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1137151

registered interest
date	05/07/2019
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 Assistance Schemes
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will ringfence funding allocated to local authorities for local welfare assistance schemes.
tabling member constituency	Birkenhead
tabling member printed	Frank Field
uin	273742
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/07/2019 answer text <p>Local welfare assistance schemes is an umbrella term for local welfare provision. Local authorities decide what local provision to provide and at what cost, as they are best placed to understand the needs of their local communities.</p><p> </p><p>The Local Government Finance Settlement for 2015-16 identifies a notional amount relating to local welfare provision in each upper-tier and unitary authority’s general grant, totalling £129.6 million for England. The notional allocation for local welfare provision remains at £129.6 million in England in the Local Government Financial Settlement until 2019/20. There are no plans to ringfence this notional allocation.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 15/07/2019 10:45:34 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	478 label Biography information for Lord Field of Birkenhead

1123206

registered interest
date	25/04/2019
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 Assistance Schemes
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of Local Welfare Assistance Schemes; and if will he make a statement.
tabling member constituency	East Ham
tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
uin	247562
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/05/2019 answer text <p>The reforms to the Social Fund in 2013 allowed local authorities in England and the devolved administrations in Scotland and Wales to deliver their own local provision for people who are in need of urgent help. The Department for Work and Pension's (DWP) 2014 review found that local authorities delivered support more effectively than the previous provision and that councils are best placed to decide how to target flexible help to support local welfare needs. The Government has no further plans to review provision.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 02/05/2019 09:49:11 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

1123207

registered interest
date	25/04/2019
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 Assistance Schemes
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much has been spent on Local Welfare Assistance Schemes in each of the last nine years.
tabling member constituency	East Ham
tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
uin	247563
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/05/2019 answer text <p>Local authorities report how much they have spent on local welfare assistance schemes in their annual Revenue Outturn returns to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. This can be found in line 465 in the individual local authority data outturn table ‘RO6’ for each year up to the latest for 2017-18 at <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/local-authority-revenue-expenditure-and-financing" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/local-authority-revenue-expenditure-and-financing</a></p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 02/05/2019 09:42:24 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

882655

registered interest
date	13/04/2018
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	Welfare Assistance Schemes
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of expenditure of local authorities on local welfare assistance schemes.
tabling member constituency	Birkenhead
tabling member printed	Frank Field
uin	135717
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/04/2018 answer text <p>The reforms to the Social Fund in 2013 have allowed local authorities in England and the devolved administrations in Scotland and Wales to deliver their own local provision for people who are in need of urgent help. The Government believe that councils are best placed to decide how to target flexible help to support local welfare needs. The Government has no plans to change these arrangements and we have not placed on them any duties, expectations or monitoring requirements in this area.</p> answering member constituency North West Hampshire answering member printed Kit Malthouse question first answered 19/04/2018 10:42:35 answering member 4495 label Biography information for Kit Malthouse
tabling member	478 label Biography information for Lord Field of Birkenhead

818761

registered interest
date	08/01/2018
answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
answering dept id	7
answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
hansard heading	Welfare Assistance Schemes
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much expenditure will be allocated by his Department for Local Welfare Assistance schemes in each of the next five years.
tabling member constituency	Birkenhead
tabling member printed	Frank Field
uin	121525
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/01/2018 answer text <p>The Government recognises the important role that councils play in helping to provide local community services such as Local Welfare Assistance schemes, and local authorities in England will have access to more than £200 billion to deliver these services between 2015/16 and 2019/20.</p> answering member constituency Richmond (Yorks) answering member printed Rishi Sunak question first answered 16/01/2018 10:36:12 answering member 4483 label Biography information for Rishi Sunak
tabling member	478 label Biography information for Lord Field of Birkenhead

784723

registered interest
date	06/11/2017
answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
answering dept id	7
answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
hansard heading	Welfare Assistance Schemes
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Buscombe on 23 October (HL1902), what kinds of flexible help local authorities are able to target on those in need of urgent help where they have closed local welfare assistance schemes.
tabling member printed	Baroness Lister of Burtersett
uin	HL2941
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/11/2017 answer text <p>Under Section 2 of the Local Government Act 2000, local authorities may do anything which they consider is likely to promote or improve the economic, social or environmental well-being of their area. To achieve these objectives they may give financial assistance to any person. Such local spending decisions are best made by people who understand their communities and who are best placed to make the right call. The issue of local authority spending priorities is ultimately a matter for local discretion.</p> answering member printed Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth question first answered 20/11/2017 15:17:03 answering member 4282 label Biography information for Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
tabling member	4234 label Biography information for Baroness Lister of Burtersett

