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967421

	registered interest
	date	04/09/2018
	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	Local Housing Allowance
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, in the light of the report of the Chartered Institute of Housing Missing The Target? Is targeted affordability funding doing its job?, published on 29 August, what steps they are taking to alleviate the problems faced by tenants of private rented homes caused by the four year freeze on local housing allowance levels.
	tabling member printed	Lord Beecham
	uin	HL9920
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/09/2018 answer text <p>As part of the measures to bring the welfare bill under control and alongside the freeze to other working age benefits Local Housing Allowance rates have been frozen for four years from April 2016 until March 2020. At Autumn Budget 2017, it was announced that an additional £125 million would be available for Targeted Affordability Funding in 2018/19 and 2019/20. In 2018/19 this enables us to increase 213 Local Housing Allowance rates by 3 per cent in those areas where rates have diverged the most from local rents. More Targeted Affordability Funding will be available in 2019/20 and arrangements for its distribution will be finalised at the end of this year.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, from 2011 the Government has provided around £1 billion in Discretionary Housing Payments to local authorities to protect the most vulnerable claimants and support households affected by different welfare reforms including the freeze to Local Housing Allowance rates.</p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe question first answered 18/09/2018 14:08:53 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
	tabling member	4181 label Biography information for Lord Beecham

967412

	registered interest
	date	04/09/2018
	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 when they expect the roll out of Universal Credit to be completed; and what steps they are taking to ensure that data collected on access to free school meals is reliable.
	tabling member printed	Lord Bassam of Brighton
	uin	HL9912
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/09/2018 answer text <p>Universal Credit will be available for all new claims by the end of December 2018. The Managed Migration of current benefit claimants to Universal Credit will begin in 2019 and is due to be completed in 2023.</p><p> </p><p>DWP works closely with the Department for Education, electronically verifying Universal Credit claimants who meet the eligibility criteria for free school meals.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe question first answered 18/09/2018 14:20:10 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
	tabling member	3504 label Biography information for Lord Bassam of Brighton

753299

	registered interest
	date	18/07/2017
	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
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	Her Majesty's Government what is the budget for the Health and Safety Executive for 2017–18; how many inspectors it expects to employ in 2017–18; and how many inspectors it employed in each of the last five years.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Jolly
	uin	HL987
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/07/2017 answer text <p>HSE’s net budget for 2017-18 is £136 million (which includes planned expenditure of £232 million, offset by planned income of £96 million).</p><p> </p><p>During 2017-18 we are seeking to maintain inspector numbers at or around the level as at 31 March 2017 which is stated below, along with the four previous years.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Number of HSE inspectors at 31 March</strong></p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>31 March 2013</p></td><td><p>31 March 2014</p></td><td><p>31 March 2015</p></td><td><p>31 March 2016</p></td><td><p>31 March 2017</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>1,115</p></td><td><p>1,051</p></td><td><p>1,038</p></td><td><p>1,037</p></td><td><p>988</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe question first answered 28/07/2017 11:12:54 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
	tabling member	4203 label Biography information for Baroness Jolly

386491

	registered interest
	date	30/06/2015
	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	Access to Work Programme
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure the availability of Access to Work grants for those who especially need them to start working.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Uddin
	uin	HL986
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/07/2015 answer text <p>Access to Work grants are available for those who meet the eligibility criteria for the scheme including those who are about to start working. Access to Work has specialist teams to ensure more complicated cases are processed as quickly as possible and fast track applications for those who know their circumstances or have a prior assessment enabling support to be put in place quickly.</p> answering member printed Baroness Altmann question first answered 08/07/2015 11:37:14 answering member 4533 label Biography information for Baroness Altmann
	tabling member	1827 label Biography information for Baroness Uddin

