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1547182

registered interest
date	30/11/2022
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	Pension Credit
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 Stedman-Scott on 22 November (HL3269), whether they will now answer the question put, namely, what are the (1) average, and (2) longest, delays being experienced by pensioners applying for pension credit for applications made (a) in late April, and (b) subsequently.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL3880
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/12/2022 answer text <p>DWP does not maintain data for the longest time taken to process Pension Credit applications. This information is only available at disproportionate cost to the Department for Work &amp; Pensions as the Department does not have a business requirement for this information to be retained.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>We are processing claims as quickly as possible and streamlining our processes, as well as increasing our staffing resources, which has resulted in the outstanding claims reducing considerably. We expect the clearance of claims to reduce as outstanding claims are cleared.</p><p> </p><p>All successful claims and arrears are paid accordingly to ensure no one misses out.</p> answering member printed Baroness Stedman-Scott question first answered 13/12/2022 15:23:02 answering member 4174 label Biography information for Baroness Stedman-Scott
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1540883

registered interest
date	08/11/2022
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	Pension Credit
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what are the (1) average, and (2) longest, delays being experienced by pensioners applying for pension credit for applications made (a) in late April, and (b) subsequently.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL3269
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/11/2022 answer text <p>We currently aim to process claims within 35 days from receipt, although following the successful launch of our campaign to increase take up of Pension Credit, we have received an unprecedented number of claims, which has resulted in average processing increasing.</p><p> </p><p>We are processing claims as quickly as possible and streamlining our processes, as well as increasing our staffing resources, which has resulted in the outstanding claims reducing considerably.</p><p> </p><p>All successful claims and arrears are paid accordingly to ensure no one misses out.</p> answering member printed Baroness Stedman-Scott question first answered 22/11/2022 14:31:16 answering member 4174 label Biography information for Baroness Stedman-Scott
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1536993

registered interest
date	27/10/2022
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 estimate they have made of the total saving to His Majesty's Treasury through (1) housing benefit subsidy, and (2) Universal Credit, of imposing a social housing rent cap at less than the usual level of Consumer Price Index plus one per cent.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL2947
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/11/2022 answer text <p>The Government recently consulted on whether to make a temporary amendment to the CPI+1% cap on annual social housing rent increases. The consultation closed on 12 October and the government is carefully considering the responses.</p><p> </p><p>Any decision to change the CPI+1% cap would subsequently be reflected in the fiscal forecasts (including of Universal Credit and Housing Benefit expenditure) that are published by the Office for Budget Responsibility, and the more detailed breakdowns of these expenditure forecasts that are published by DWP.</p> answering member printed Baroness Stedman-Scott question first answered 02/11/2022 17:15:36 answering member 4174 label Biography information for Baroness Stedman-Scott
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1487763

registered interest
date	11/07/2022
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	Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many households are currently affected by the under-occupancy charge with deductions for (1) one extra bedroom, or (2) more than one extra bedroom; and what assessment they have made of the impact of these deductions given the increased cost of living.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL1620
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/07/2022 answer text <p>The removal of the spare room subsidy is an important tool to make better use of the existing social housing stock, enable mobility within the social rented sector and contain growing housing support expenditure. It also aligns the size criteria rules used in the private rented sector in the social sector.</p><p>The policy allows for the provision of an additional bedroom to support disabled people and carers, the families of disabled children, foster carers, parents who adopt, parents of service personnel, and people who have suffered a bereavement. Additionally, those in receipt of pension age housing benefit are exempt.</p><p>Those who need additional support with their housing costs can seek assistance from their local authority via the Discretionary Housing Payment (DHPs) scheme. Since 2011 the Government has provided almost £1.5 billion in DHP funding to local authorities.</p><p>The number of Households affected by the removal of the spare room subsidy is set out in the table below.</p><p><strong>Households with a reduction due to the removal of the spare room subsidy, Great Britain, February 2022</strong></p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>One bedroom</p></td><td><p>Two or more bedrooms</p></td><td><p>Reduction applied but bedroom information is unknown</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>396,100</p></td><td><p>84,900</p></td><td><p>500</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Notes:</p><p>i. Figures are from <a href="https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/" target="_blank">Stat-Xplore</a> and are rounded to the nearest hundred.</p><p>ii. Includes Housing Benefit and Universal Credit Housing Element. Universal Credit data for February is provisional and will be within two per cent of revised figures in future releases.</p> answering member printed Baroness Stedman-Scott question first answered 26/07/2022 14:26:21 answering member 4174 label Biography information for Baroness Stedman-Scott
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1487673

