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1736756

registered interest
date	23/10/2024
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	Silica: Death
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government how many cases of silicosis and how many deaths there have been during the past five years associated with exposure to respirable crystalline silica (RCS) in engineered stone worktops, and what steps they plan to take to reduce that number, in particular by inspections for RCS in manufacturing and developing tools to identify RCS exposure.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL1921
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/11/2024 answer text <p>The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has been advised that a database which collects voluntary information from around 350 physicians on Surveillance of Work-related and Occupational Respiratory Diseases (known as SWORD) has recorded eighteen cases of silicosis where a respiratory physician has attributed the cause to working engineered stone. HSE is aware of one death.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>HSE is working with industry stakeholders to establish practical guidelines to ensure workers are protected, meeting recently with manufacturers of stone products to discuss the range of possible actions for working with engineered stone. Further workshops with other stakeholders in the supply chain are proposed, aimed at determining the best focus for inspections targeting engineered stone, whilst HSE also investigates reported ill-health and concerns about inadequate risk management.</p> answering member printed Baroness Sherlock question first answered 04/11/2024 12:09:10 answering member 4147 label Biography information for Baroness Sherlock
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1736771

registered interest
date	23/10/2024
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	Children: Maintenance
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government how many times the Child Maintenance Service has identified inaccurate financial disclosures of the paying parent via HM Revenue and Customs; and in those cases, (1) how many times was enforcement action taken, and (2) how much maintenance was collected as a result.
tabling member printed	Baroness Hazarika
uin	HL1936
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/11/2024 answer text <p>The department does not hold information on the number of inaccurate financial disclosures of the paying parent via HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). CMS take steps to ensure the child maintenance case is accurate prior to taking any enforcement actions.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The department legally relies on data from HMRC and its own benefits data to assess people’s earned income and benefit status, which are key parts of the maintenance calculation. This makes it difficult for most parents to misstate their income. The receiving parent can also ask the Department to consider the paying parent’s more complex earnings, such as unearned income, which are more vulnerable to fraud and error.</p><p> </p><p>To ensure calculations are accurate the department continues to build on its already proportionate and cost-effective controls, such as:</p><p>• a dedicated Financial Investigation Unit who address allegations of misrepresentation and fraud</p><p>• use of verified income from HMRC and benefit systems as outlined in legislation and a principal part of service design.</p><p>• use of child benefit systems to verify qualifying child(ren)</p><p>• procedures and policy to request additional verification</p><p>• a robust mandatory consideration and appeals process.</p><p> </p><p>The Financial Investigation Unit conduct investigations into potential criminal offences linked to Child Maintenance such as DNA testing fraud and providing false income information to the department, this can result in prosecution through Crown Prosecution Service.</p><p> </p><p>The Department publishes quarterly statistics for the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-on-the-2012-statutory-child-maintenance-scheme" target="_blank">Child Maintenance Service</a> and the latest statistics are available up to <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/child-maintenance-service-statistics-data-to-june-2024" target="_blank">June 2024</a>. Table 7: Financial Investigations Unit Actions, Great Britain, April 2017 to June 2024, in the latest <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66f146ec76558d051527abc5/national-tables-child-maintenance-service-to-june-2024.ods" target="_blank">National Tables</a>, does provide the available information on investigations into potential criminal offences, such as DNA testing fraud and providing false income information.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Sherlock grouped question UIN HL1937 question first answered 06/11/2024 13:13:06 answering member 4147 label Biography information for Baroness Sherlock
tabling member	5024 label Biography information for Baroness Hazarika

1736772

registered interest
date	23/10/2024
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	Children: Maintenance
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government on how many occasions they have provided supporting evidence to assist in the prosecution of individuals committing tax fraud or avoidance following deliberate inaccurate financial disclosures to the Child Maintenance Service.
tabling member printed	Baroness Hazarika
uin	HL1937
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/11/2024 answer text <p>The department does not hold information on the number of inaccurate financial disclosures of the paying parent via HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). CMS take steps to ensure the child maintenance case is accurate prior to taking any enforcement actions.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The department legally relies on data from HMRC and its own benefits data to assess people’s earned income and benefit status, which are key parts of the maintenance calculation. This makes it difficult for most parents to misstate their income. The receiving parent can also ask the Department to consider the paying parent’s more complex earnings, such as unearned income, which are more vulnerable to fraud and error.</p><p> </p><p>To ensure calculations are accurate the department continues to build on its already proportionate and cost-effective controls, such as:</p><p>• a dedicated Financial Investigation Unit who address allegations of misrepresentation and fraud</p><p>• use of verified income from HMRC and benefit systems as outlined in legislation and a principal part of service design.</p><p>• use of child benefit systems to verify qualifying child(ren)</p><p>• procedures and policy to request additional verification</p><p>• a robust mandatory consideration and appeals process.</p><p> </p><p>The Financial Investigation Unit conduct investigations into potential criminal offences linked to Child Maintenance such as DNA testing fraud and providing false income information to the department, this can result in prosecution through Crown Prosecution Service.</p><p> </p><p>The Department publishes quarterly statistics for the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-on-the-2012-statutory-child-maintenance-scheme" target="_blank">Child Maintenance Service</a> and the latest statistics are available up to <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/child-maintenance-service-statistics-data-to-june-2024" target="_blank">June 2024</a>. Table 7: Financial Investigations Unit Actions, Great Britain, April 2017 to June 2024, in the latest <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66f146ec76558d051527abc5/national-tables-child-maintenance-service-to-june-2024.ods" target="_blank">National Tables</a>, does provide the available information on investigations into potential criminal offences, such as DNA testing fraud and providing false income information.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Sherlock grouped question UIN HL1936 question first answered 06/11/2024 13:13:06 answering member 4147 label Biography information for Baroness Sherlock
tabling member	5024 label Biography information for Baroness Hazarika

