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1642800

registered interest
date	07/06/2023
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	Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what training in customer mental health they give to contractors providing assessments of benefits claimants.
tabling member printed	Baroness Browning
uin	HL8277
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/06/2023 answer text <p>We are fully committed to supporting those with mental health conditions. The assessment of mental, cognitive, and intellectual function is an integral part of the assessment process.</p><p> </p><p>All healthcare professionals (HPs) undertaking assessments on behalf of the department must be registered practitioners who have undergone comprehensive training in the functional assessment of disability, and mental health conditions. HPs continue to keep this knowledge up to date through continuous professional development.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, mental health function champions support HPs by providing additional expertise about mental health, cognitive, developmental, and learning disabilities, and can be referred to at any time during the assessment process.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 14/06/2023 11:01:59 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
tabling member	236 label Biography information for Baroness Browning

1642805

registered interest
date	07/06/2023
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	Social Security Benefits
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government, whether they intend to abolish the benefit cap following their research which found that only five per cent of affected households moved into work as a result of it.
tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of Durham
uin	HL8286
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/06/2023 answer text <p>The benefit cap continues to provide a work incentive and fairness for hard-working taxpaying households, whilst providing a reasonable safety net of support for the most vulnerable. The Government firmly believes that where possible it is in the best interests of children to be in working households and the benefit cap provides a clear incentive to move into work.</p><p> </p><p>The lower benefit cap had a positive impact with an additional 5.1% of households moving into employment as a result of it. An additional 2.6% of households left the cap as a result of their benefit entitlements being updated to include an exempting benefit and an additional 1.8% of households left the cap by moving property, at Census Output Area (COA) level, to reduce their rental costs.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 16/06/2023 11:32:48 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
tabling member	4312 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of Durham

1640654

registered interest
date	25/05/2023
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	Support for Mortgage Interest
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 adequacy of Support for Mortgage Interest in the light of rising interest rates.
tabling member printed	Lord Field of Birkenhead
uin	HL8131
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/06/2023 answer text <p>The rate of SMI we pay is based on the Bank of England average published rate and recently increased from 2.09% to 2.65% in May 2023. Any further changes will occur when the average differs by 0.5 percentage points or more from the rate in payment.</p><p>SMI is intended to provide reasonable support by making a contribution towards mortgage interest to protect claimants against the threat of repossession.</p><p>To support low-income mortgage borrowers with rising interest rates, from April 2023, we extended the support SMI provides by allowing those on Universal Credit to apply for a loan after three months, instead of nine. We also abolished the earnings rule to allow claimants to continue receiving support while in work and on Universal Credit.</p><p>For those who need additional support the Government is providing an additional £1 billion of funding, including Barnett impact, to enable a further extension to the Household Support Fund in England over the 2023/24 financial year. In England, this scheme will be backed by £842 million, running from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024, which local authorities will use to help households with the cost of essentials. It will be for the devolved administrations to decide how to allocate their additional Barnett funding.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 07/06/2023 12:52:43 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
tabling member	478 label Biography information for Lord Field of Birkenhead

1640655

registered interest
date	25/05/2023
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
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what was the average amount paid to individuals for each passported benefit, including (1) warm home discounts, and (2) help from energy and water suppliers.
tabling member printed	Lord Field of Birkenhead
uin	HL8132
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/06/2023 answer text <p>I refer the noble Lord to the answers I gave to questions <a href="https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2023-04-20/hl7344" target="_blank">HL7344</a> and <a href="https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2023-04-20/hl7345" target="_blank">HL7345</a> on 4 May.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><em>Passported benefits, such as free school meals and help with healthcare costs are owned and delivered by different departments across government and Local Authorities.</em></p><p><strong><em> </em></strong></p><p><em>This information would not be held by one single department, to get this information you would need to approach each department individually.</em></p><p> </p><p>The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) does not hold data on all ‘passported benefits’. <em>Passported benefit </em>is a term used to refer to additional support/discounts or schemes, usually available to those on an income-based benefit, like Universal Credit or Pension Credit.</p><p> </p><p>The vast majority of ‘passported benefits’ are provided by departments other than DWP, including Warm Home Discount, and help from energy or water suppliers. Many departments use receipt of a means-tested benefit as part of the eligibility criteria for the ‘passported benefits’ it may offer, in order to target extra support to those on the lowest incomes.</p><p> </p><p>Warm Home Discount and support from energy suppliers is a matter for the Department for Energy, Security and Net Zero (DESNZ). It has confirmed that:</p><p> </p><p>Households may be eligible to receive £150 directly off their energy bills each winter under the Warm Home Discount scheme.</p><p> </p><p>For any queries regarding this scheme, DESNZ is best placed to provide it.</p><p> </p><p>Support for water bills is a matter for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). It has confirmed that:</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>We expect all companies to make sure households are aware of the schemes available to help those struggling to pay their bills. In England, the water sector has both statutory (WaterSure) and voluntary measures (social tariffs) in place for households who struggle to pay for their water bills.</p><p> </p><p>The Consumer Council for Water (CCW) provides information on the number of households in receipt of WaterSure and social tariffs. A detailed breakdown can be found <a href="https://www.ccw.org.uk/advice-and-support/households/company-performance/" target="_blank">on CCW’s website</a> (<a href="http://www.ccw.org.uk/advice-and-support/households/company-performance" target="_blank">www.ccw.org.uk/advice-and-support/households/company-performance</a>).</p><p> </p><p>Approximately 202,898 households benefitted from WaterSure in England and Wales in 2021/22. The average bill discount was £307 per annum.</p><p> </p><p>All companies offer their own social tariffs to support vulnerable customers. Approximately 1,148,310 households benefitted from social tariffs in England and Wales in 2021/22. The average bill discount was £149 per annum.</p><p> </p><p>For further information on ‘passported benefits’, the relevant department is best placed to provide it.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 09/06/2023 10:45:12 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
tabling member	478 label Biography information for Lord Field of Birkenhead

1640656

registered interest
date	25/05/2023
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
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what was the average amount paid to individuals for each passported benefit, including cold weather payments.
tabling member printed	Lord Field of Birkenhead
uin	HL8133
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/06/2023 answer text <p>There are many passported benefits, for example free prescriptions and free school meals. The information provided relates solely to Cold Weather Payments. You may get Cold Weather Payments if you’re getting Pension Credit, Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Universal Credit or Support for Mortgage Interest. Additional information on further eligibility requirements can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/cold-weather-payment/eligibility" target="_blank">Cold Weather Payment: Eligibility - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</a>.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>A Cold Weather Payment (CWP) award of £25 is made to eligible recipients for each qualifying period of cold weather to provide help with additional costs of heating during periods of severely cold weather. The average Cold Weather Payment award is therefore £25. Qualifying individuals may receive more than one payment during each CWP season.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 08/06/2023 15:03:05 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
tabling member	478 label Biography information for Lord Field of Birkenhead

1640667

registered interest
date	25/05/2023
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	Prevention of Accidents to Children in Agriculture Regulations 1998
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what is their latest assessment of the effectiveness of the Prevention of Accidents to Children in Agriculture Regulations 1998.
tabling member printed	Baroness Kennedy of Cradley
uin	HL8147
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/06/2023 answer text <p><a href="https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1998/3262/made" target="_blank">The Prevention of Accidents to Children in Agriculture Regulations 1998</a> (PACAR) prohibit anyone allowing children under the age of 13 to ride on machinery used in the course of agricultural operations.</p><p> </p><p>The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) enforces the Regulations and considers they are clear in their intent and requirements. The provisions are well known in the agriculture industry and stem from protections that have been in place since 1958.</p><p> </p><p>Within the last ten years, (since 01/04/2013), under the Prevention of Accidents to Children in Agriculture Regulations 1998, HSE have:</p><ul><li>Issued 23 Prohibition Notices</li><li>Approved 2 Prosecution Cases (one resulting in a Guilty verdict)</li></ul><p> </p><p>If followed, the Regulations are effective at controlling farm related risk to children under 13 years of age riding on farm machinery. However, they do not extend to control all farm related risk. These hazards include for example, cattle, moving vehicles, slurry lagoons, and bale stacks.</p><p> </p><p>The risks presented by these other hazards can only effectively be controlled because HSE uses more general legislation in conjunction with <a href="https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg472.htm" target="_blank">specific guidance</a>. The broader legislation relevant to the protection of children is:</p><p> </p><ul><li>The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 (HSWA) which sets out a clear general duty to protect all those not at work who might be affected by the undertaking, and</li></ul><p> </p><ul><li>The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations (MHSWR) which require assessment and management of all risks in or from a work activity and specifically that young people are not exposed to risk due to their lack of experience, being unaware of existing or potential risks and/or lack of maturity.</li></ul><p> </p><p>HSE continues to monitor the legislative framework for the control of risk to children in agriculture and considers the legal provisions are sufficient to allow HSE to take proportionate enforcement action where necessary.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 07/06/2023 12:45:52 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
tabling member	4303 label Biography information for Baroness Kennedy of Cradley

1640674

registered interest
date	25/05/2023
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	Sick Leave
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to enable the long-term sick to return to work.
tabling member printed	Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown
uin	HL8154
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/06/2023 answer text <p>A range of Government initiatives are supporting disabled people and the long-term sick to start, stay, and succeed in work. These include:</p><ul><li>Increasing Work Coach support in Jobcentres for people with health conditions receiving Universal Credit or Employment and Support Allowance;</li><li>Disability Employment Advisers in Jobcentres offering advice and expertise on how to help disabled people and people with health conditions into work;</li><li>The Work and Health Programme and Intensive Personalised Employment Support, providing tailored and personalised support for participants;</li><li>Access to Work grants helping towards extra costs of working beyond standard reasonable adjustments;</li><li>Disability Confident, encouraging employers to think differently about disability and health, and to take positive action to address the issues disabled employees face in the workplace;</li><li>An online information and advice service called “Support with Employee Health and Disability”, providing better integrated and tailored guidance on supporting health and disability in the workplace;</li><li>Increasing access to occupational health, including the testing of financial incentives for small and medium-sized enterprises and the self-employed; and</li><li>Work in partnership between DWP and health systems, including Employment Advice in NHS Talking Therapies, which combines psychological treatment and employment support for people with mental health conditions.</li></ul><p> </p><p>To tackle rising economic inactivity due to long-term sickness, we announced a wide-reaching package at the Spring Budget to support disabled people and people with health conditions to work. New investment will provide faster access to joined-up work and health support, including for mental health and musculoskeletal conditions, the two leading causes of economic inactivity due to long term sickness.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 09/06/2023 12:07:01 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
tabling member	655 label Biography information for Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown

1640688

registered interest
date	25/05/2023
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: Cost of Living
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 finding by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation on 24 May that "almost 9 in 10 families on Universal Credit cannot afford basic items like food and clothing"; and what steps they are taking to ensure that benefits always cover the cost of essentials.
tabling member printed	Lord Taylor of Warwick
uin	HL8169
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/06/2023 answer text <p>No formal assessment has been made.</p><p>Universal Credit awards are formed of a Standard Allowance, paid according to age and family status, plus help with eligible housing costs, which can then be supplemented with additional elements for groups recognised as having additional needs, such as parents, disabled people, and carers.</p><p> </p><p>The rates of benefit are not determined by individuals' living costs and so it is not possible to provide a breakdown of these amounts by reference to separate amounts for specific items of expenditure, such as the TV licence, gas, electricity, and 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.</p><p> </p><p>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.</p><p> </p><p>To protect the most vulnerable, from April 2023, we increased benefits in line with inflation. This means that they will rise by September Consumer Prices Index (CPI) inflation – 10.1%.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 13/06/2023 13:27:59 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
tabling member	1796 label Biography information for Lord Taylor of Warwick

1640698

registered interest
date	25/05/2023
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
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what was the average amount paid to individuals for each passported benefit, including (1) funeral payments, and (2) maternity grants.
tabling member printed	Lord Field of Birkenhead
uin	HL8134
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/06/2023 answer text <p>There are many passported benefits, for example free prescriptions and free school meals. The information provided relates solely to Funeral Expenses Payments and Sure Start Maternity Grant.</p><p> </p><p>Funeral Expenses Payment (FEP) provides help towards the cost of a funeral. To be eligible for FEP, you (or your partner) must get one or more of the following benefits: Universal Credit, Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Pension Credit, Housing Benefit, the disability or severe disability element of Working Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit. You might also be eligible if you’re getting a Support for Mortgage Interest loan. This is in addition to other eligibility criteria which is available here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/funeral-payments/eligibility" target="_blank">Get help with funeral costs (Funeral Expenses Payment): Eligibility - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</a></p><p> </p><p>Sure Start Maternity Grant (SSMG) is payment of £500 to provide help with the costs of a new baby (or babies in the event of a multiple birth) if there are no other children under 16 in the claimant’s family. To be eligible for SSMG, you (or your partner) must get one of these benefits: Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Pension Credit, Child Tax Credit, Working Tax Credit that includes a disability or severe disability element or Universal Credit. You may also qualify if you’re getting a Support of Mortgage Interest Loan. This is in addition to other eligibility criteria which is available here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/sure-start-maternity-grant/eligibility" target="_blank">Sure Start Maternity Grant: Eligibility - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</a>.</p><p> </p><p>The table below provides information of the average award for both FEP and SSMG. Information on average awards along with other data such as number of awards can be found in Annex 1 of the Annual Social Fund Reports which can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/social-fund-accounts-and-reports" target="_blank">Social Fund accounts and reports - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</a>. The 2021/22 Social Fund Report is due to be published in the near future and thus the data below goes up to 2020/21.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p><strong>Table 1: Average award for Funeral Expenses Payments and Sure Start Maternity Grant </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>£</p></td><td><p><strong>2020/21</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2019/20</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2018/19</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>FEP</strong></p></td><td><p>508</p></td><td><p>508</p></td><td><p>508</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>SSMG</strong></p></td><td><p>1,838</p></td><td><p>1,561</p></td><td><p>1,517</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>Notes:</p><ol><li>Data is for England and Wales.</li><li>For SSMG and FEP, the average award value is calculated by dividing gross expenditure by the number of awards.</li><li>The average SSMG award is higher than the award value of £500 to reflect the additional award made for multiple births.</li><li>SSMG devolved to Scotland on 10 December 2018. From this date, SSMG is only awarded in England and Wales. Therefore, the figures report on Great Britain up to 10 December 2018, and on England and Wales from that date onwards.</li><li>Due to missing data for 2019 to 2020, the SSMG average award figure has been estimated using a historical average. From this, the number of awards has been calculated by dividing gross expenditure by this average award.</li></ol> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 08/06/2023 15:08:28 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
tabling member	478 label Biography information for Lord Field of Birkenhead

1640220

registered interest
date	24/05/2023
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	Elections: Candidates
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 steps taken to deliver the commitment contained in the National Disability Strategy, published on 28 July 2021, to see "more disabled people becoming elected representatives".
tabling member printed	Baroness Scott of Needham Market
uin	HL8109
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/06/2023 answer text <p>In January 2022, the High Court declared that the National Disability Strategy was unlawful because the UK Disability Survey, which informed it, was held to be a voluntary consultation that failed to comply with the legal requirements on public consultations.</p><p> </p><p>We are disappointed by, and strongly disagree with, the High Court’s finding, and the Secretary of State has been granted permission to appeal the Court's declaration. In order to ensure compliance with the Court’s declaration, we are obliged to pause a limited number of policies which are referred to in the Strategy or are directly connected with it.</p><p> </p><p>The policy ‘Cabinet Office will consider how we can best support those standing for public office and those who hold public office’ was one of the policies we were obliged to pause.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 08/06/2023 11:09:00 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
tabling member	2542 label Biography information for Baroness Scott of Needham Market