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1718611

registered interest
date	15/05/2024
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	Post Offices: Prosecutions
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Offord of Garvel on 13 May (HL Deb col 456), what were the titles of the 62 cases prosecuted by the Department of Work and Pensions against postmasters in England and Wales, and in each what was (1) the date of the case, (2) the location of the court, and (3) the outcome of the case.
tabling member printed	Lord Sikka
uin	HL4712
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/05/2024 answer text <p>It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie grouped question UIN HL4713 HL4714 question first answered 24/05/2024 11:47:00 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
tabling member	4885 label Biography information for Lord Sikka

1700673

registered interest
date	15/04/2024
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	Climate Change: Risk Management
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will update statutory guidance on climate risk management, as part of their review of climate risk reporting requirements which was due to take place in the second half of 2023 or otherwise; and in particular whether any updated guidance will take account of the report of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries and the University of Exeter Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail published in March.
tabling member printed	Lord Davies of Brixton
uin	HL3731
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/04/2024 answer text <p>My Lords, we are undertaking a post-implementation review of the Occupational Pension Schemes (Climate Change Governance and Reporting) Regulations 2021. We aim to conclude the review this year.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>We recognise that recent reports, including “Climate Scorpion-the sting is in the tail” have shown the limitations of the models currently available for scenario analysis. Therefore, we welcome work within the industry to ensure that scenario analysis models are decision useful and will look to acknowledge the issue in the review.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>However, we do not believe that the Government should mandate which models should be used by Pension Schemes. It is important that modelling which takes into account of ESG is allowed to develop and evolve as data availability increases.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 24/04/2024 16:00:52 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
tabling member	4893 label Biography information for Lord Davies of Brixton

1698026

registered interest
date	21/03/2024
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, further to the answer by Lord Markham on 11 March (HL Deb col 1802), and taking account of the latest Households Below Average Income data, which shows a 300,000 increase in the number of children living in absolute poverty in the past year, what assessment they have made of the impact on health and well-being of the two-child limit for child benefit; and what assessment they have made of the strengths and weaknesses of using the measure of absolute poverty rather than relative poverty.
tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of Leicester
uin	HL3520
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/03/2024 answer text <p>It is not possible to produce a robust assessment of the impact of the two-child limit.</p><p> </p><p>Child Benefit continues to be paid for all children in eligible families.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>Relative poverty sets a threshold as a proportion of the UK median income and moves each year as average income changes.</p><p>Typically, a household is in relative poverty if its income is less than 60 per cent of the median household income.</p><p>Absolute poverty, by our definition, is a threshold as a proportion of the UK average income in a given year (2010/11) and moves each year in line with inflation.</p><p> </p><p>This government prefers to look at Absolute poverty over Relative poverty as relative poverty can provide counter-intuitive results.</p><p>Relative poverty is likely to fall during recessions, due to falling median incomes. Under this measure, poverty can decrease even if people are getting poorer.</p><p>The absolute poverty line is fixed in real terms, so will only ever worsen if people are getting poorer, and only ever improve if people are getting richer.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 27/03/2024 16:34:59 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
tabling member	4947 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of Leicester

1697262

registered interest
date	19/03/2024
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	Brazil: Reciprocal Arrangements
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will place in the Library of the House a copy of the letter they received from the government of Brazil in 2011 that sought a reciprocal social security agreement with the UK, and a copy of their response to that letter.
tabling member printed	Lord German
uin	HL3384
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/04/2024 answer text <p>The Department for Work and Pensions received diplomatic correspondence from the Brazilian government in 2011 and DWP officials met with officials at the Brazilian Embassy in London to discuss the request. There was no further action.</p><p> </p><p>We do not publish another country’s diplomatic correspondence or the content of negotiations without their consent.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 03/04/2024 13:04:58 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
tabling member	4163 label Biography information for Lord German