386490

	registered interest
	date	30/06/2015
	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	Employment: Autism
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they will take to ensure that organisations in the private sector employ people with autism.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Uddin
	uin	HL985
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/07/2015 answer text <p>The Government is acting to raise awareness regarding employment of people with autism and to support people on the autism spectrum to take up employment. For example,</p><p> </p><p>The Government’s Disability Confident campaign works with employers at a national and local level to help them to understand the benefits of employing disabled people, and promote good practice in recruitment and employment of disabled people, including people with autism.</p><p> </p><p>DWP has worked in close partnership with the Hidden Impairment National Group (HING), a national network of disabled people, medical professionals/ academics and disability specific organisations to produce an ‘Uncovering Hidden Impairments’ toolkit. This resource supports organisations in both the private and public sectors to confidently recruit and retain talented individuals with hidden impairment conditions.</p><p> </p><p>The Department for Education is funding <em>Ambitious about Autism </em>(2015-16) to explore innovative ways of supporting young people with Autism to make the transition from school to further education, and the <em>Autism Education Trust</em> (2015-16) to promote the availability of training on Autism to schools, early years and further education staff, and to revise national standards for Autism provision and a competency framework for those who work with children with Autism.</p><p> </p><p>Government has supported the development by NIACE of an employer toolkit that includes information to help employers to understand the benefits of employing apprentices with disabilities, and to access support.</p><p> </p><p>We are currently working with Autism charities to build an autism network across DWP Jobcentre Plus Offices to ensure we can provide the best possible service to those with autism.</p><p> </p><p>We have worked with Community Service Volunteers to introduce the Job-Shadowing Work Placement Initiative for young disabled people. The first tranche was very successful with 65% of young people having autistic spectrum conditions</p><p> </p><p>The Government’s Autism Strategy, and the updated Statutory Guidance published in March 2015, sets out in detail how Government will support the autism agenda nationally.</p> answering member printed Baroness Altmann grouped question UIN HL984 question first answered 14/07/2015 12:34:45 answering member 4533 label Biography information for Baroness Altmann
	tabling member	1827 label Biography information for Baroness Uddin

386489

	registered interest
	date	30/06/2015
	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	Employment: Autism
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what efforts they are making to raise awareness of employing people with autism.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Uddin
	uin	HL984
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/07/2015 answer text <p>The Government is acting to raise awareness regarding employment of people with autism and to support people on the autism spectrum to take up employment. For example,</p><p> </p><p>The Government’s Disability Confident campaign works with employers at a national and local level to help them to understand the benefits of employing disabled people, and promote good practice in recruitment and employment of disabled people, including people with autism.</p><p> </p><p>DWP has worked in close partnership with the Hidden Impairment National Group (HING), a national network of disabled people, medical professionals/ academics and disability specific organisations to produce an ‘Uncovering Hidden Impairments’ toolkit. This resource supports organisations in both the private and public sectors to confidently recruit and retain talented individuals with hidden impairment conditions.</p><p> </p><p>The Department for Education is funding <em>Ambitious about Autism </em>(2015-16) to explore innovative ways of supporting young people with Autism to make the transition from school to further education, and the <em>Autism Education Trust</em> (2015-16) to promote the availability of training on Autism to schools, early years and further education staff, and to revise national standards for Autism provision and a competency framework for those who work with children with Autism.</p><p> </p><p>Government has supported the development by NIACE of an employer toolkit that includes information to help employers to understand the benefits of employing apprentices with disabilities, and to access support.</p><p> </p><p>We are currently working with Autism charities to build an autism network across DWP Jobcentre Plus Offices to ensure we can provide the best possible service to those with autism.</p><p> </p><p>We have worked with Community Service Volunteers to introduce the Job-Shadowing Work Placement Initiative for young disabled people. The first tranche was very successful with 65% of young people having autistic spectrum conditions</p><p> </p><p>The Government’s Autism Strategy, and the updated Statutory Guidance published in March 2015, sets out in detail how Government will support the autism agenda nationally.</p> answering member printed Baroness Altmann grouped question UIN HL985 question first answered 14/07/2015 12:34:45 answering member 4533 label Biography information for Baroness Altmann
	tabling member	1827 label Biography information for Baroness Uddin

