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1702004

registered interest
date	17/04/2024
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	Unemployment
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 rise in (1) unemployment, and (2) economic inactivity, highlighted in the Office for National Statistics data, published on 16 April; and what steps they are taking to support individuals transitioning back into employment.
tabling member printed	Lord Taylor of Warwick
uin	HL3919
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/05/2024 answer text <p>The Department monitors a wide range of indicators to understand trends in employment, unemployment and inactivity. This is in line with advice from the ONS who say “we would advise caution when interpreting short-term changes in headline rates and recommend using them as part of our suite of labour market indicators” given the recent volatility in Labour Force Survey (LFS) estimates.</p><p> </p><p>DWP supports people across the country to move into and progress in work and is committed to reducing economic inactivity. The Department delivers comprehensive employment support including through face-to-face time with Work Coaches in our Jobcentres and via more intensive contracted employment programmes. Last year we also announced a wide range of additional support via the Spring Budget and the Back to Work Plan including extending and expanding our Restart scheme, announcing our new WorkWell service and expanding Additional Jobcentre Support.</p><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 01/05/2024 13:12:58 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
tabling member	1796 label Biography information for Lord Taylor of Warwick

1698299

registered interest
date	25/03/2024
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	Poverty: Children
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government, following the release of data showing that the number of children living in absolute poverty has risen by the highest rate in 30 years, what steps they are taking to address the increase in child poverty rates.
tabling member printed	Lord Taylor of Warwick
uin	HL3603
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/04/2024 answer text <p>These statistics cover 2022/23, a year when war in Ukraine and global supply chain challenges led to unexpected and high rates on inflation, averaging 10% over the year. These factors are reflected in the statistics. In response to these pressures, the Government provided an unprecedented cost of living support package which helped to shield households from the impact of inflation. Analysis shows that the Government’s cost of living support prevented 1.3 million people from falling into absolute poverty after housing costs in 2022/23. That includes 300,000 children, 600,000 working-age adults and 400,000 pensioners.</p><p> </p><p>Since the period covered by these statistics, the Government has taken firm action to support families on the lowest incomes. The Government has spent around £276bn through the welfare system in 2023/24, including around £125bn on people of working age and children. We took action to support those on the lowest incomes by uprating benefits and State Pensions by 10.1% from April 2023. We are continuing to support people in 2024/25 by uprating working age benefits by 6.7% and raising the Local Housing Allowance rates to the 30<sup>th</sup> percentile of local market rents, benefiting 1.6 million low-income households.</p><p> </p><p>With over 900,000 vacancies across the UK, our focus remains firmly on supporting parents to move into and progress in work, an approach which is based on clear evidence about the importance of parental employment - particularly where it is full-time - in substantially reducing the risk of child poverty. The latest statistics show that in 2022/23, children living in workless households were over 6 times more likely to be in absolute poverty (after housing costs) than those where all adults work.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 08/04/2024 15:00:05 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
tabling member	1796 label Biography information for Lord Taylor of Warwick

1685217

registered interest
date	25/01/2024
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	Employment: 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 (1) tackle in-work poverty, and (2) create more job opportunities across the UK.
tabling member printed	Lord Taylor of Warwick
uin	HL1947
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/02/2024 answer text <p>The Government believes that work is the best way to boost living standards and reduce poverty. Jobcentres across Great Britain provide personalised interventions to support those both in and out of work, including helping low-paid earners to increase their earnings.</p><p> </p><p>We are also making work pay. On 1 April 2024, the Government will increase the National Living Wage (NLW) for workers aged 21 years and over by 9.8% to £11.44 per hour, representing an increase of over £1,800 to the gross annual earnings of a full-time worker on the NLW.</p><p> </p><p>Ensuring a strong economy with a diverse and vibrant jobs market allows everyone to use their talents to the full.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 07/02/2024 16:04:39 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
tabling member	1796 label Biography information for Lord Taylor of Warwick

1672791

registered interest
date	23/11/2023
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	Social Security Benefits: Chronic Illnesses and Disability
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Autumn Statement made by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 22 November where he stated that if jobseekers "choose not to engage with the work search process for six months, we will close their case and stop their benefits" (HC Deb col 336), what steps they are taking to support individuals with health conditions and disabilities in finding employment.
tabling member printed	Lord Taylor of Warwick
uin	HL577
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/12/2023 answer text <p>We are investing £2.5 billion over the next five years in our ‘Back to Work Plan’; this builds on the Government's existing package of support to create a more inclusive and productive labour market that helps disabled people, and people with health conditions, to start, stay and succeed in work. This support includes: a new WorkWell service to join up employment and health support at a local level, reforming the Fit Note process, delivering the Universal Support employment programme, improving the quality of occupational health for employers, and expanding access to mental health services.</p><p> </p><p>As part of the Autumn Statement, we also announced the intention to close the claim of those who have been disengaged for 6-months or more, where they are in receipt of a nil Universal Credit award following a sanction decision. We will not be closing the claims of anyone who is in receipt of other Universal Credit elements, such as the disability, child, or housing element. The conditionality and sanctions regime also does not apply to those in the No Work Related Requirements, such as those with a severe health condition or disability.</p><p> </p><p>For claimants who must meet certain work-related requirements to receive their Universal Credit payment, these requirements will be based on individual and household information and will take account of health, caring responsibilities, ongoing work or volunteering, and any earnings. Furthermore, all requirements are set in discussion with the claimant and tailored to their capability and circumstances, making them realistic and achievable.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 06/12/2023 15:36:17 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
tabling member	1796 label Biography information for Lord Taylor of Warwick

1672067

registered interest
date	21/11/2023
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	Food Poverty: Government Assistance
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government, following the rise in demand for food banks, what steps they are taking to support families experiencing food poverty.
tabling member printed	Lord Taylor of Warwick
uin	HL494
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/12/2023 answer text <p>Government recognises that understanding food security is important and this is why we added internationally used food security questions to the Family Resources Survey in 2019/20 and added further questions on foodbank use in 2021/22. These statistics help our understanding of the characteristics of people most in need and, alongside the broad suite of poverty data, help to shape future policy considerations.</p><p> </p><p>We are committed to reducing 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.</p><p> </p><p>From April 2023, we uprated benefit rates and State Pensions by 10.1% and, subject to Parliamentary approval, working-age benefits will rise by 6.7% from April 2024, in line with inflation.</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 help people progress in work, our voluntary in-work progression offer, rolled-out from April 2022, is now available in all Jobcentres across Great Britain. We estimate that around 1.2m low-paid benefit claimants will be eligible for support to progress into higher-paid work.</p><p> </p><p>To support parents into work, on 28 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.</p><p> </p><p>We are also committed to ending low hourly pay for those on the National Living Wage (NLW) in the UK. From 1 April 2023, the National Living Wage increased by 9.7% to £10.42 an hour for workers aged 23 and over. Further to this, on 1 April 2024, we 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 NLW.</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 £104bn over 2022-2025 to help households and individuals. Included within this, to support low-income households with increasing rent costs, the government will raise Local Housing Allowance rates to the 30th percentile of local market rents in April 2024. This will benefit 1.6 million low-income households, who will be around £800 a year better off on average in 2024-25.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 01/12/2023 15:00:55 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
tabling member	1796 label Biography information for Lord Taylor of Warwick

1666299

registered interest
date	19/10/2023
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	Employment Services: Rural Areas
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 provision of employability services in rural areas.
tabling member printed	Lord Taylor of Warwick
uin	HL10701
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/10/2023 answer text <p>Jobcentre Plus employer and partnership leads work closely with local employers and providers to understand labour market needs and to ensure provision is available to address skills gaps, and that the delivery of local employment support services is tailored to the needs of communities, alongside our national support offer. For example, our successful Sector-based Work Academy Programme (SWAPs) combines work experience, job specific training and a guaranteed interview to support claimants into local vacancies.</p><p> </p><p>Every Jobcentre Plus district has a place-based plan that uses local knowledge, experience, and insight to shape the services and activities in the area, in collaboration with local employers and partners. This includes taking account of the needs of claimants living in rural communities to access employment support services and vacancies, such as any barriers around travel and how these might be overcome.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 26/10/2023 10:08:25 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
tabling member	1796 label Biography information for Lord Taylor of Warwick

1664817

registered interest
date	16/10/2023
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	Social Security
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to rebuild the social security system.
tabling member printed	Lord Taylor of Warwick
uin	HL10590
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/10/2023 answer text <p>Universal Credit is a modern, flexible benefit which is replacing six benefits. The six benefits being replaced all have complex and inefficient systems based on aging, inflexible IT. Universal Credit uses a modern, digital system which stood up to the test of Covid-19 where it quickly ensured three million new claimants were protected from the financial impact of the pandemic.</p><p> </p><p>Universal Credit reduces the complexity of the working age benefits system and removes the distinction between in work and out-of-work support.</p><p> </p><p>Work incentives are improved by introducing a smoother, more transparent reduction of benefits at a consistent and predictable rate when people move into work and increase their earnings.</p><p> </p><p>In March we published <em>Transforming Support: The Health and Disability White Paper</em> which sets out our ambitious plans to transform the health and disability benefits system for the future so it focuses on what people can do rather than on what they cannot.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 26/10/2023 09:59:05 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
tabling member	1796 label Biography information for Lord Taylor of Warwick