1736773

registered interest
date	23/10/2024
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	Children: Maintenance
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government on how many occasions the Child Maintenance Service has referred cases to the Crown Prosecution Service or provided assistance to the police to prosecute those who commit the controlling or coercive behaviour offence post-separation.
tabling member printed	Baroness Hazarika
uin	HL1938
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/11/2024 answer text <p>Following the extension of the offence of coercion and control to post-separation, the CMS have considered the implications for the policy and operational framework within which statutory child maintenance arrangements sit. The CMS will not have a role in prosecuting those who commit this form of abuse. The CMS will provide all feasible assistance to the police who remain best equipped to investigate and prosecute those who commit the offence of coercion and control post-separation.</p><p>CMS caseworkers signpost parents to appropriate support organisations/police to report abuse and we can act on their behalf if they are in immediate danger.</p> answering member printed Baroness Sherlock question first answered 04/11/2024 12:14:49 answering member 4147 label Biography information for Baroness Sherlock
tabling member	5024 label Biography information for Baroness Hazarika

1736774

registered interest
date	23/10/2024
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	Child Maintenance Service: Domestic Abuse
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to implement the recommendations accepted in Dr Samantha Callan's report Independent Review of the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) response to Domestic Abuse, published on 17 January 2022.
tabling member printed	Baroness Hazarika
uin	HL1939
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/11/2024 answer text <p>The scale of violence against women and girls in our country is intolerable and this Government will treat it as the national emergency that it is.</p><p>The previous government accepted eight of the ten recommendations in Dr Callan’s review and had made good progress in implementing these including introducing legislation to remove the £20 application fee in February 2024. The CMS domestic training has been reviewed following engagement with stakeholders to ensure it supports victims and survivors of abuse effectively.</p><p>This Government is committed to building on these improvements. Following a trial of a dedicated team to handle domestic abuse cases, this has been rolled out across the CMS to support vulnerable customers including where the most challenging or complex domestic abuse is an issue.</p><p>This government has extended the consultation that was launched in May 2024 which explored proposals to reform the CMS. This included removing Direct Pay and managing all CMS cases in one service to allow the CMS to tackle non-compliance faster and explore how victims and survivors of domestic abuse can be better supported. The consultation closed on 30 September 2024 and a response will be published in due course.</p><p>The Department is also progressing a review of the child maintenance calculation, aspects of which were the subject of Dr Callan’s recommendations, to address issues of affordability of liabilities for low-income families. Any changes to the CMS calculation will require further consultation and legislative changes would need parliamentary approval.</p> answering member printed Baroness Sherlock question first answered 04/11/2024 12:13:25 answering member 4147 label Biography information for Baroness Sherlock
tabling member	5024 label Biography information for Baroness Hazarika

1736334

registered interest
date	22/10/2024
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	Children: Maintenance
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 total amount of child maintenance arrears owed to date; and of the total number of children for whom maintenance is accordingly outstanding.
tabling member printed	Baroness Hazarika
uin	HL1869
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/11/2024 answer text <p>The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) always encourages paying parents to pay their maintenance on time, to avoid accrual of arrears. Where a paying parent fails to pay on time or in full, the CMS aims to take immediate action to recover the debt and re-establish compliance. The CMS is committed to using its wide-ranging enforcement powers proportionally, and in the best interests of children and separated families.</p><p>The Department publishes Child Maintenance Service (CMS) statistics regularly and the relevant information can be accessed from Table 5 of the supplementary tables in the <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66f146ec76558d051527abc5/national-tables-child-maintenance-service-to-june-2024.ods" target="_blank">latest release</a>.</p><p> </p><p>Table 5 counts how much child maintenance due has accumulated since the CMS began, in 2012. At the end of June 2024 this was £654.6m. Please note that this figure does not include arrears incurred with the Child Support Agency pre-2012.</p><p> </p><p>The information requested on the total number of children for whom maintenance is outstanding is not readily available, and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.</p> answering member printed Baroness Sherlock question first answered 04/11/2024 12:16:19 answering member 4147 label Biography information for Baroness Sherlock
tabling member	5024 label Biography information for Baroness Hazarika

