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1602176

registered interest
date	07/03/2023
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, further to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation report An Essentials Guarantee: Reforming Universal Credit to ensure we can all afford the essentials in hard times, published on 27 February, which found that "95 per cent of people on Universal Credit facing debt deductions are going without essentials", what steps they are taking to prevent debt from being (1) generated, and (2) sustained, in the social security system.
tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of Durham
uin	HL6188
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/03/2023 answer text <p>The DWP takes significant steps to ensure the accuracy of all benefit payments, and figures released in May 2022 showed the overwhelming majority of benefit, nearly 95%, was paid correctly. There are a number of measures in place to minimise the risk of debt, such as a quality checking regime and the use of HMRC’s Real Time Information.</p><p> </p><p>Where errors do occur with UC payments, the DWP takes steps to detect them at the earliest opportunity. Where debt does arise, and a person feels they cannot afford the proposed rate of recovery, they are encouraged to contact the DWP. When they do, we work with them to review their financial circumstances and, in most instances, agree a temporary reduction in their rate of repayment.</p><p> </p><p>We remain committed to His Majesty’s Treasury’s Breathing Space policy, which provides those with problem debt (where applicable) the right to legal protections from creditor action for a period of 60 days.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 21/03/2023 15:02:19 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
tabling member	4312 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of Durham

1602178

registered interest
date	07/03/2023
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 what were the (1) minimum, and (2) maximum, benefit sanctions issued in the latest period for which data are available; and what was the average duration of benefit stoppage in that period.
tabling member printed	Lord Field of Birkenhead
uin	HL6190
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/03/2023 answer text <p>The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 21/03/2023 14:15:38 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
tabling member	478 label Biography information for Lord Field of Birkenhead

1602179

registered interest
date	07/03/2023
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	Personal Income
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 Bright Blue Building up: The future of social security, published in January; and what steps they will take to establish the minimum living income proposed in that report.
tabling member printed	Lord Field of Birkenhead
uin	HL6191
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/03/2023 answer text <p>No assessment has been made.</p><p> </p><p>We will spend £245bn through the welfare system in 2022/23, including £111bn on people of working age and around £134 billion on pensioners. Of the total amount, around £66 billion will be spent on supporting disabled people and people with health conditions in Great Britain.</p><p> </p><p>In April, we are uprating benefit rates and State Pensions by 10.1%. In order to increase the number of households who can benefit from these uprating decisions, the benefit cap levels are also increasing by the same amount.</p><p> </p><p>To further support those who are in work, from 1 April 2023 the National Living Wage (NLW) will increase by 9.7% to £10.42 an hour for workers aged 23 and over - the largest ever cash increase for the NLW.</p><p> </p><p>There is no objective way of deciding what an adequate level of benefit should be - each household will always have different requirements depending on their circumstances. Income–related benefit rates are not made up of separate amounts for specific items of expenditure, such as food. The Government firmly believes claimants should be free to spend their benefit as they see fit, in line with their individual needs and preferences. The Government does not consider it appropriate to introduce changes that would prioritise one particular area of household expenditure over the cost of other essential goods and services that benefit claimants have to meet.</p><p> </p><p>We recognise the pressures of the rising cost of living which is why households on eligible means-tested benefits will get up to £900 in Cost of Living Payments in 2023/24. This will be split into three payments of around £300 each across the 2023/24 financial year. A separate £300 payment will be made to pensioner households on top of their Winter Fuel Payments and individuals in receipt of eligible disability benefits will receive a £150 payment. Further to this, the Energy Price Guarantee will be extended from April 2023 until the end of March 2024, meaning a typical household bill will be around £3,000 per year in Great Britain.</p><p> </p><p>This support is in addition to that provided in 2022/23, including cost of living payments for people on eligible benefits, the Energy Price Guarantee and the £400 non-repayable discount to eligible households provided through the Energy Bills Support Scheme.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 15/03/2023 12:07:41 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
tabling member	478 label Biography information for Lord Field of Birkenhead