1662254

registered interest
date	20/09/2023
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	Young People: Cost of Living and Mental Health
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 report by The Prince's Trust and LADbible Gen Z: Redefining Dream Jobs, published on 19 September; in particular, the finding that 57 per cent of young people surveyed had lowered their long-term aspirations over the last two years due to concerns about mental health and the increased cost of living.
tabling member printed	Lord Taylor of Warwick
uin	HL10385
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/09/2023 answer text <p>Whilst we are yet to make a detailed assessment of this specific report, the Department for Work and Pensions recognises the value of research and insight from key stakeholders including The Prince’s Trust to enable us to better understand the challenges faced by young people and the impact this has on their behaviour and motivations. We consider a broad range of perspectives when designing polices to better support young people, ranging from our regular engagement with youth stakeholder organisations like The Prince’s Trust and Youth Employment Group, to the Department’s own commissioned research and regularly speaking directly with young people themselves.</p><p> </p><p>The Youth Offer provides individually tailored Work Coach support for 16-24-year olds on Universal Credit to help them find work. Eligibility for the Youth Offer has, as of the 25<sup>th</sup> September 2023, been expanded to include young people on Universal Credit who are not currently searching for work, including young parents and carers. This means that an additional 33,500 young people will be able to access the Youth Offer in order to progress in employment.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 25/09/2023 14:25:34 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
tabling member	1796 label Biography information for Lord Taylor of Warwick

1658476

registered interest
date	05/09/2023
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	Social Security Benefits: Artificial Intelligence
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to improve the response to requests for transparency over the use of artificial intelligence to verify welfare claims.
tabling member printed	Lord Taylor of Warwick
uin	HL9915
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/09/2023 answer text <p>DWP recognises the public interest in being transparent about what we do and how we process personal information. However, we have to balance this with keeping the information secure, by not revealing publicly all methods and practices used particularly to detect fraudulent claims and cyber-attack against our systems.</p><p> </p><p>DWP takes its responsibility to protect data very seriously and we have published the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-work-pensions/about/personal-information-charter" target="_blank">Personal information charter (PIC) </a>which gives details of how we use information provided to us. We have done this to be as transparent as we can without hindering our ability to detect fraud and protect data.</p><p> </p><p>The PIC also explains that DWP does not use artificial intelligence to replace human judgement to determine or deny a payment to a claimant. We will only use data for lawful purposes.</p><p> </p><p>The <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dwp-annual-report-and-accounts-2022-to-2023/dwp-annual-report-and-accounts-2022-to-2023" target="_blank">DWP annual report and accounts 2022 to 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</a> also makes mention of audits covering data management and artificial intelligence.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 13/09/2023 13:26:40 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
tabling member	1796 label Biography information for Lord Taylor of Warwick

1642419

registered interest
date	06/06/2023
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	Pensions: Women
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 recent finding that women's private pensions in Great Britain are worth 35 per cent less than men's by the time they reach age 55; and what steps they intend to take to address that gap.
tabling member printed	Lord Taylor of Warwick
uin	HL8256
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/06/2023 answer text <p>On 5 June 2023, DWP published an official measure of the gender pensions gap, which is currently 35% between men and women shortly before they retire.</p><p> </p><p>The publication of an official annual measure will help us track the collective efforts of government, industry and employers to close the Gender Pensions Gap.</p><p> </p><p>Automatic Enrolment has brought millions of women into pension saving for the very first time. Median female pension wealth around Normal Minimum Pension Age has increased by 90% in real terms, from 2006/2008 to 2018/2020.</p><p> </p><p>The government remains committed to implementing the 2017 Automatic Enrolment Review measures, which will disproportionately benefit lower earners, including people working in multiple low-paid part time jobs who are predominantly women. That is why we are supporting Jonathan Gullis' Private Members’ Bill, which completed Commons stages on Friday 24 March.</p><p> </p><p>Much of the gender pensions gap is due to the gender pay gap. Over the last decade the gender pay gap has fallen from 19.6% to 14.9% and the percentage of women in employment has gone from 66.5% to 72.3%.</p><p> </p><p>We are introducing a series of measures which will further reduce the gender pay gap and will in turn impact the gender pensions gap.</p><p> </p><p>In the budget we announced the expansion of funded childcare, changes to the childcare element of Universal Credit, and changes to conditionality for lead carers of children aged 1 to 12.</p><p> </p><p>The Department for Business and Trade is supporting Yasmin Qureshi’s Private Members’ Bill, on flexible working, and supported Wendy Chamberlain’s Private Members’ Bill on carers leave, which became the Carers Leave Act (2023) on 24 May 2023.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 19/06/2023 15:30:15 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
tabling member	1796 label Biography information for Lord Taylor of Warwick