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349525

	registered interest
	date	10/06/2015
	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	Fuel Direct Scheme
	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 affordability of a standard Fuel Direct rate of £3.70 for direct payments for arrears on fuel bills; and whether in setting that rate they considered (1) allowing some customers to pay a lower rate of direct deduction, and (2) allowing customers to pay by Fuel Direct for ongoing bills when they are not in arrears.
	tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of St Albans
	uin	HL394
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2015 answer text <p /> <p>Third Party Deduction is a long standing scheme of last resort where all other means of budgeting have been exhausted. Where the Secretary of State decides that it is in the claimant’s best interests to order repayment of the arrears he can do so. The scheme was introduced in the 1970’s to protect the vulnerable and their family, whilst not adding to their financial burden.</p><p> </p><p>Fuel Direct is set in legislation at 5% of their Personal Allowance, which is a fixed deduction of £3.70 for each element of fuel debt. This is considered to be the most appropriate level of repayment in order to clear the fuel debt arrears and to prevent enforcement action.</p><p> </p><p>Each year the amount of Third Party Deduction is re-assessed as part of The Social Security Up-rating Order.</p><p> </p><p>Once the arrears have been paid a person will usually be taken off the Fuel Direct scheme. In exceptional circumstances a person may be allowed to remain on the Fuel Direct scheme to help ensure that they don’t get into debt again.</p><p> </p><p>However Fuel Direct is not intended as a budgeting aid and the Governments main objective is to help people into employment, whilst encouraging them to be responsible for their own financial affairs, whether they are on benefit or not.</p> answering member printed Baroness Altmann question first answered 18/06/2015 14:39:18 answering member 4533 label Biography information for Baroness Altmann
	tabling member	4308 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of St Albans

458642

	registered interest
	date	08/03/2016
	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	Motability
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many individuals who previously claimed a motability allowance under the Disability Living Allowance have (1) lost that allowance after being reassessed for Personal Independence Payments, and (2) kept that allowance after being reassessed for Personal Independence Payments.
	tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of St Albans
	uin	HL6794
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/03/2016 answer text <p>There is not a motability allowance in Disability Living Allowance (DLA) or Personal Independence Payment (PIP). The information requested is, therefore, not available.</p><p> </p><p>Both DLA and PIP have a mobility component which can be paid at one of two rates and access to the Motability Scheme is through receipt of the higher rate mobility component of DLA or the enhanced rate mobility component of PIP.</p><p> </p><p>The latest available data on PIP claims in payment, registrations, clearances and awards for both new claims and reassessed claims (for those previously in receipt of DLA) are published on Gov.UK. In particular, breakdowns of reassessed claims in payment by type and rate of awards can be found using the Stat Xplore tool on Gov.UK</p> answering member printed Baroness Altmann question first answered 22/03/2016 15:01:19 answering member 4533 label Biography information for Baroness Altmann
	tabling member	4308 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of St Albans

792938

	registered interest
	date	21/11/2017
	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: Uprating
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Lord Young of Cookham on 16 November (HL Deb, col 2187), whether they plan to revert to uprating working age benefits in line with inflation at the end of the current four-year freeze.
	tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of St Albans
	uin	HL3462
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/11/2017 answer text <p>The Welfare Reform and Work Act 2016 has frozen the majority of working-age benefits and tax credits for four tax years, from 2016-17 to 2019-20. These rates will therefore remain the same over this period.</p><p> </p><p>Once these provisions cease to have effect, the pre-existing statutory obligations will re-apply, requiring the Government to undertake a review of the rates of tax credits and benefits in light of price inflation in the preceding year.</p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe question first answered 30/11/2017 12:12:06 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
	tabling member	4308 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of St Albans