registered interest
date	08/07/2022
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 Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of recipients of universal credit discouraged from taking employment by the low level of net financial benefit from being employed due to associated costs, such as transport and childcare, known as the "benefit trap".
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL1592
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/07/2022 answer text <p>No such assessment has been undertaken.</p><p> </p><p>UC recipients in work now benefit from a reduction in the UC taper rate from 63% to 55%, and for those eligible customers an increase in the work allowance by £500 per year meaning that working households will be able to keep more of what they earn and strengthening incentives to move into and progress in work.</p><p> </p><p>The National Living Wage has risen from £8.91 to £9.50 an hour from 1 April. That means a pay rise for millions of the country’s lowest paid workers – worth an increase of over £1,000 to the annual earnings of a full-time worker on the National Living Wage.</p><p> </p><p>The Department is aware that for some UC claimants’ childcare costs presents challenges to entering employment. To support parents to become financially resilient by moving into work and progressing in work, eligible UC claimants can claim back up to 85% of their registered childcare costs each month regardless of the number of hours they work, compared to 70% in Tax Credits. This is up to the maximum amount of £646.35 per month for one child and £1,108.04 per month for two or more children. For families with two children, this could be worth over £13,000 a year.</p><p> </p><p>This support is available to all lone parents and couples, regardless of the number of hours they work. For couples, both parents need to be in paid work to be eligible unless one of the allowable exceptions is met.</p><p> </p><p>The UC childcare policy aligns with the wider government childcare offer in England and there are similar funded early learning offers in devolved nations. The Free Childcare offer provides 15 hours a week of free childcare in England for all 3- and 4-year old’s and disadvantaged 2 year old’s, doubling for working parents of 3 and 4 year old’s to 30 hours a week.</p><p> </p><p>The UC childcare element can be used to top up a claimant’s eligible free childcare hours if more hours are worked and childcare required. This offer means that for some claimants’ childcare costs should not present any barriers to entering work.</p><p> </p><p>UC claimants who need help with upfront childcare costs to enter employment or significantly increase their working hours can apply for help from the Flexible Support Fund (FSF). This is a non-repayable payment that will pay their initial childcare costs directly to the provider up to the first salary received.</p><p> </p><p>In order to achieve our long-term goals of driving up productivity and levelling up, we are supporting people in work to ensure they have the right skills and opportunities to progress out of low pay. Through providing right infrastructure we will support an ambitious and productive workforce suited to meet the UK’s future demand.</p><p> </p><p>Through a staged rollout from April 2022 onwards, 2.1m low paid Universal Credit claimants will be eligible for support to progress into higher paid work. This will be provided by work coaches and focus on career progression advice, such as considering skills gaps, identifying training opportunities, or looking for opportunities for the claimant to progress in their current role or in a new role. Jobcentres will be supported in this new role by a network of 37 Progression Champions across Great Britain who will spearhead the scheme. They will work with partners to address local barriers that limit progression, such as transport and childcare.</p> answering member printed Baroness Stedman-Scott question first answered 22/07/2022 10:09:39 answering member 4174 label Biography information for Baroness Stedman-Scott
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1455630

