Show Search Form

Search Results

registered interest	true false
date	exactly: or between: and
answering body
answering dept id
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name
hansard heading
house id
legislature	pref label
question text
tabling member printed
uin
answer	is ministerial correction true false date of answer exactly: or between: and answer text answering member printed question first answered answering member label
tabling member	label

Search

1672768

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: Anxiety and Mental Health
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government how many people are currently claiming disability benefit because of mental health conditions, including severe anxiety.
tabling member printed	The Marquess of Lothian
uin	HL554
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/12/2023 answer text <p>Figures for the number of people currently claiming disability benefits – Personal Independence Payment (PIP), Disability Living Allowance (DLA), and Attendance Allowance (AA) due to mental health conditions.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong>Table (a) – Claimants on the PIP caseload with mental health conditions</strong></p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Benefit </strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Number of cases </strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>PIP</p></td><td><p>1,119,500</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong>Table (b) – Claimants on the DLA caseload with mental health conditions</strong></p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Benefit </strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Number of cases </strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>DLA</p></td><td><p>56,500</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p><strong>Table (c) – Claimants on the AA caseload with mental health conditions</strong></p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Benefit </strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Number of cases </strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>AA</p></td><td><p>26,500</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong>Notes: </strong></p><ul><li>These figures are produced using recent data available from Stat-Xplore (May 2023).</li><li>Figures for PIP and DLA exclude Scotland.</li><li>Figures for AA include Scotland (as AA has yet to be devolved to Scotland).</li><li>Figures for PIP are cases where psychiatric disorders have been listed as the claimant’s main disabling condition.</li><li>A PIP claimant’s main disabling condition is recorded during their assessment. Medical conditions are shown as recorded on the PIP Computer System (PIPCS).</li><li>Claimants may have multiple conditions which are not recorded by PIPCS.</li><li>All volumes have been rounded to the nearest 100.</li><li>Figures for DLA and AA are cases where psychosis, psychoneurosis, or personality disorder have been recorded as the claimant’s main disabling condition.</li><li>Main disabling condition is the main medical reason for the claim. Medical conditions are sourced from information recorded on the Disability Living Allowance (DLA) computer system (DLACS) and AA computer system.</li><li>Claimants may have multiple conditions which are not recorded by DLACS or the AA computer system.</li></ul><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 01/12/2023 15:00:40 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
tabling member	259 label Biography information for The Marquess of Lothian

1672769

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: 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 efficacy of removing benefits from, and applying sanctions to, claimants with mental health conditions after 18 months in the context of their ‘Back To Work’ plan launched on 16 November.
tabling member printed	The Marquess of Lothian
uin	HL555
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/12/2023 answer text <p>Claimants must meet certain requirements to receive their UC payment. These will be based on individual and household information and will take account of health, caring responsibilities, ongoing work or volunteering and any earnings. All requirements are set in discussion with the claimant and tailored to their capability and circumstances, making them realistic and achievable.</p><p> </p><p>Claimants are given every opportunity to explain why they failed to meet their agreed conditionality requirement before a decision is made. We recognise the importance of understanding how a mental health condition impacts someone’s ability to search for or prepare for work. Claimants with serious mental health conditions are typically placed in the No Work-Related Requirements regime and are exempt from any form of conditionality and sanctions.</p><p> </p><p>As announced in the Back to Work plan, individuals, following their completion of Restart, will have a Claimant Commitment review meeting with their work coach where new requirements will be set according to the claimants’ circumstances. Claimants will be expected to accept this revised Claimant Commitment in order to continue to receive their benefits. Should a claimant fail to accept their commitment within the 7-day period their claim will be closed as per the current process.</p><p> </p><p>Where a claimant in a conditionality regime fails to comply with a mandatory work-related requirement, they have the opportunity to provide good reason before a sanction decision is made. Additionally, a pre-referral quality check is in place to check for any known vulnerabilities before a claimant is referred for a sanction decision and following a referral, cases are reviewed to ensure that the mandatory requirement set was fair, and to check whether a conditionality easement should have been applied.</p><p>If a sanction is applied and the claimant disagrees with the decision, they can ask for this to be looked at again by way of a Mandatory Reconsideration. If they further disagree with the outcome of the Mandatory Reconsideration, they can raise an appeal for the sanction decision to be looked at by an independent tribunal.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 06/12/2023 13:20:56 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
tabling member	259 label Biography information for The Marquess of Lothian