810025

	registered interest
	date	20/12/2017
	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	Welfare State: Reform
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they have taken to assess the impact of welfare reforms since 2012 on homelessness; and if such assessments have been undertaken, what were the conclusions.
	tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of St Albans
	uin	HL4371
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/01/2018 answer text <p>The causes of homelessness are numerous and complex. There is currently no clear evidence of the impact of welfare reform amongst all of the other potential causes of homelessness; homelessness reflects a combination of individual, local and national factors. The Department for Work and Pensions will continue to work with the Department for Communities and Local Government to improve our understanding of local housing markets and welfare reform, helping us evaluate fully the causes of homelessness. The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government announced on 30 November 2017 that his Department, working with Department for Work and Pensions, will be commissioning a feasibility study to determine how we can carry out robust and useful research into the causes of homelessness and rough sleeping.</p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe question first answered 08/01/2018 13:30:02 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
	tabling member	4308 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of St Albans

1195297

	registered interest
	date	12/05/2020
	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 what assessment they have made of the rate of child poverty in Luton; and what plans they have to provide additional financial support to the Luton Borough Council to help it address that rate. [T]
	tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of St Albans
	uin	HL4300
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/06/2020 answer text <p>The national and regional statistics on the number and proportion of people in low income as set out in the annual ‘Households Below Average Income’ publication are not available at local authority level due to limitations around the survey sample.</p><p> </p><p>New experimental data on Children in Low Income families was published on 26 March 2020 and is available at Local Authority level. For the Luton Local Authority area, 23 per cent of children were in families with absolute low income in 2018/19 compared with 25 per cent in 2014/15.</p><p> </p><p>Our current focus is on helping vulnerable families cope with the financial hardships brought about by COVID-19. We have increased Universal Credit and Working Tax Credit by £1,000 from 6 April 2020 for one year, benefiting over four million of the most vulnerable households, and increased Local Housing Allowance rates - putting an average of £600 into people’s pockets.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, Local Authorities in England will now be able to use the £500 million Hardship Fund announced at the Spring Budget to help working people on Local Council Tax Support to provide additional help to vulnerable people locally through arrangements such as Local Welfare Schemes.</p><p> </p><p>This Government’s long-term ambition remains to build an economy that will support work, and ensure that everyone has opportunities to enter work and progress, while being supported by the welfare system in their time of need. This is based on clear evidence of the important role of work in reducing child poverty. In 2018/19, only three per cent of children in households where both parents work full time were in absolute poverty (before housing costs) compared to 47 per cent in households where one or more parent was in part-time work.</p> answering member printed Baroness Stedman-Scott question first answered 10/06/2020 14:05:05 answering member 4174 label Biography information for Baroness Stedman-Scott
	tabling member	4308 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of St Albans

1349342

	registered interest
	date	21/07/2021
	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, further to the report by Christians Against Poverty Shipshape or sinking ship?, published on 21 July, what plans they have to review whether social security meets (1) the basic cost of living, and (2) the Eatwell Guide.
	tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of St Albans
	uin	HL2275
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/08/2021 answer text <p>Statistics on the number and percentage of children in low income and material deprivation, including by receipt of benefit, are set out in the annual &quot;Households Below Average Income&quot; publication.</p><p> </p><p>Universal Credit (UC) awards are formed of a Standard Allowance, paid according to age and family status, plus help with eligible housing costs, which can then be supplemented with additional elements for groups recognised as having additional needs, such as parents, disabled people and carers. The rates of benefit are not determined by individuals' living costs.</p><p> </p><p>This Government firmly believes that people should be free to spend their benefit as they see fit, in light of their individual needs and preferences. Everyone’s requirements vary and to attempt to base rates upon personal expenditure of individual recipients would produce an unfair and unsustainable system.</p><p> </p><p>UC is a personalised system without the ‘cliff edges’ featured across legacy benefits, where money was lost when working more than 16, 24 and 30 hours. UC makes work pay by introducing a smoother, more transparent reduction of benefits at a consistent and predictable rate when people move into work and increase their earnings. A single taper, of 63 per cent per £1 is applied as earnings rise.</p><p> </p><p>We have expanded the Holiday Activities and Food programme to all children in every local authority in England, covering Easter, Summer and Christmas in 2021. We also expanded Healthy Start payments from £3.10 to £4.25 a week from April 2021, to ensure pregnant women and children under 4 have access to basic food and vitamins.</p><p> </p><p>We take the issue of food insecurity seriously, which is why we added internationally used food security questions to the Family Resources Survey in 19/20 and these questions remain in the survey for 20/21. Statistics on levels of food insecure households covering 2019/20, can be found on Gov.uk.</p> answering member printed Baroness Stedman-Scott question first answered 02/08/2021 13:46:22 answering member 4174 label Biography information for Baroness Stedman-Scott
	tabling member	4308 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of St Albans

1522701

	registered interest
	date	17/10/2022
	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	Cold Weather Payments
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to review the Cold Weather Payment given increased energy costs.
	tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of St Albans
	uin	HL2653
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/10/2022 answer text <p>Cold Weather Payments help vulnerable people in receipt of certain income-related benefits to meet the additional costs of heating during periods of severe cold weather between 1 November and 31 March. We keep all policies, including Cold Weather Payment, under constant review.</p> answering member printed Baroness Stedman-Scott question first answered 27/10/2022 12:54:15 answering member 4174 label Biography information for Baroness Stedman-Scott
	tabling member	4308 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of St Albans

1538423

	registered interest
	date	01/11/2022
	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: Investment
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Pensions Regulator regarding the use of Liability Driven Investment by pension funds.
	tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of St Albans
	uin	HL3123
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/11/2022 answer text <p>Individual member benefits were not at risk. The DB pension promise is ultimately the responsibility of the sponsoring employer and does not depend on the performance of the fund. The steep rise in gilt yields and subsequent market turmoil at the end of September did not result in any DB schemes being at risk of insolvency. If any schemes do suffer losses which result in a funding deficit, this can be addressed through investment returns and additional contributions from the sponsoring employer over a reasonable period.</p> answering member printed Baroness Stedman-Scott grouped question UIN HL3124 question first answered 14/11/2022 16:56:58 answering member 4174 label Biography information for Baroness Stedman-Scott
	tabling member	4308 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of St Albans

1538424

	registered interest
	date	01/11/2022
	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: Investment
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the risk to individuals from the practice of Liability Driven Investment by pension funds.
	tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of St Albans
	uin	HL3124
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/11/2022 answer text <p>Individual member benefits were not at risk. The DB pension promise is ultimately the responsibility of the sponsoring employer and does not depend on the performance of the fund. The steep rise in gilt yields and subsequent market turmoil at the end of September did not result in any DB schemes being at risk of insolvency. If any schemes do suffer losses which result in a funding deficit, this can be addressed through investment returns and additional contributions from the sponsoring employer over a reasonable period.</p> answering member printed Baroness Stedman-Scott grouped question UIN HL3123 question first answered 14/11/2022 16:56:58 answering member 4174 label Biography information for Baroness Stedman-Scott
	tabling member	4308 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of St Albans

1539350

	registered interest
	date	03/11/2022
	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	Cold Weather Payments
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Stedman-Scott on 27 October (HL2653), on what basis they can provide for the Cold Weather Payment being £25; when they undertook their last review into the appropriateness of that figure; and what assessment they have made of the efficacy of a one-off payment for those eligible for the Cold Weather Payment.
	tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of St Albans
	uin	HL3212
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/11/2022 answer text <p>There are currently no plans to introduce a one-off payment under the Cold Weather Payment scheme. The scheme ensures that vulnerable claimants on qualifying benefits automatically receive a payment of £25 for every 7-day period of exceptionally cold weather. This represents a generous contribution towards additional heating costs, paid at the time of need. <br></p><p>The Government has already announced additional financial support to help vulnerable people with energy costs this winter, and the Department continues to keep its policies and procedures under review.</p> answering member printed Baroness Stedman-Scott question first answered 16/11/2022 14:14:11 answering member 4174 label Biography information for Baroness Stedman-Scott
	tabling member	4308 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of St Albans