1736335

registered interest
date	22/10/2024
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	Children: Maintenance
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what is the total amount of child maintenance arrears collected through enforcement action to date.
tabling member printed	Baroness Hazarika
uin	HL1870
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/11/2024 answer text <p>The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) continues to take rigorous action to collect maintenance, combining robust negotiation activity with the highly effective use of its extensive range of Enforcement Powers. This approach is driven by the Payment Compliance strategy increasing CMS compliance influencing activities to tackle non-paying cases and challenge non-compliant behaviours.</p><p> </p><p>The Department publishes Child Maintenance Service (CMS) statistics regularly and the relevant information can be accessed from Table 6.1 Enforcement Actions in the supplementary tables in the <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66f146ec76558d051527abc5/national-tables-child-maintenance-service-to-june-2024.ods" target="_blank">latest release</a>.</p><p> </p><p>Between April 2015 and June 2024, the CMS has collected a total of £80.8m from Paying Parents via enforcement actions taken to collect both the maintenance arranged by the CMS, and Child Support Agency arrears that have been transitioned to CMS systems. This may include actions taken against parents for whom no ongoing maintenance has been arranged under the CMS.</p> answering member printed Baroness Sherlock question first answered 04/11/2024 12:15:33 answering member 4147 label Biography information for Baroness Sherlock
tabling member	5024 label Biography information for Baroness Hazarika

1736336

registered interest
date	22/10/2024
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	Children: Maintenance
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government how many times the Child Maintenance Service has used the following enforcement sanctions to date: (1) suspended passport confiscation, (2) suspended disqualification from driving, (3) immediate prison sentence, (4) immediate passport confiscation, and (5) immediate driving disqualification.
tabling member printed	Baroness Hazarika
uin	HL1871
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/11/2024 answer text <p>Sanctions such as sending Paying Parents to prison, disqualifying them from holding or obtaining a passport or driving licence are a last resort and only used when every other method of recovering unpaid child maintenance has been tried. The CMS only pursues these sanctions when they believe the Paying Parent can pay but is refusing to do so. Where this is found to be the case CMS will quickly move to taking court action.</p><p> </p><p>The Department publishes Child Maintenance Service (CMS) statistics regularly and the relevant information can be accessed from Table 6.2 of the supplementary tables in the <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66f146ec76558d051527abc5/national-tables-child-maintenance-service-to-june-2024.ods" target="_blank">latest release</a>.</p><p> </p><p>From July 2019 to June 2024, there were 4 suspended passport confiscations, 25 suspended qualifications from driving, 17 immediate prison sentences, 3 immediate passport confiscations and 2 immediate driving disqualifications.</p> answering member printed Baroness Sherlock question first answered 01/11/2024 14:39:03 answering member 4147 label Biography information for Baroness Sherlock
tabling member	5024 label Biography information for Baroness Hazarika

1736386

registered interest
date	22/10/2024
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	Department for Work and Pensions: Remote Working
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 Smith of Basildon on 21 October (HL1282), how many substantive disclosures have been issued, since the general election, by the Department for Work and Pensions in response to Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOI) requests on Civil Service workplace occupancy across the department; and whether they will place in the Library of the House a copy of each FOI disclosure, redacting the name of the applicant.
tabling member printed	Baroness Neville-Rolfe
uin	HL1891
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/11/2024 answer text <p>Since the General Election on 4<sup>th</sup> July 2024, the Department for Work and Pensions has received and responded to one Freedom of Information (FOI) request relating to Civil Service workplace occupancy across the department.</p><p> </p><p>We will place a copy of this FOI, FOI2024/58197 in the House libraries.</p> answering member printed Baroness Sherlock question first answered 01/11/2024 13:40:12 answering member 4147 label Biography information for Baroness Sherlock
tabling member	4284 label Biography information for Baroness Neville-Rolfe

1736389

registered interest
date	22/10/2024
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	Winter Fuel Payment
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government, in notifying individuals that they may be eligible to Winter Fuel Payments, whether they took steps to ensure that letters were not sent to deceased people whose relatives had used the Tell Us Once service, and in how many instances they are aware of such letters being sent despite this.
tabling member printed	Lord Scriven
uin	HL1907
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/11/2024 answer text <p>The department each year routinely takes steps to ensure letters issued to those eligible to Winter Fuel payments are accurate based on their circumstances at the time of writing. Naturally, there is a short timeframe where in very rare occasions these circumstances may change whilst the letters are already in production or in the delivery network. We continually review our processes to ensure these instances are kept to an absolute minimum to avoid unnecessary impacts on our customers or their relatives.</p> answering member printed Baroness Sherlock question first answered 05/11/2024 17:10:19 answering member 4147 label Biography information for Baroness Sherlock
tabling member	4333 label Biography information for Lord Scriven