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174488

	registered interest
	date	19/01/2015
	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	Winter Fuel Payment: 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, on what basis the French Southern and Antarctic Lands, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Saint Barthélemy, French Polynesia, Wallis and Futuna and New Caledonia are excluded from his calculations for the purposes of establishing the average mean winter temperature for France in connection with winter fuel payments.
	tabling member constituency	North Thanet
	tabling member printed	Sir Roger Gale
	uin	221255
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p> </p><p>The French Government and European Union law makes a distinction between the <em>pays et territoires d’outre-mer</em> (PTOM) and the <em>départements d’outre mer (DOMs). </em>The PTOM include Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, Saint Barthélémy, French Polynesia, Wallis and Futuna and New Caledonia. These territories benefit from association with the EU but community law does not generally apply. With the exception of Saint- Barthélémy they have their own social protection schemes and are legally and financially autonomous. UK Winter Fuel Payments are not paid to residents in the PTOMs.</p><p> </p><p>The French Government treats its DOMs as integral parts of the French State and they are subject to the application of EU social security co-ordination regulations. Winter Fuel Payments are payable to residents in the DOMs, however this will end from September 2015.</p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb question first answered 22/01/2015 12:35:10 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb
	tabling member	87 label Biography information for Sir Roger Gale

172933

	registered interest
	date	09/01/2015
	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	Widowed Parent's Allowance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has conducted an impact assessment of proposed changes to the widowed parent's allowance; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	North Ayrshire and Arran
	tabling member printed	Katy Clark
	uin	220244
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>Bereavement benefits including Widowed Parent’s Allowance will be replaced by Bereavement Support Payment from April 2017. Those already in receipt of the existing benefit will not be affected by the change.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>An impact assessment was published in April 2014: “Replacement of existing Bereavement Benefits for New Claims from April 2017 – Bereavement Benefits for the 21<sup>st</sup> Century (in Great Britain)”</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/311318/pensions-act-ia-annex-d-bereavement-support-payment.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/311318/pensions-act-ia-annex-d-bereavement-support-payment.pdf</a></p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb question first answered 16/01/2015 14:01:49 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb
	tabling member	1590 label Biography information for Baroness Clark of Kilwinning

173571

	registered interest
	date	14/01/2015
	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	Winter Fuel Payment
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many recipients of the Winter Fuel Payment are higher rate taxpayers.
	tabling member printed	Lord Tyler
	uin	HL4131
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>Eligibility for Winter Fuel Payments is based on female State Pension age. The latest estimates we have show that there are currently around 600,000 higher and additional rate taxpayers in Great Britain in 2014/15 who are above the female State Pension age and therefore qualify for Winter Fuel Payments<sup>1</sup>.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>We ask people who want to return their payment to do so by post so that it can be dealt with securely under existing Departmental financial processes and recorded against their Winter Fuel Payment account. We also ask for a covering letter indicating whether or not they wish us to continue to issue payments in future years.</p><p> </p><p>Returned payments should be sent to the address on the issuing letter or to the office that pays the claimant’s benefit.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The latest estimates we have show that treating Winter Fuel Payments as taxable income would bring in around £250 million a year of additional revenue<sup>2</sup>.</p><p> </p><p>Notes:</p><p>1. This estimate is based on the 2011/12 Survey of Personal Incomes using economic assumptions consistent with the OBR’s November 2014 economic and fiscal outlook.</p><p>The estimate uses ONS population projections at mid year 2012 adjusted for financial years.</p><p>The estimate is rounded to the nearest 100,000.</p><p> </p><p>2. This estimate is based on DWP modelling using HMRC taxpayer data from November 2012 and Winter Fuel Payment caseload data from Winter 2013.</p><p>This takes into account revenue from Basic, Higher and Additional rate taxpayers.</p><p>Winter Fuel Payment rates are assumed to be £200 per year for recipients under 80 and £300 a year for recipients aged 80 and over.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud grouped question UIN HL4132 HL4133 question first answered 26/01/2015 12:13:04 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
	tabling member	225 label Biography information for Lord Tyler

174820

	registered interest
	date	20/01/2015
	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	Winter Fuel Payment: 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, pursuant to the Answer to Question 220107, if he will make it his policy to exclude French Overseas Departments in the calculation of average temperature for France for the purposes of determining eligibility for winter fuel payments to UK citizens.
	tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
	tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
	uin	221473
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>It is the French Government that defines itself as the mainland and its outermost regions, and as such are included in the EU social security co-ordination regulations, used and applied by all member states.</p><p> </p><p>It is because of this that the French Overseas Departments<em> (départments d’outre mer</em> or DOMs) are treated in the same way as mainland France with regard to Winter Fuel Payments, which are currently made to those entitled who live there. Therefore, the hotter French Overseas Departments have to be included in the calculation of the average temperature of France. We are being consistent with our policy approach.</p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb question first answered 23/01/2015 11:29:58 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb
	tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

