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 grouped question UIN question first answered answering member label
tabling member	label

Search

1676826

registered interest
date	11/12/2023
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: Uprating
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government whether the social security benefit cap will be lifted in line with inflation in April 2024; and if not, why.
tabling member printed	Baroness Lister of Burtersett
uin	HL1068
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/12/2023 answer text <p>The Secretary of State has a statutory obligation to review the levels at least once every five years. There is no requirement until November 2027.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 19/12/2023 13:52:35 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
tabling member	4234 label Biography information for Baroness Lister of Burtersett

1676831

registered interest
date	11/12/2023
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	Household Support Fund
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 (HC Deb cols 325–357), what plans they have to extend the Household Support Fund.
tabling member printed	Lord Polak
uin	HL1073
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/12/2023 answer text <p>The Government has provided over £2 billion in funding for the Household Support Fund since October 2021.</p><p>The current Household Support Fund runs from April 2023 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 20/12/2023 16:46:07 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
tabling member	4547 label Biography information for Lord Polak

1676135

registered interest
date	06/12/2023
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	Access to Work Programme
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what is the estimated average time span from application to payment for employment support providers seeking help from the Access to Work scheme.
tabling member printed	Lord Touhig
uin	HL954
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/12/2023 answer text <p>We do not routinely collect data on the funding provided directly to employment support providers. Access to Work funding is, in most cases, paid directly to the customer, unless the customer requests that the funding is paid directly to an employment support provider.</p><p> </p><p>Access to work has recruited additional staff to ensure a high level of customer service. The digital payments portal was introduced in June 2023 and is available for all customers that choose to claim online.</p><p> </p><p>Access to Work has received significant increase in payment claims over the last year and have recruited new staff to meet the increased demand and reduce the time it takes to make payments<strong>.</strong></p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie grouped question UIN HL955 HL957 question first answered 14/12/2023 16:33:25 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
tabling member	542 label Biography information for Lord Touhig

1676136

registered interest
date	06/12/2023
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	Access to Work Programme: Administrative Delays
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of any delays, and the reasons for such delays, in paying funds to employment support providers who have successfully applied for help from the Access to Work scheme.
tabling member printed	Lord Touhig
uin	HL955
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/12/2023 answer text <p>We do not routinely collect data on the funding provided directly to employment support providers. Access to Work funding is, in most cases, paid directly to the customer, unless the customer requests that the funding is paid directly to an employment support provider.</p><p> </p><p>Access to work has recruited additional staff to ensure a high level of customer service. The digital payments portal was introduced in June 2023 and is available for all customers that choose to claim online.</p><p> </p><p>Access to Work has received significant increase in payment claims over the last year and have recruited new staff to meet the increased demand and reduce the time it takes to make payments<strong>.</strong></p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie grouped question UIN HL954 HL957 question first answered 14/12/2023 16:33:25 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
tabling member	542 label Biography information for Lord Touhig

1676137

registered interest
date	06/12/2023
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	Access to Work Programme: Finance
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government whether the budget for the Access to Work scheme has been underspent, and if so, by how much, in each of the past five years.
tabling member printed	Lord Touhig
uin	HL956
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/12/2023 answer text <p>Access to Work grant expenditure has been underspent against budget in three of the past five years.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>£m</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>18/19</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>19/20</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>20/21</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>21/22</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>22/23</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Budget (mid-year adjusted)</p></td><td><p>117.1</p></td><td><p>145.3</p></td><td><p>108.6</p></td><td><p>151.9</p></td><td><p>178.3</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Full year outturn</p></td><td><p>124.5</p></td><td><p>146.8</p></td><td><p>104.5</p></td><td><p>146.5</p></td><td><p>177.3</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>(Over) / Underspend</p></td><td><p><strong>(7.4)</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>(1.4)</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>4.1</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>5.5</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>1.0</strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table><p><strong> </strong></p><p>Other than years impacted by the Pandemic, the grant expenditure has increased year on year.</p><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 20/12/2023 16:44:18 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
tabling member	542 label Biography information for Lord Touhig

1676138

registered interest
date	06/12/2023
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	Access to Work Programme
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government how many employment support providers have received support from the Access to Work scheme in each of the past five years.
tabling member printed	Lord Touhig
uin	HL957
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/12/2023 answer text <p>We do not routinely collect data on the funding provided directly to employment support providers. Access to Work funding is, in most cases, paid directly to the customer, unless the customer requests that the funding is paid directly to an employment support provider.</p><p> </p><p>Access to work has recruited additional staff to ensure a high level of customer service. The digital payments portal was introduced in June 2023 and is available for all customers that choose to claim online.</p><p> </p><p>Access to Work has received significant increase in payment claims over the last year and have recruited new staff to meet the increased demand and reduce the time it takes to make payments<strong>.</strong></p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie grouped question UIN HL954 HL955 question first answered 14/12/2023 16:33:25 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
tabling member	542 label Biography information for Lord Touhig