768551

registered interest
date	11/10/2017
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 Assistance Schemes
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 finding contained in the report of the Centre for Responsible Credit, The Decline of Crisis and Community Care Support in England, published in September, that 26 local authorities have closed their local welfare assistance schemes while others have cut spending on such schemes; and what plans they have to consider the Centre's proposals for reform.
tabling member printed	Baroness Lister of Burtersett
uin	HL1902
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/10/2017 answer text <p>The reforms to the Social Fund in 2013 have allowed local authorities in England and the devolved administrations in Scotland and Wales to deliver their own local provision for people who are in need of urgent help. They are best placed to target flexible help on those in need, alongside their other local services. The Government has no plans to change these arrangements.</p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe question first answered 23/10/2017 15:30:11 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
tabling member	4234 label Biography information for Baroness Lister of Burtersett

717817

registered interest
date	04/04/2017
answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
answering dept id	7
answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
hansard heading	Welfare Assistance Schemes
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of the number of local authorities that established a local welfare fund scheme following abolition of the Social Fund in August 2012 which have now ceased to operate those funds; and what data they collect in relation to the operation of such funds.
tabling member printed	Baroness Lister of Burtersett
uin	HL6626
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/04/2017 answer text <p>No estimate has been made by Government regarding the number of local welfare fund schemes which have ceased to operate and no data is collected in relation to the operation of such funds. It is for local authorities to determine whether to continue to offer local welfare assistance from within their existing budgets, alongside a range of other services, if they consider it a priority in their area.</p> answering member printed Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth question first answered 24/04/2017 15:13:42 answering member 4282 label Biography information for Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
tabling member	4234 label Biography information for Baroness Lister of Burtersett

540438

registered interest
date	19/07/2016
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	Welfare Assistance Schemes
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much of England is covered by Local Welfare Assistance Schemes; and what assessment they have made of whether those schemes have the necessary resources to make known the emergency financial support that is available to benefit claimants suffering from delays or other problems connected with Universal Credit.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL1318
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/08/2016 answer text <p>From April 2013, non-ring fenced funding was passed to local authorities in England and to the devolved administrations in Scotland and Wales, who all now administer Welfare Assistance Schemes on a devolved and localised basis. How those local authorities administer this support is for them to decide and outside of my Department’s remit.</p><p> </p><p>In 2014 the Department undertook a review of this change and confirmed that local authorities were delivering targeted support more effectively than was the case with the previous provision under the Social Fund. This confirmed the Government’s wider view that local authorities are best placed to deliver help and support at a local level, ensuring effective provision for those who need it most, and coherent links with wider social care.</p><p> </p><p>Further support is available from Universal Credit and Universal Support for claimants who are in financial difficulty or who are awaiting a Universal Credit payment. This includes advance payments, Alternative Payment Arrangements (more frequent payments, split payments within a household and the payment of rent direct to landlords) and Personal Budgeting support.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 02/08/2016 13:16:55 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

223707

registered interest
date	25/02/2015
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	Welfare Assistance Schemes
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the effective delivery of local welfare schemes by English local authorities.
tabling member constituency	East Ham
tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
uin	225365
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/03/2015 answer text <p>We spoke at length to a number of local authorities last autumn when conducting a review of local welfare schemes.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The findings were published, including examples of best practice, on 5<sup>th</sup> November 2014. A copy of the report was sent to all the local authorities that received funding and a copy placed in the House library. It can also be found on the Gov.uk website here:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/370775/2-local-welfare-provision-review-nov-2014.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/370775/2-local-welfare-provision-review-nov-2014.pdf</a></p><p> </p><p>None of those local authorities we spoke to raised concerns about people being incorrectly referred to local welfare provision support rather than being considered for a Short Term Benefit Advance (STBA). There were some suggestions that this may have happened on occasion when STBAs were first introduced in April 2013, so the department issued revised guidance and instructions to staff at the time. The relevant DWP guidance was also shared with local authorities.</p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb grouped question UIN 225362 225363 question first answered 02/03/2015 12:54:22 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb
tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms