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1313663

	registered interest
	date	11/05/2021
	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	Welfare Tax Credits: Overpayments
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how much it would cost to write-off overpayment tax credit debt accrued by Universal Credit claimants (1) in total, and (2) for the time periods of (a) 12 months and under, (b) 12 months to under 36 months, (c) 36 months and above; and in each case how many claimants would have their overpayment tax credit debt written off.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Lister of Burtersett
	uin	HL55
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/06/2021 answer text <p>The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) does not store information in a format entirely commensurate with the question, but I can confirm that approximately £3 billion Tax Credit debt associated to Universal Credit claimants has been transferred to DWP. This debt relates to 2.4 million claimants, some of whom could appear more than once in this total. The following table breaks this down and shows how much has been recovered to date.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Tax Credit debt transferred to date</strong></p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Financial Year</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Customer Count</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Values</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Total Recoveries</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2016-17</strong></p></td><td><p>110.8k</p></td><td><p>£147.933m</p></td><td><p><strong>£6.261m</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2017-18</strong></p></td><td><p>155.8k</p></td><td><p>£190.472m</p></td><td><p><strong>£37.987m</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2018-19</strong></p></td><td><p>531.3k</p></td><td><p>£676.984m</p></td><td><p><strong>£109.091m</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2019-20</strong></p></td><td><p>724.5k</p></td><td><p>£964.170m</p></td><td><p><strong>£213.693m</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2020-21</strong></p></td><td><p>593.0k</p></td><td><p>£679.055m</p></td><td><p><strong>£206.041m</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2021-22 YTD</strong></p></td><td><p>285.4k</p></td><td><p>£364.141m</p></td><td><p><strong>£61.838m</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Totals </strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2400.8k</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>£3,022.76m</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>£634.910m</strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>During the same period, the Department wrote off £9.4 million Tax Credit debt for approximately 5,700 customers. The latest HMRC forecasts suggest that a further £2.4 billion is due to migrate to DWP Debt Management for future recovery. Therefore, based on the value of debt transferred to date and the forecast of further debt that will transfer, if all Tax Credits debt associated to UC claimants was written off it would cost in the region of £5.4 billion associated to approximately 4 million customers.</p><p> </p><p>The Department has a duty to protect public funds and an obligation to ensure that overpaid benefit payments are recovered in accordance with the appropriate social security legislation.</p><p> </p><p>The Department seeks to recover benefit overpayments as quickly as possible without creating any undue financial hardship to the claimant. The rate of deduction is determined by legislation and can only be calculated once other higher priority deductions have been taken into account. The maximum deduction that can be taken from someone’s UC Standard Allowance was reduced to 25 per cent in April 2021.</p><p> </p><p>We want to ensure that repayment of all debt owed to the Department is sustainable and takes into account the customer’s ability to pay. Claimants are encouraged to contact DWP if they are unable to afford the rate of recovery. The recovery rate of Tax Credit overpayments can be reduced where a claimant is experiencing financial hardship.</p> answering member printed Baroness Stedman-Scott question first answered 08/06/2021 16:57:06 answering member 4174 label Biography information for Baroness Stedman-Scott
	tabling member	4234 label Biography information for Baroness Lister of Burtersett

391951

	registered interest
	date	21/07/2015
	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 Reform and Work Bill
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to publish a memorandum, setting out their detailed analysis of the Welfare Reform and Work Bill's implications for children's rights under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, in accordance with the commitment given by the Coalition Government in December 2010; and if so, when.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Lister of Burtersett
	uin	HL1714
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/08/2015 answer text <p /> <p>Ministers had regard to all relevant international obligations when formulating the policies and consider that these obligations have been complied with.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 03/08/2015 16:18:25 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
	tabling member	4234 label Biography information for Baroness Lister of Burtersett

1199427

	registered interest
	date	02/06/2020
	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	Welfare Assistance Schemes: Coronavirus
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the Children's Society Leave No Family Behind: Strengthening local welfare assistance during COVID-19, published in May, in particular in relation to the effectiveness of Local Welfare Assistance Schemes.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Lister of Burtersett
	uin	HL5026
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/06/2020 answer text <p>The Government has noted the report by the Children’s Society Leave No Family Behind.</p><p>Local Authorities were provided with the notional sum of £131.7 million for local welfare assistance in 2020/21. In response to the COVID-19 emergency, significant action has been taken across Government to support those affected by coronavirus, including the most vulnerable. This support includes; income protection schemes, mortgage holidays and additional support for renters. For those most in need we’ve injected more than £6.5 billion into the welfare system, including an increase to Universal Credit of up to £1,040 this financial year.</p><p>A further £3.2 billion has also been made available to local authorities, through an un-ring-fenced grant, so they can address pressures they are facing in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The package recognises the additional costs and pressures councils are facing as a result of the current emergency.</p><p> </p><p>On June 10 the Prime Minister announced an additional £63 million for local authorities, to help those who are struggling financially due to the impact of COVID-19. Local authorities are working hard to support those who are vulnerable and this additional funding will allow them to quickly step in and provide discretionary financial help, for food and other necessities, to those facing severe hardship.</p> answering member printed Baroness Stedman-Scott question first answered 24/06/2020 10:26:38 answering member 4174 label Biography information for Baroness Stedman-Scott
	tabling member	4234 label Biography information for Baroness Lister of Burtersett

1686927

	registered interest
	date	01/02/2024
	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 His Majesty's Government how many English local authorities do not run a local welfare assistance scheme, and what assessment they have made of the impact on low-income residents in these local authority areas if the household support fund is not extended beyond this April.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Lister of Burtersett
	uin	HL2134
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/02/2024 answer text <p>Local Authorities in England have the flexibility and power to use the funding they receive from the annual Local Government Finance Settlement. We do not have robust data on the number of Local Authorities providing a local welfare scheme.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is putting significant additional support in place for those on the lowest incomes from April. Subject to Parliamentary approval, working age benefits will rise by 6.7% while the Basic and New State Pensions will be uprated by 8.5% in line with earnings, as part of the ‘triple lock”.</p><p> </p><p>To further support low-income households with increasing rent costs, the government will raise Local Housing Allowance rates to the 30th percentile of local market rents, benefitting 1.6m low-income households by on average £800 a year in 24/25. Additionally, the Government will increase the National Living Wage for workers aged 21 years and over by 9.8% to £11.44 representing an increase of over £1,800 to the gross annual earnings of a full-time worker on the National Living Wage.</p><p> </p><p>The current Household Support Fund runs until the end of March 2024, and the government continues to keep all its existing programmes under review in the usual way.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 15/02/2024 14:28:15 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
	tabling member	4234 label Biography information for Baroness Lister of Burtersett

62521

	registered interest
	date	18/06/2014
	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	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 Lord Freud on 19 March (WA 32), whether they will make a Written Ministerial Statement when they place in the Library of the House a copy of the review of the way local authorities have used the funding provided following the abolition of the discretionary Social Fund.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Lister of Burtersett
	uin	HL450
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/06/2014 answer text <p /> <p>Decisions on how this information will be presented will be made in due course.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 26/06/2014 15:31:39 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
	tabling member	4234 label Biography information for Baroness Lister of Burtersett

62522

	registered interest
	date	18/06/2014
	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	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 the Minister of State for Pensions, Steve Webb, on 13 March (HC Deb, 317W) and the Written Answer by Baroness Stowell of Beeston on 3 March (WA 278–9), how they reconcile the statements that "it was always the intention that 2014–15 would be the last year of separate funding for local welfare provision from the Department for Work and Pensions" and that "this decision was taken at the Spending Round 2013".
	tabling member printed	Baroness Lister of Burtersett
	uin	HL451
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/06/2014 answer text <p /> <p>I see no contradiction in the above statements.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 26/06/2014 14:14:45 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
	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

1203496

	registered interest
	date	15/06/2020
	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	Visual Impairment: Social Distancing
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking in response to research by the Royal National Institute of Blind People to ensure that the two-thirds of blind and partially sighted people identified as feeling that they have lost their independence during lockdown are able to access services as the restrictions in place to address COVID-19 are lifted.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Lister of Burtersett
	uin	HL5694
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/06/2020 answer text <p>The Government is fully committed to supporting disabled people affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. We are ensuring that disabled people continue to have access</p><p>to updated guidance, including workplace and transport related guidance during the COVID-19 outbreak. All equality and discrimination laws and obligations continue to apply during the COVID-19 pandemic.</p><p> </p><p>We worked with the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) to transcribe gov.uk pages on general coronavirus guidelines and financial advice into spoken word formats. This guidance is available on RNIB phone lines. This ensures that visually impaired people without access to the internet are able to receive the same advice as sighted people with internet access.</p><p> </p><p>The Cabinet Office Disability Unit continues to work with stakeholders, such as the RNIB, and across Government Departments to ensure that the needs of disabled people are considered in the Government’s response to COVID-19.</p> answering member printed Baroness Stedman-Scott question first answered 29/06/2020 16:44:04 answering member 4174 label Biography information for Baroness Stedman-Scott
	tabling member	4234 label Biography information for Baroness Lister of Burtersett

927332

	registered interest
	date	19/06/2018
	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: Travellers
	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 rollout of Universal Credit on the Gypsy and Traveller communities, particularly in relation to the reliance on digital access.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Lister of Burtersett
	uin	HL8777
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/07/2018 answer text <p>We have not made an assessment. However, all Jobcentres across the country have free Wi-Fi, and there are more than 8,000 computers available to support customers who need help with making their claim digitally and applying for jobs online. This provides access to digital channels in every Jobcentre for claimants to use when they do not have access at home.</p><p> </p><p>There will always be people for whom engaging with us digitally is not a feasible proposition. As a result, a freephone telephone helpline and face to face support are also available for claimants to make and manage a Universal Credit claim. Where needed, the Work Coach will provide the claimant with a written note to remind them of the date of their next appointment, especially if the claimant has difficulty accessing or using online services. A home visit can also be arranged to support a claimant in making their initial claim and completing any other administrative tasks required to ensure the claimant receives the correct payment on time.</p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe question first answered 03/07/2018 11:29:33 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
	tabling member	4234 label Biography information for Baroness Lister of Burtersett

934653

	registered interest
	date	04/07/2018
	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: Travellers
	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 3 July (HL8777), how many Gypsy and Traveller Universal Credit applicants and claimants have been able to set up and manage their claims face-to-face or via the freephone telephone helpline in total (1) including pilot areas, and (2) excluding pilot areas.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Lister of Burtersett
	uin	HL9230
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/07/2018 answer text <p>The information requested is not held by the Department.</p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe question first answered 17/07/2018 13:22:26 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
	tabling member	4234 label Biography information for Baroness Lister of Burtersett