1601524

registered interest
date	06/03/2023
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: Telephone Services
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 average wait time for calls to the Future Pension Centre helpline; and what steps they will take to improve the wait time.
tabling member printed	Lord Truscott
uin	HL6171
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/03/2023 answer text <p>Due to the unprecedented demand with the end of the tax year approaching, call waiting times for Futures Pension Centre helplines have been higher than expected. As a result of this, increased demand across both DWP and HM Revenue &amp; Customs, and the impact on customer service levels, agreement has been reached to extend the period for payment of Voluntary National Insurance until 31 July 23. DWP anticipates this will reduce demand and improve average call wait times.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 16/03/2023 16:37:22 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
tabling member	3682 label Biography information for Lord Truscott

1600129

registered interest
date	28/02/2023
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 what estimate they have made of the number of parents who have been denied Universal Credit or Child Tax Credit since 2013 as a result of the two-child limit; and how many exemptions from this limit have been granted since 6 April 2017.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL5994
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/03/2023 answer text <p>Families are able to claim support for up to two children, and there may be further entitlement for other children if they were born before 6 April 2017 or if an exception applies.</p><p> </p><p>The latest available statistics related to the policy to provide support for a maximum of two children was published in July 2022 and can be accessed at <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/universal-credit-and-child-tax-credit-claimants-statistics-related-to-the-policy-to-provide-support-for-a-maximum-of-2-children-april-2022" target="_blank">Universal Credit and Child Tax Credit claimants: statistics related to the policy to provide support for a maximum of 2 children, April 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</a></p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 16/03/2023 17:04:53 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

1599684

registered interest
date	27/02/2023
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 how many benefit claims were subject to sanctions in the most recent three months for which data is available, broken down by parliamentary constituency; how much was the total and average sum of benefit income lost by claimants due to sanctions in each constituency; what was the (1) shortest, (2) average, and (3) longest, length of time taken to challenge a benefit sanction decision in the most recent 12 months for which data is available; and when, and for what reason, the Department for Work and Pensions ceased requiring a case conference to assess the impact of a sanction before any sanction was imposed.
tabling member printed	Lord Field of Birkenhead
uin	HL5907
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/03/2023 answer text <p>The latest monthly statistics, taken from Stat-Xplore, on the number of Universal Credit full service claimants with a payment that has been reduced due to a sanction, by Westminster parliamentary constituency, for September to November 2022, are provided in the answer I gave to you on 6 March for <a href="https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2023-02-20/hl5653" target="_blank">HL5653</a>.</p><p> </p><p>The information requested for the total and average sum of benefit income lost and parts (1), (2) and (3) is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.</p><p> </p><p>Sanctions are only ever applied when a claimant fails to meet their agreed conditionality requirements without good reason.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 14/03/2023 12:39:52 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
tabling member	478 label Biography information for Lord Field of Birkenhead

1599685

registered interest
date	27/02/2023
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 how many and what proportion of benefit claimants currently under sanction (1) are in paid employment, (2) are receiving hardship payments, (3) have a medical condition, or (4) were in hospital or attending a medical appointment when they were deemed to have failed to comply.
tabling member printed	Lord Field of Birkenhead
uin	HL5908
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/03/2023 answer text <p>The information requested for parts (2), (3) and (4) is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.</p><p> </p><p>In November 2022 (4%) of those who received a sanction were in the working – with requirements and working – no requirements conditionality regimes.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Sanctions are only ever applied when a claimant fails to meet their agreed conditionality requirements without good reason. These requirements are developed and agreed in discussion with their work coach and tailored to their individual capability, capacity and specific circumstances, including any health conditions or disability, ensuring they are realistic and achievable.</p><p> </p><p>Those who are not expected to look for work, such as those with severe health conditions, including mental health conditions, are not subject to requirements or sanctions.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 14/03/2023 13:00:59 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
tabling member	478 label Biography information for Lord Field of Birkenhead