1691867

registered interest
date	26/02/2024
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	Quad Bikes: Safety
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what is the timetable for their review into operator protection devices on quad bikes.
tabling member printed	Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick
uin	HL2757
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/03/2024 answer text <p>The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is the regulator for health and safety in Great Britain. The Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) is the equivalent regulator in Northern Ireland.</p><p> </p><p>Sit astride all-terrain vehicles (commonly referred to as quad bikes) supplied into the UK market must meet the Essential Health and Safety Requirements of the Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008 and relevant Standards. Quad bikes are used in a range of workplace and leisure settings.</p><p> </p><p>Both UK regulators continue to monitor available technology and the regulatory approaches employed in other countries, including where operator protection devices (OPDs) have been made mandatory. HSE is reviewing available evidence against typical UK workplace settings to see if additional measures can provide improvements in safety. This work is ongoing and HSE will provide this information to the working group that will assess if changes should be made to the specific Designated Standard.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 11/03/2024 14:56:03 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
tabling member	4130 label Biography information for Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick

1688846

registered interest
date	13/02/2024
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	Financial Services: Environment Protection
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government, following the publication of the Financial Markets and Law Committee paper on Pension fund trustees and fiduciary duties on 6 February, when they propose to hold the roundtables with stakeholders promised in the 2023 Green Finance Strategy.
tabling member printed	Baroness Hayman
uin	HL2432
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/02/2024 answer text <p>The Government welcomes the work of the Financial Markets Law Committee’s working group. Working with the Pensions Regulator, we will look closely at what insights we can draw from their report as we gather further evidence on how trustees are considering ESG factors in their approach to investment in the interests of their members.</p><p> </p><p>This report is a useful resource for trustees, but we are keen to hear views from across the pension sector and wider stakeholders as to what further clarification, or guidance, if any, is needed. We plan to do this starting with a series of roundtable events this spring.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie grouped question UIN HL2329 question first answered 20/02/2024 15:00:22 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
tabling member	1649 label Biography information for Baroness Hayman

1688328

registered interest
date	07/02/2024
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	Household Support Fund
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 Barnardo's report No crib for a bed: a closer look at bed poverty and the Household Support Fund crisis, published on 5 February.
tabling member printed	Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick
uin	HL2298
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/02/2024 answer text <p>The report looks at a broad range of policy areas and, while we have made no specific assessment of the report itself, my Department continues to monitor the impact of its policies.</p><p>The Government is committed to reducing poverty, including child 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>Our approach to tackling poverty is based on clear evidence that parental employment, particularly where its full time, reduces the risk of poverty. In the financial year 2021 to 2022, children living in households where all adults work were around 5 times less likely to be in absolute poverty after housing costs than those living in workless households.</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>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 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 20/02/2024 14:54:33 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
tabling member	4130 label Biography information for Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick

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

1686511

registered interest
date	31/01/2024
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	Household Support Fund
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 need for a funded strategy for local crisis support in England to ensure that councils can respond effectively to the needs of low-income households.
tabling member printed	Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon
uin	HL2086
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/02/2024 answer text <p>Councils continue to have the flexibility to use funding from the Local Government Finance Settlement to provide local welfare assistance.</p><p> </p><p>Over £2bn in support has to date been allocated to Local Authorities in England via the Household Support Fund to support those most in need.</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> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 13/02/2024 14:53:07 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
tabling member	4290 label Biography information for Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon

1681317

registered interest
date	10/01/2024
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	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 case for annually indexing Local Housing Allowance to rent levels.
tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford
uin	HL1407
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/01/2024 answer text <p>The Secretary of State (SoS) has recently completed his review of Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates for 2024/25. As announced by the Chancellor in the recent Autumn Statement, from April 2024 the Government will be investing £1.2 billion increasing LHA rates to the 30th percentile of local market rents. This ensures 1.6 million private renters in receipt of Housing Benefit, or the Housing Element of Universal Credit will gain, on average, nearly £800 per year in additional help towards their rental costs in 2024/25. This is a significant investment of £7bn over five years.</p><p>The SoS has committed to reviewing LHA rates annually, usually in the Autumn. The rates for 2025/26 have not yet been reviewed.</p><p>The department works closely with stakeholders, jobcentres, and local authorities to understand the impact of its policies.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 23/01/2024 11:42:18 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
tabling member	4922 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford