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1668090

registered interest
date	07/11/2023
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
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 Joseph Rowntree Foundation report Destitution in the UK 2023, published on 24 October, which found that "approximately 3.8 million people experienced destitution in 2022, including around one million children".
tabling member printed	Lord Hunt of Kings Heath
uin	HL39
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/11/2023 answer text <p>This government understands the pressures people are facing with the cost of living. We are providing total support of over £94bn over 2022-23 and 2023-24 to help households and individuals with the rising bills.</p><p> </p><p>Furthermore, government is committed to reducing poverty, including child poverty, and supporting low-income families and has overseen significant falls in absolute poverty since 2009/10.</p><p> </p><p>In 2021/22 there were 1.7 million fewer people in absolute poverty after housing costs than in 2009/10, including 400,000 fewer children, 1 million fewer working age adults and 200,000 fewer pensioners. Rates of absolute poverty after housing costs for individuals in families in receipt of Universal Credit have also fallen by 12ppt since 2019/20.</p><p> </p><p>With almost one million job vacancies across the UK, our focus remains firmly on supporting people, including parents, to move into and progress in work. This approach is based on clear evidence about the importance of employment, particularly where it is full-time, in substantially reducing the risks of poverty. The latest statistics show that in 2021/22 children living in workless households were 5 times more likely to be in absolute poverty, after housing costs, than those where all adults work.</p><p> </p><p>To help people into work, our core Jobcentre offer provides a range of options, including face-to-face time with work coaches and interview assistance. In addition, there is specific support targeted towards young people, people aged 50 plus and job seekers with disabilities or health issues.</p><p> </p><p>To support those who are in work, from 1 April 2023, the National Living Wage (NLW) increased by 9.7% to £10.42 an hour for workers aged 23 and over - the largest ever cash increase for the NLW. In addition, the voluntary in-work progression offer started to roll-out in April 2022. It is now available in all Jobcentres across Great Britain. We estimate that around 1.4m low-paid benefit claimants will be eligible for support to progress into higher-paid work.</p><p> </p><p>To further support parents into work, on 28th June 2023, the maximum monthly amounts that a parent can be reimbursed for their childcare increased by 47%, from £646.35 for one child and £1,108.04 for two or more children to £950.92 and £1,630.15 respectively. Importantly, we can now also provide even more help with upfront childcare costs when parents move into work or increase their hours. This means that a parent who needs this additional financial help can now be provided with funding towards both their first and second set of costs (or increased costs), upfront, thereby easing them into the UC childcare costs cycle.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 14/11/2023 17:56:52 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
tabling member	2024 label Biography information for Lord Hunt of Kings Heath