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

1672046

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	Health and Safety: Artificial Intelligence
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Buscombe on 5 June 2018 (HL8200), what testing and examination was carried out to ensure that any artificial intelligence software supplied for use in the Department for Work and Pensions is safe and without risks, as required by section 6 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.
tabling member printed	Baroness Jones of Whitchurch
uin	HL473
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/11/2023 answer text <p>We will continue to work in close collaboration and partnership with other government departments and bodies to align with government’s AI approach, particularly the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ai-safety-institute-overview/introducing-the-ai-safety-institute" target="_blank">AI Safety Institute</a>. DWP is exploring the use of AI and how it can support better digital services in a safe, transparent, ethical and considered way. We will work with HSE as and where it is appropriate to do so.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 29/11/2023 13:57:56 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
tabling member	3792 label Biography information for Baroness Jones of Whitchurch

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

1670113

registered interest
date	14/11/2023
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: Children
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government why, from the next release of the benefit cap statistics, information on the youngest child in capped households will be suspended; and whether they propose to resume publication of those data in later releases.
tabling member printed	Baroness Lister of Burtersett
uin	HL287
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/11/2023 answer text <p>The Department advised users on GOV.UK on 7 November 2023, that information on the age of youngest child for capped Housing Benefit households will be suspended from the next release of Benefit Cap statistics (due to be published on 12 December 2023). This is due to an issue with the quality of the HM Revenue &amp; Customs (HMRC) statistical Child Benefit data, which is currently being investigated. We will reinstate the breakdown in the statistical series as soon as possible, in line with the UK Statistics Authority (UKSA) Code of Practice for Statistics.</p><p> </p><p>In May 2023, 91% of capped households were on Universal Credit (UC) and are not affected by this issue. The statistics for the age of youngest child in UC capped households will be published as normal on 12 December 2023.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 21/11/2023 17:21:51 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
tabling member	4234 label Biography information for Baroness Lister of Burtersett

1668688

registered interest
date	08/11/2023
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	Universal Support
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government how many people have used the Universal Support programme in 2023 in England and Wales.
tabling member printed	Baroness Royall of Blaisdon
uin	HL139
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/11/2023 answer text <p>Universal Support is a new, voluntary employment programme for inactive disabled people and those with health conditions who have additional barriers to employment. The main programme expected to launch in Autumn 2024, will offer individuals up to 12 months of ‘place and train’ support by a dedicated keyworker, helping them find a suitable role and catering to their needs.</p><p> </p><p>Universal Support is in the early stages of development, and we will publish further information in due course.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 22/11/2023 15:03:27 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
tabling member	3703 label Biography information for Baroness Royall of Blaisdon

1668689

registered interest
date	08/11/2023
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	Employment Schemes: Chronic Illnesses and Disability
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government how many employment advisors there are in health settings in England.
tabling member printed	Baroness Royall of Blaisdon
uin	HL140
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/11/2023 answer text <p>There are 1,500 employment advisors as of the end of October 2023 in England.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Activity</p></td><td><p>FTE</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>(UCJC) Armed Forces Champion Lead.</p></td><td><p>10</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>(UCJC) Armed Forces Champion.</p></td><td><p>30</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>(UCJC) DWP Group Partnerships Mgmt.</p></td><td><p>30</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>(UCJC) DWP National Emp/Pship Teams.</p></td><td><p>70</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>(UCJC) DWP Partnerships LM/Skills Prov.</p></td><td><p>200</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>(UCJC) DWP Partnerships Relationship Mgmt.</p></td><td><p>180</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>(UCJC) Emp/Pship Admin Support.</p></td><td><p>40</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>(UCJC) Employer Engagement.</p></td><td><p>750</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>(UCJC) FJ Verification Svs.</p></td><td><p>10</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>(UCJC) SWAP Employer Partnership.</p></td><td><p>190</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>JC Employer and Partnerships - TOTAL</p></td><td><p>1,500</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> </p><p>Source: Derived from the department’s Activity Based Model (ABM).</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><ul><li>Employment Advisers (EAs) are based in Jobcentres and not in health settings. Their role includes finding employment opportunities for Work Coaches to discuss with claimants, setting up job fairs and liaising with employers. Data is drawn at the end of each month. Data is correct as of the end of October 2023 and has been rounded to the nearest 10.</li><li>For the purposes of answering this question the JC Employer and Partnerships product group has been used which contains the activity lines as shown in the table above.</li><li>Only those in England have been included.</li><li>Figures were derived from the department’s Activity Based Model (ABM), which provides Full Time Equivalent (FTE) figures based on point in time estimate by Line Managers. They cover only FTE of staff with paid employment. No overtime FTE is included.</li><li>The number of Employment Advisers is unpublished management information, collected and intended for internal department use and has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics standard. As the department holds the information, we have released it.</li></ul></p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 22/11/2023 15:03:04 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
tabling member	3703 label Biography information for Baroness Royall of Blaisdon