178218

	registered interest
	date	05/02/2015
	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	Jobseeker's Allowance: Domestic Abuse
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to publicise the jobseeker's allowance Domestic Violence Easement.
	tabling member constituency	East Ham
	tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
	uin	223652
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/02/2015 answer text <p /> <p>Since the Domestic Violence easement was introduced we have worked with stakeholders and DWP staff to raise awareness of it. Information on the Domestic Violence easement is available on Gov.uk and we have worked with stakeholders to ensure that they are aware and understand how the easement works. We also issued a poster to stakeholders which explains the easement and can be printed and distributed to anyone who wishes to know more about it.</p> answering member constituency Wirral West answering member printed Esther McVey question first answered 10/02/2015 15:11:56 answering member 4084 label Biography information for Esther McVey
	tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

173486

	registered interest
	date	13/01/2015
	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	Funeral Payments
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 2 December 2014 to Question 216270, whether the average payment made by the Social Fund Funeral Payment scheme is intended to cover the whole cost of a simple, respectful, low-cost funeral; by what methodology he has assessed the total cost of such a funeral; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Brighton, Pavilion
	tabling member printed	Caroline Lucas
	uin	220516
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>The Social Fund Funeral Expenses Payment has from its creation, as the claim form and guidance makes clear, provided help towards the cost of funerals for eligible claimants. This includes those necessary costs of burial or cremation, which will be met in full and a significant contribution of up to £700 towards other costs.</p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb question first answered 20/01/2015 12:14:04 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb
	tabling member	3930 label Biography information for Caroline Lucas

173506

	registered interest
	date	13/01/2015
	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	Workplace Pensions: Fees and Charges
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if his Department will publish a list of the high charging pension schemes referred to by the Independent Project Board in its report, Defined contribution workplace pensions: The audit of charges and benefits in legacy schemes, published in December 2014.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow North East
	tabling member printed	Mr William Bain
	uin	220645
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>The recent audit of charges and benefits in legacy pension schemes was undertaken by an Independent Project Board, on which the Department for Work and Pensions was represented. The data collected as part of the legacy audit which was shared with members of the Independent Project Board was aggregated and anonymised. We do not therefore hold provider or scheme specific information.</p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb question first answered 16/01/2015 14:17:40 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb
	tabling member	1610 label Biography information for Mr William Bain

177607

	registered interest
	date	03/02/2015
	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	Winter Fuel Payment
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the average proportion of pensioners' energy bills that was met by the winter fuel payment in winter (a) 2003-04 and (b) 2013-14.
	tabling member constituency	Edinburgh East
	tabling member printed	Sheila Gilmore
	uin	223155
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/02/2015 answer text <p /> <p>This information is not available.</p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb question first answered 09/02/2015 11:28:25 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb
	tabling member	3965 label Biography information for Sheila Gilmore

174817

	registered interest
	date	20/01/2015
	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	Winter Fuel Payment: 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, if he will take steps to ensure that UK pensioners living in France receive winter fuel payments when the temperature where they live is below freezing.
	tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
	tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
	uin	221343
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>Winter Fuel Payments are intended to give older people in the UK reassurance that they can keep warm during cold weather. Winter Fuel Payments are payable to UK pensioners in France, however this will end from September 2015. Winter Fuel Payments are not triggered by temperature either in the UK or abroad.</p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb question first answered 23/01/2015 11:24:30 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb
	tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

173572

	registered interest
	date	14/01/2015
	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	Winter Fuel Payment: Repayments
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, and if so how, recipients of the Winter Fuel Payment may return their payment to the Treasury.
	tabling member printed	Lord Tyler
	uin	HL4132
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/01/2015 answer text <p>Eligibility for Winter Fuel Payments is based on female State Pension age. The latest estimates we have show that there are currently around 600,000 higher and additional rate taxpayers in Great Britain in 2014/15 who are above the female State Pension age and therefore qualify for Winter Fuel Payments<sup>1</sup>.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>We ask people who want to return their payment to do so by post so that it can be dealt with securely under existing Departmental financial processes and recorded against their Winter Fuel Payment account. We also ask for a covering letter indicating whether or not they wish us to continue to issue payments in future years.</p><p> </p><p>Returned payments should be sent to the address on the issuing letter or to the office that pays the claimant’s benefit.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The latest estimates we have show that treating Winter Fuel Payments as taxable income would bring in around £250 million a year of additional revenue<sup>2</sup>.</p><p> </p><p>Notes:</p><p>1. This estimate is based on the 2011/12 Survey of Personal Incomes using economic assumptions consistent with the OBR’s November 2014 economic and fiscal outlook.</p><p>The estimate uses ONS population projections at mid year 2012 adjusted for financial years.</p><p>The estimate is rounded to the nearest 100,000.</p><p> </p><p>2. This estimate is based on DWP modelling using HMRC taxpayer data from November 2012 and Winter Fuel Payment caseload data from Winter 2013.</p><p>This takes into account revenue from Basic, Higher and Additional rate taxpayers.</p><p>Winter Fuel Payment rates are assumed to be £200 per year for recipients under 80 and £300 a year for recipients aged 80 and over.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud grouped question UIN HL4131 HL4133 question first answered 26/01/2015 12:13:04 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
	tabling member	225 label Biography information for Lord Tyler