1668166

registered interest
date	07/11/2023
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
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to tackle destitution in the UK, particularly destitution experienced by children.
tabling member printed	The Marquess of Lothian
uin	HL52
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/11/2023 answer text <p>The Government is committed to reducing poverty, including child poverty, and supporting low-income families. We will spend around £276bn through the welfare system in Great Britain in 2023/24 including around £124bn on people of working age and children, and around £152 billion on pensioners. Of this, around £79 billion will be spent on benefits to support disabled people and people with health conditions.</p><p> </p><p>From April, we uprated benefit rates and State Pensions by 10.1%, and in order to increase the number of households who can benefit from these uprating decisions the benefit cap levels also increased by the same amount.</p><p> </p><p>In 2021/22 there were 1.7 million fewer people in absolute poverty after housing costs than in 2009/10, including 400,000 fewer children, 1 million fewer working age adults and 200,000 fewer pensioners.</p><p> </p><p>With almost one million job vacancies across the UK, our focus remains firmly on supporting people, including parents, to move into and progress in work. This approach which is based on clear evidence about the importance of employment - particularly where it is full-time - in substantially reducing the risks of poverty. The latest statistics show that in 2021/22 children living in workless households were 5 times more likely to be in absolute poverty, after housing costs, than those where all adults work.</p><p> </p><p>Through the ambitious package announced at the Spring budget we are delivering measures that are designed to support people to enter work, increase their working hours and extend their working lives.</p><p> </p><p>To help people into work, our core Jobcentre offer provides a range of options, including face-to-face time with work coaches and interview assistance. In addition, there is specific support targeted towards young people, people aged 50 plus and job seekers with disabilities or health issues.</p><p> </p><p>To support those who are in work, from 1 April 2023, the National Living Wage (NLW) increased by 9.7% to £10.42 an hour for workers aged 23 and over - the largest ever cash increase for the NLW. In addition, the voluntary in-work progression offer started to roll-out in April 2022. It is now available in all Jobcentres across Great Britain. We estimate that around 1.4m low-paid benefit claimants will be eligible for support to progress into higher-paid work.</p><p> </p><p>To further support parents into work, on 28<sup>th</sup> June 2023, the maximum monthly amounts that a parent can<del class="ministerial">HL52</del> be reimbursed for their childcare increased by 47%, from £646.35 for one child and £1,108.04 for two or more children to £950.92 and £1,630.15 respectively<strong>.</strong> Importantly, we can now also provide even more help with upfront childcare costs when parents move into work or increase their hours. This means that a parent who needs this additional financial help can now be provided with funding towards both their first and second set of costs (or increased costs), upfront, thereby easing them into the UC childcare costs cycle.</p><p> </p><p>This government understands the pressures people are facing with the cost of living which is why we are providing total support of over £94bn over 2022-23 and 2023-24 to help households and individuals with the rising bills.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 15/11/2023 14:27:00 question first ministerially corrected 15/11/2023 16:10:23 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie previous answer version 743 answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
tabling member	259 label Biography information for The Marquess of Lothian

1659265

registered interest
date	07/09/2023
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
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 Poverty Strategy Commission’s interim report A New Framework for Tackling Poverty, published on 5 September, and in particular the recommendations that a net rise in benefit awards by 5 per cent would reduce numbers in poverty by 725,000 and a net rise in earnings wound reduce poverty by 515,000.
tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of Southwark
uin	HL10000
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/09/2023 answer text <p>The Department for Work and Pensions has not undertaken any specific assessment but notes that the analysis included in the report is based on the Social Metric Commission’s (SMC) measure of poverty.</p><p> </p><p>The Government accepts that the SMC’s approach offers a more expansive view of inescapable costs, and alternative income sources will add new insight to the understanding of poverty. In March 2023, the Department for Work and Pensions announced plans to resume work developing an experimental measure of poverty based on the SMC’s innovative work. The Government already publishes national statistics on low income using a range of measures.</p><p>The Government’s focus is firmly on supporting people into and to progress in work. Our approach is based on clear evidence about the importance of employment, particularly where it is full-time, in substantially reducing the risks of poverty.  The latest statistics show that working age adults living in workless households were over 7 times more likely to be in absolute poverty after housing costs than working age adults in households where all adults work. To help people into work our core Jobcentre offer provides a range of options, including face-to-face time with work coaches and interview assistance. We are also addressing progression barriers through our comprehensive package of childcare support, our in work progression offer, and changes to the administrative earnings threshold which ensure that more claimants can benefit from work coach support.</p><p>The Government understands the pressures people are facing with the cost of living and is taking action to help. Overall, we are providing total support of over £94bn over 2022-23 and 2023-24 to help households and individuals with the rising cost of bills. From April 2023, everyone who receives a state benefit or pension will have seen their benefit rates increase by 10.1%.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 14/09/2023 12:43:54 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
tabling member	4345 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of Southwark