1668690

registered interest
date	08/11/2023
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	Universal Credit
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of Universal Credit claimants met with a dedicated work coach in 2023 under the In-Work Progression Offer.
tabling member printed	Baroness Royall of Blaisdon
uin	HL141
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/11/2023 answer text <p>The Government is committed to supporting individuals who are in low paid work to progress, helping them increase their earnings and move into better paid quality jobs. Universal Credit seeks to ensure that claimants are better off working more hours and earning more money, helping them ultimately to become financially independent.</p><p> </p><p>Universal Credit claimants who earn below the Administrative Earnings Threshold (AET) of £677 for an individual and £1083 for a couple are placed within the Universal Credit Intensive Work Search (IWS) labour market regime. This means they receive mandatory support from a work coach and must look for and take up more or better-paid work, as well as attend regular meetings with their work coach.</p><p> </p><p>Currently information regarding the proportion of Universal Credit claimants that met with a dedicated work coach in 2023 is not available, as data on work coach appointments is not currently recorded in a way that would allow this to be measured.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 22/11/2023 18:00:11 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
tabling member	3703 label Biography information for Baroness Royall of Blaisdon

1668691

registered interest
date	08/11/2023
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: Fraud
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government how many staff were employed in (1) 2021, (2) 2022, and (3) 2023, in roles which target fraud, error and debt across the benefit system.
tabling member printed	Baroness Royall of Blaisdon
uin	HL142
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/11/2023 answer text <p>Everyone in DWP has a role to play in stopping fraud and error.</p><p> </p><p>In recent Spending Rounds we secured additional funding enabling us to enhance our counter-fraud and error capabilities including a new Targeted Case Review (TCR) team to review millions of Universal Credit claims, as well as recruitment into our Counter Fraud &amp; Compliance Directorate (CFCD).</p><p> </p><p>We are continuing to create a culture where stopping fraud and error and minimising debt is a shared goal of everyone in DWP and those who deliver services for us. All staff will understand the part they play within DWP, and they will have the knowledge, skills and tools they need to deliver.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>Oct-21</p></td><td><p>Oct-22</p></td><td><p>Oct-23</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>CFCD/TCR staffing</p></td><td><p>7,410</p></td><td><p>9,240</p></td><td><p>10,260</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p><strong> </strong></p><p>Source: Derived from the Department’s Activity Based Model (ABM).</p><p> </p><p>Notes:</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><ul><li>Data is drawn at the end of each month. Data is correct as of the end of October in 2021, 2022 and 2023 and has been rounded to the nearest 10.</li><li>Figures were derived from the Department’s Activity Based Model (ABM), which provides Full Time Equivalent (FTE) figures based on point in time estimate by Line Managers. They cover only FTE of staff with paid employment. No overtime FTE is included.</li><li>The number of Fraud, Error and Debt staff is unpublished management information, collected and intended for internal department use and has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics standard.</li></ul></p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 21/11/2023 17:21:21 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
tabling member	3703 label Biography information for Baroness Royall of Blaisdon