947537

	registered interest
	date	24/07/2018
	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	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, or intend to make, of the report of the Resolution Foundation, Living Standards Audit 2018, published on 24 July, and its conclusion that the proportion of children in poverty has risen by 21 per cent in the five years to 2016, rather than their estimate of 11 per cent.
	tabling member printed	Lord Bird
	uin	HL9830
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/07/2018 answer text <p>Benefit under-reporting in household surveys is a well-known, long standing issue. To date it has not been possible to accurately resolve this. The Resolution Foundation’s report published on 24 July attempts to correct this issue. However, they do not have accurate information on which households are under-reporting. Consequently, they use a series of assumptions to select a number of households in the survey, allocating them additional income from benefits. This means the conclusions in the report will be sensitive to the households selected; different assumptions will give different results.</p><p> </p><p>DWP is currently working towards a more accurate solution to correct this issue, whereby survey records are combined with administrative data to improve the quality of the survey data. Making this correction is likely to reduce the number of individuals classed as being in low income.</p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe question first answered 31/07/2018 13:51:06 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
	tabling member	4564 label Biography information for Lord Bird

947127

	registered interest
	date	23/07/2018
	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 are their plans to address payment errors and delays for people attempting to claim Universal Credit.
	tabling member printed	Lord Taylor of Warwick
	uin	HL9817
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/07/2018 answer text <p>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 such as: some 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 on-going, many of these claimants receive a part payment for those elements of the claim that have been resolved. Within five weeks of the payment due date, 95 per cent of claims are paid in full.</p><p>DWP continues to monitor payment timeliness and we have made changes to improve payment timeliness. For example, we have built processes into the system to make it easier and quicker for people to verify information such as their housing costs.</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><p> </p><p>If a claim has been delayed due to error, DWP can also consider awarding an ex-gratia payment, as set out in the guide of Financial Redress for Maladministration, available on gov.uk, and which is attached.</p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe question first answered 31/07/2018 13:50:40 question first ministerially corrected 31/07/2018 14:41:10 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe attachment 1 file name HL9817 Financial Redress for Maladministration FR.PDF title Financial Redress for Maladministration previous answer version 72633 answering member printed Baroness Buscombe answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
	tabling member	1796 label Biography information for Lord Taylor of Warwick

76638

	registered interest
	date	09/07/2014
	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	Pension Funds
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the total value of United Kingdom pension funds.
	tabling member printed	Lord Empey
	uin	HL980
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/07/2014 answer text <p /> <p /> <p>All information is published within the TPR Corporate Plan 2014-2017, on page 18.</p><p><a href="http://www.thepensionsregulator.gov.uk/docs/corporate-plan-2014-2017.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.thepensionsregulator.gov.uk/docs/corporate-plan-2014-2017.pdf</a></p><p> </p><p>This table shows the total assets held within pension funds governed by The Pensions Regulator (TPR), broken down by the four main types of private work-based pension products where TPR's powers apply.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 15/07/2014 12:34:43 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
	tabling member	4216 label Biography information for Lord Empey

731090

	registered interest
	date	21/06/2017
	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	Funeral Payments
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to match the ten-day target for the administration of Social Fund Funeral Payments pledged by the Scottish Government; and, if not, what plans they have to enable bereaved families to bury their relatives in the absence of any estate from which to draw funds to cover funeral costs.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Meacher
	uin	HL98
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/06/2017 answer text <p>The Department has no plans to change its clearance standard of 15 working days for Funeral Expenses Payments. The Department provides Funeral Expenses Payments to people who are arranging a funeral and who are in receipt of a qualifying income-related benefit. They make a significant contribution towards the cost of arranging a funeral, and are paid as swiftly as possible when all the necessary evidence has been provided. In most cases, payments are made directly to the funeral director who arranged the funeral.</p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe question first answered 28/06/2017 11:11:11 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
	tabling member	3810 label Biography information for Baroness Meacher