1625847

registered interest
date	03/05/2023
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
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 prediction by the Resolution Foundation in their report The Living Standards Outlook 2023, published in January, that between 2021–22 and 2023–24, an additional 800,000 people will be in absolute poverty.
tabling member printed	Lord Taylor of Warwick
uin	HL7659
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/05/2023 answer text <p><strong> </strong></p><p>National Statistics on the number and percentage of people in poverty are published annually in the “Households Below Average Income” publication. The latest statistics published in March 2023 are for the financial period 2021/22.</p><p> </p><p>This Government has overseen significant falls in absolute poverty since 2009/10. There were 1.7 million fewer people in absolute low income (60% of median income) after housing costs in 2021/22 compared to 2009/10, a 4 percentage-point decrease. This includes 400,000 children, 1 million working age individuals and 200,000 pensioners.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is committed to a sustainable, long-term approach to tackling poverty and supporting people on lower incomes. In 2023/24 we will spend around £276 billion through the welfare system in Great Britain including £114 billion on people of working age and children.</p><p> </p><p>The Government understands the pressures people are facing, which is why we are providing total support of over £94bn over 2022-23 and 2023-24 to help households and individuals with the rising cost of living.</p><p> </p><p>For the 2023/24 financial year this includes additional Cost of Living Payments for more than 8 million households on means-tested benefits, 6 million people on disability benefits, and 8 million pensioner households across the UK. The government is maintaining the Energy Price Guarantee at £2,500 until the end of June. This will ensure that households across the UK are supported through the spring while retail energy costs are expected to remain high.</p><p> </p><p>For people who require additional support, whether they receive benefits or not, the Household Support Fund will continue until March 2024. This year long extension allows Local Authorities in England to continue to provide discretionary support to those most in need with the significantly rising cost of living. The Devolved Administrations will receive consequential funding as usual to spend at their discretion.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 17/05/2023 10:45:55 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
tabling member	1796 label Biography information for Lord Taylor of Warwick

1417806

registered interest
date	28/01/2022
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	Poverty
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 Joseph Rowntree Foundation report UK Poverty 2022: The essential guide to understanding poverty in the UK, published on 18 January; and what steps they plan to take, if any, in response to the case for "co-ordinated commitment, effort and action on the intersecting issues and challenges" identified in the report in order to address "deep and persistent poverty" in the UK.
tabling member printed	The Marquess of Lothian
uin	HL5769
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/02/2022 answer text <p>The poverty statistics included in the Joseph Rowntree Trust’s report cover the period to 2019/20 and therefore do not help us to understand how low-income households have fared over the last two financial years. The data shows that in 2019/20, household incomes saw their strongest annual growth for nearly 20 years, and that 700,000 fewer people, including 100,000 fewer children, were in absolute poverty before housing costs compared with 2010.</p><p>The Government is committed to a sustainable, long-term approach to tackling poverty.</p> answering member printed Baroness Stedman-Scott question first answered 11/02/2022 14:12:00 answering member 4174 label Biography information for Baroness Stedman-Scott
tabling member	259 label Biography information for The Marquess of Lothian

1358802

registered interest
date	11/10/2021
answering body	Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept id	211
answering dept short name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept sort name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
hansard heading	Poverty
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 relative importance of (1) improving health and education, and (2) increasing GDP per capita, in reducing poverty in the UK.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL2942
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/10/2021 answer text <p>Increasing GDP per capita leads to higher individual income on average, though its impact on poverty will depend on how that increase is distributed. If there is a real terms increase in household incomes for those at the bottom of the income distribution, this reduces the number of people in absolute poverty. Higher household incomes for those at the bottom would also reduce the number of people in relative poverty, if the household incomes for those at the bottom of the income distribution were to increase relative to the median household income.</p><p>For example, from 2010 to 2019, GDP per capita grew by 10.4%. Over a similar period, from 2009-10 to 2019-20, the number of people in absolute poverty before housing costs fell by 700,000, and the number of people in relative poverty before housing costs increased by 1.4 million.</p><p>As our economic recovery gathers pace, we are continuing to help people to move into and to progress in work through our expanded Plan for Jobs. Our approach is based on clear evidence that work, particularly full time, is the most effective way of tackling poverty. In 2019/20, working age adults in households where all adults were in work were 6 times less likely to be in absolute poverty (after housing costs) than adults in a household where nobody works.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Greenhalgh question first answered 26/10/2021 11:40:12 answering member 4877 label Biography information for Lord Greenhalgh
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

1342068

registered interest
date	29/06/2021
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Poverty
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 case for creating a Food Security Minister responsible for interventions to people living in poverty.
tabling member printed	Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick
uin	HL1560
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/07/2021 answer text <p>I am the Minister responsible for security of the food chain, working with industry to make sure food is available to buy. Defra officials continue to work with other relevant Departments on food policy and food insecurity, including on school meals (DfE), local authority provision (MHCLG) and the welfare system (Department for Work and Pensions) (DWP).</p><p> </p><p>Since the start of the pandemic, government departments have come together to coordinate support for the most vulnerable. Defra, DfE, DWP and DHSC worked together on the COVID Winter Support Package in November 2020 - ensuring that support was provided to those impacted by the pandemic throughout the winter period. Departments are continuing to work together to deliver a number of key cross-cutting outcomes linked to the 2020 Spending Review.</p><p> </p><p>This Government is wholly committed to supporting those on low incomes, including by increasing the living wage, and by spending £111 billion on welfare support for people of working age in 2020/21. This included around £7.4 billion of COVID-related welfare policy measures.</p> answering member printed Lord Benyon question first answered 13/07/2021 16:38:16 answering member 1547 label Biography information for Lord Benyon
tabling member	4130 label Biography information for Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick

1247996

registered interest
date	02/11/2020
answering body	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
answering dept id	208
answering dept short name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
hansard heading	Poverty
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is retaining the Department for International Development's commitment to maintaining poverty reduction as the primary objective of UK spending.
tabling member printed	Baroness Hodgson of Abinger
uin	HL9841
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/11/2020 answer text <p>The Government will prioritise the bottom billion, the very poorest around the world, as part of our core mission. This is in our national interest and it will project the UK as a force for good in the world. For example, during the coronavirus pandemic, the UK has provided £15 million to UNICEF to protect vulnerable children, and a further £5 million to the Education Cannot Wait fund, supporting emergency education in conflict countries. Furthermore, the UK has allocated £119 million of aid to provide relief to over 6 million people and help prevent famine in countries hit by conflict and COVID-19.</p> answering member printed Baroness Sugg question first answered 12/11/2020 14:36:30 answering member 4584 label Biography information for Baroness Sugg
tabling member	4301 label Biography information for Baroness Hodgson of Abinger

1247997

registered interest
date	02/11/2020
answering body	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
answering dept id	208
answering dept short name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
hansard heading	Poverty
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office will continue to target UK aid to the poorest countries and people.
tabling member printed	Baroness Hodgson of Abinger
uin	HL9842
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/11/2020 answer text <p>Reducing poverty will be at the beating heart of the FCDO. The Foreign Secretary has appointed Nick Dyer as the first ever envoy on famine prevention and humanitarian affairs, and we have allocated a new £119 million package to look at the threat of the coronavirus and of famine more generally across the bottom billion.</p> answering member printed Baroness Sugg question first answered 12/11/2020 14:36:47 answering member 4584 label Biography information for Baroness Sugg
tabling member	4301 label Biography information for Baroness Hodgson of Abinger

1227117

registered interest
date	21/07/2020
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	Poverty
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 impact of the merger of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for International Development on the world's poorest people.
tabling member printed	Baroness Goudie
uin	HL7088
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/08/2020 answer text <p>Spending 0.7 per cent of our national income on aid is enshrined in law and we will continue to be guided by our responsibilities under the International Development Act, including a commitment to poverty reduction.</p> answering member printed Baroness Sugg question first answered 03/08/2020 12:28:07 answering member 4584 label Biography information for Baroness Sugg
tabling member	3575 label Biography information for Baroness Goudie