registered interest
date	29/03/2022
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	Birds of Prey: Poisoning
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of relaxing regulations regarding the use of the rodenticide brodifacoum, particularly in the light of the poisoning of a white-tailed eagle in Dorset.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL7411
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/04/2022 answer text <p>The Regulation controlling the use of brodifacoum was established by a European Union (EU) implementing regulation in 2017 and has remained unchanged in Great Britain following the United Kingdom’s (UK) departure from the EU on 31 January 2020.</p><p> </p><p>A stewardship regime is in place in the UK for professional use of second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARs) including brodifacoum. A cornerstone of the stewardship scheme is the <a href="https://www.thinkwildlife.org/code-of-best-practice/crru-code/" target="_blank">Campaign for Responsible Rodenticide Use (CRRU) Code of Best Practice</a>, which sets out guidance on the safe use of rodenticides. It is a legal requirement to comply with this code. Risk hierarchy is central to the code, which clearly states that SGARs including Brodifacoum present the greatest risk to non-target species and the environment, so they should be the last option after all other types of control have been carefully considered. The scheme also supports the <a href="https://pbms.ceh.ac.uk/content/pbms-reports" target="_blank">monitoring of exposure of barn owls and red kites to SGARs</a> (as a sentinel species) led by the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology.</p><p> </p><p>The stewardship scheme is overseen by a Government Oversight Group (GOG) led by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) with representatives of other government stakeholders. The GOG meets annually to assess the impact of the Stewardship scheme. This year the GOG is conducting a review of the stewardship scheme after five years of operation and will publish its findings in due course.</p><p> </p><p>Natural England continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident to which the Noble Lady refers, in partnership with HSE.</p> answering member printed Baroness Stedman-Scott question first answered 06/04/2022 14:55:54 answering member 4174 label Biography information for Baroness Stedman-Scott
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1453811

registered interest
date	23/03/2022
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: Yemen
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people in Yemen entitled to a UK state pension are not receiving payments.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL7255
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/04/2022 answer text <p>We estimate that around 1,170 people in Yemen who are entitled to a UK State Pension are not receiving payments.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Source:</strong> DWP internal management information, based on clerical estimates as at 23 March 2022.</p><p><strong>Note:</strong> This management information has not been subjected to the usual standard of quality assurance associated with official statistics but has been provided here in the interests of transparency.</p> answering member printed Baroness Stedman-Scott question first answered 06/04/2022 11:34:55 answering member 4174 label Biography information for Baroness Stedman-Scott
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1453422

registered interest
date	22/03/2022
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: Coronavirus
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, what assessment they have made of the report Covid Realities: documenting life on a low income during the pandemic, published on 24 January; what assessment they have made of the finding in that report that support for people in poverty should, whenever possible, be provided in cash; and what plans they have to change the guidance to local authorities on assistance provided through the Household Support Fund.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL7190
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/04/2022 answer text <p>No assessment has been made.</p><p> </p><p>We have no current plans to change our guidance for the Household Support Fund on this matter. Local Authorities have the flexibility to design local schemes under the Household Support Fund that best meet local needs within the parameters set out in the guidance. <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/household-support-fund-guidance-for-local-councils/household-support-fund-final-guidance-for-county-councils-and-unitary-authorities-in-england" target="_blank">Household Support Fund: final guidance for County Councils and Unitary Authorities in England - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</a>(paragraph 90).</p><p>The guidance does not prevent Councils from issuing cash to households in need of emergency support.</p> answering member printed Baroness Stedman-Scott question first answered 05/04/2022 16:34:06 answering member 4174 label Biography information for Baroness Stedman-Scott
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1436316

