answer text <p /> <p>DWP has made no such assessment, nor would it be within the remit of the Department to do so.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 02/12/2014 12:26:32 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
tabling member	1137 label Biography information for Lord Patten