1676139

registered interest
date	06/12/2023
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	Access to Work Programme
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government why autism is defined as a disability in some application forms for help from the Access to Work scheme and not in other cases.
tabling member printed	Lord Touhig
uin	HL958
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/12/2023 answer text <p>To apply for Access to Work customers must complete an application either online or over the phone. The application is the same no matter how they complete it. Customers are asked to describe their condition in their own words and how it impacts their work. The application form does not list or ask about any specific conditions. This supports the principle that Access to Work is tailored to each customer’s disability and support need.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 13/12/2023 12:59:37 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
tabling member	542 label Biography information for Lord Touhig

1674989

registered interest
date	04/12/2023
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	Local Housing Allowance
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 potential benefits of ending the freeze in Local Housing Allowance rates before April 2024.
tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford
uin	HL809
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/12/2023 answer text <p>As announced by the Chancellor in the recent Autumn Statement, the Government will be investing £1.2 billion in 24/25 increasing LHA rates to the 30th percentile of local market rents. This is a significant investment of over £7 billion over the next five years.</p><p> </p><p>Secondary legislation is required for this increase, which will be laid in January and will come into force by 31st January 2024. This allows the Department for Work and Pensions and local authorities sufficient time to implement the rates from April 2024 and ensure claimants are paid accurately. Increases to other benefits also apply from April 2024 onwards.</p><p> </p><p>For those who face a shortfall in meeting their housing costs and need further support Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) are available from local authorities. Since 2011 the Government has provided nearly £1.7 billion in DHP funding to local authorities.</p><p><em> </em></p><p>Since October 2021, Government has provided over £2 billion to local authorities in England via the Household Support Fund (HSF) for them to provide discretionary support with the cost of essentials to those most in need. As with all government spending in England, the HSF has led to consequential increases in Barnett funding, which the Devolved Administrations can spend at their discretion.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 12/12/2023 13:43:21 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
tabling member	4922 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford

1674515

registered interest
date	30/11/2023
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: Disqualification
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government, in the most recent period of 12 months for which data are available, how many benefit claims were cancelled or suspended while third-party accusations about claimants' circumstances were investigated, what proportion of those claims were fully reinstated following an investigation, and what was the average length of time taken to investigate those claims.
tabling member printed	Lord Field of Birkenhead
uin	HL760
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/12/2023 answer text <p>DWP values the role played by members of the public in reporting suspected fraud and takes appropriate action in relation to all such allegations. However, we do not hold information regarding the number of such cases suspended or closed whilst a fraud investigation is ongoing.</p><p> </p><p>A claim would only be suspended whilst investigations are ongoing where there is strong intelligence/evidence that benefit entitlement is in doubt. The claimant would be informed of the specific reason for this, with all decisions on suspension being made in accordance with legislation and case law.</p><p> </p><p>Such decisions are not taken lightly but are important in ensuring not only that losses to the public purse as a result of suspected fraud are minimised, but also in ensuring that the individual concerned does not incur potentially large benefit overpayments that they might later be required to repay.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 12/12/2023 13:42:53 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
tabling member	478 label Biography information for Lord Field of Birkenhead

1673020

registered interest
date	27/11/2023
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	State Retirement Pensions: British Nationals Abroad
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Viscount Younger of Leckie on 26 October (HL10597), in how many countries there is a legal requirement to uprate the UK State Pensions paid to those UK pensioners who live there; and which countries they are.
tabling member printed	Lord Wasserman
uin	HL637
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/12/2023 answer text <p>The UK State Pension is payable worldwide to those who meet the qualifying conditions, without regard to nationality, and the amount is based on an individual’s National Insurance record. UK State Pensions are up-rated overseas only where there is a legal requirement to do so. The Government has no plans to change this policy.</p><p> </p><p>People who live outside the UK will not receive an increase in their State Pension unless they live in:</p><p>- an EEA country or Switzerland; or</p><p>- a country with which DWP have a reciprocal agreement that allows for it. These countries are:</p><ul><li>Barbados</li><li>Bermuda</li><li>Gibraltar</li><li>Guernsey</li><li>The Isle of Man</li><li>Israel</li><li>Jamaica</li><li>Jersey</li><li>Mauritius</li><li>the Philippines</li><li>Turkey</li><li>The United States of America, and</li><li>the separate republics of the former Yugoslavia* that are not EU Member States (Bosnia and Herzegovina; Kosovo; Montenegro; North Macedonia; and Serbia).</li></ul><p>*Following the break-up of Yugoslavia, the UK agreement with former Yugoslavia now covers Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 01/12/2023 14:59:50 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
tabling member	4207 label Biography information for Lord Wasserman