registered interest
date	28/02/2022
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	Workplace Pensions
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) pension products are available for automatic enrolment pensions; what assessment they have made of the impact of financial services regulations on the number of ESG pension products available for automatic enrolment pensions; and what steps they are taking to increase the number of ESG pension products available for automatic enrolment purposes.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL6479
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/03/2022 answer text <p>The department has introduced ESG-related legislation, including regulations aligned with the Taskforce on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD), requiring trustees to consider, assess and report on the financial risks of climate change within their portfolios.</p><p> </p><p>These measures go beyond merely reporting a climate policy and how it is implemented. They require trustees to put in place climate-related governance and risk management, to assess the impact of climate change on their investment strategy, to conduct scenario analysis, to set targets.</p><p> </p><p>This means that automatic enrolment schemes will be encouraged to consider climate-related risks and opportunities, and this is likely to influence their choice of products in their portfolio. The Government thinks that ESG factors and their impact should be taken into consideration where financially material, but the process of investing in individual products is down to the market and trustees working within their fiduciary duty.</p><p> </p><p>I recognise the risk of ‘greenwashing’, where investors can be misled on the quality of a product described as being an ESG product and this must be tackled. To aid trustees in their decisions, the department participates in an advisory group which supports the Financial Conduct Authority in developing their proposed requirements that certain investment products display a label reflecting their sustainability characteristics.</p><p> </p><p>Recent research carried out by Corporate Advisor in their ‘ESG in DC Pensions’ report found that 19 out of 21 pension providers surveyed deploy ESG tilts or screening overlays on their default funds excluding specific companies or sectors with poor ESG ratings<sup><sup>[1]</sup></sup>. The report found that three years ago, just five master trust defaults took this approach, suggesting that schemes are increasingly turning to ESG-related products. I believe the steps the department has taken to put in place the regulatory framework for consideration of ESG factors will have contributed to the uptake here.</p><p> </p><p> </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> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Stedman-Scott question first answered 11/03/2022 14:38:48 answering member 4174 label Biography information for Baroness Stedman-Scott
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1436060

registered interest
date	25/02/2022
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: Disability
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the change over the last three years in the level of disability-related benefits that were paid weekly to individuals; and what consideration, if any, they have given to removing the requirement to justify the use of that payment.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL6436
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/03/2022 answer text <p>The information requested is in the table below.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Personal Independence Payment</p></td><td><p>2019/20 (£)</p></td><td><p>2020/21 (£)</p></td><td><p>2021/22 (£)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Daily living component</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Enhanced</p></td><td><p>87.65</p></td><td><p>89.15</p></td><td><p>89.60</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Standard</p></td><td><p>58.70</p></td><td><p>59.70</p></td><td><p>60.00</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Mobility component</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Enhanced</p></td><td><p>61.20</p></td><td><p>62.25</p></td><td><p>62.55</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Standard</p></td><td><p>23.20</p></td><td><p>23.60</p></td><td><p>23.70</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Disability Living Allowance</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Care component</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Highest</p></td><td><p>87.65</p></td><td><p>89.15</p></td><td><p>89.60</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Middle</p></td><td><p>58.70</p></td><td><p>59.70</p></td><td><p>60.00</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Lowest</p></td><td><p>23.20</p></td><td><p>23.60</p></td><td><p>23.70</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Mobility component</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Higher</p></td><td><p>61.20</p></td><td><p>62.25</p></td><td><p>62.55</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Lower</p></td><td><p>23.20</p></td><td><p>23.60</p></td><td><p>23.70</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Attendance Allowance</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Higher rate</p></td><td><p>87.65</p></td><td><p>89.15</p></td><td><p>89.60</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Lower rate</p></td><td><p>58.70</p></td><td><p>59.70</p></td><td><p>60.00</p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr></tbody></table></p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>The benefit rates are published annually on <a href="http://www.gov.UK" target="_blank">www.gov.UK</a> and can be located by searching for “benefit and pension rates”.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>Attendance Allowance, Disability Living Allowance and Personal Independence Payment are intended to act as a contribution towards the extra costs that arise as a result of a long-term health condition or disability. Claimants are free to use their payments in whatever way they want and according to their own priorities and needs. These benefits can also be used as a gateway to other benefits to assist in their income and day to day lives.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Stedman-Scott question first answered 07/03/2022 16:42:47 answering member 4174 label Biography information for Baroness Stedman-Scott
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle