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1735309

registered interest
date	17/10/2024
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	Social Security Benefits
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what they estimate the total cost for all types of benefits available to working age adults and children will be for each 0.1 per cent increment increase in April 2025.
tabling member printed	Baroness Lister of Burtersett
uin	HL1725
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/10/2024 answer text <p>The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions is required by law to undertake an annual review of benefits and State Pensions, based on a review of trends in prices and earnings growth in the preceding year. The Secretary of State announced her decisions to Parliament on 30 October.</p><p> </p><p>The basic and new state pensions, and the standard minimum guarantee in pension credit, will be increased by 4.1%, in line with the increase in average weekly earnings in the year to May-July 2024. Other state pension and benefit rates covered by the statutory review will be increased by 1.7%, in line with the increase in the consumer prices index in the year to September 2024. The full list of proposed State Pension and benefit rates for 2025/26 will be published in November.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>This increases expenditure on state pensions and benefits by £6.9 billion in 2025/26 compared with not uprating in 25/26, of which, £4.7 billion will be from state pensions and pensioner benefits, £0.9 billion from disability and carers benefits, and £1.2 billion from working-age benefits.</p><p>Statistics on the number and type of families and individuals in families benefitting from the uprating of benefits, were also made available on 30 October. Further detail can be found here <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/benefit-uprating-estimated-number-and-type-of-families-and-individuals-in-families-benefitting-from-the-uprating-of-benefits-in-2025-to-2026" target="_blank">Benefit uprating: estimated number and type of families and individuals in families benefitting from the uprating of benefits in financial year 2025 to 2026 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</a>.</p><p> </p><p>No estimate has been made of what the total cost for all types of benefits available to working age adults and children would be for each 0.1 per cent increment increase in April 2025.</p> answering member printed Baroness Sherlock question first answered 31/10/2024 17:05:22 answering member 4147 label Biography information for Baroness Sherlock
tabling member	4234 label Biography information for Baroness Lister of Burtersett

1719972

registered interest
date	22/05/2024
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	Social Security Benefits
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government whether, when referencing benefits, they will gross up the value of each benefit to demonstrate a direct and fair comparison with salaries paid to people who are not claiming benefits.
tabling member printed	Baroness Buscombe
uin	HL4850
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 question first answered 24/05/2024 12:05:05 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
tabling member	3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe

1643919

registered interest
date	12/06/2023
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 what are the current annual savings to the Exchequer provided by (1) the benefit cap, and (2) the two-child limit on social security payments.
tabling member printed	Baroness Lister of Burtersett
uin	HL8403
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/06/2023 answer text <p>The saving to the Exchequer provided by the benefit cap in 2021/22 – the latest year for which data are available - was £400m.</p><p> </p><p>For the policy that provides support for a maximum of 2 children in Universal Credit (UC) and Child Tax Credits, it is not possible to provide a current annual savings measure and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.</p><p> </p><p>In our previously published analysis on the cost of ending the policy that provides support for a maximum of 2 children in Universal Credit (UC) and Child Tax Credits over the period 19/20-23/24 we estimated that the cost of ending this policy to be around £5bn up to 23/24.</p><p> </p><p>The Government’s view is that providing support for a maximum of two children or qualifying young persons in Universal Credit and Child Tax Credit ensures fairness between claimants on the one hand and, on the other, those taxpayers who support themselves solely through work. Where they are able to, Individuals should consider whether they are financially prepared to support a new child without relying on benefits.</p><p> </p><p>We recognise that some claimants are not able to make the same choices about the number of children in their family, which is why exceptions have been put in place to protect certain groups. On migration to Universal Credit families’ existing entitlement will be protected, so long as they remain responsible for the same children and entitled to benefit.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 26/06/2023 17:00:05 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
tabling member	4234 label Biography information for Baroness Lister of Burtersett

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

1642807

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 will publish the advice provided to them as part of the statutory review of benefit cap levels.
tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of Durham
uin	HL8288
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/06/2023 answer text <p>Under S96A of the Welfare Reform Act 2012, the Secretary of State is required to undertake a review of the benefit cap levels at least once every five years. There is no statutory requirement to publish any advice given to inform that review; and as such there are no plans to do so. This has been the policy under this and previous Governments.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 16/06/2023 12:08:26 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
tabling member	4312 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of Durham

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

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

1613057

registered interest
date	20/04/2023
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 is the average amount paid to each individual for each passported benefit.
tabling member printed	Lord Field of Birkenhead
uin	HL7344
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/05/2023 answer text <p>Passported benefits, such as free school meals and help with healthcare costs are owned and delivered by different departments across government and Local Authorities.</p><p> </p><p>This information would not be held by one single department, to get this information you would need to approach each department individually.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 04/05/2023 14:34:47 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
tabling member	478 label Biography information for Lord Field of Birkenhead

1613058

registered interest
date	20/04/2023
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 total annual value of passported benefits, for the most recent year for which figures are available, broken down by each passported benefit.
tabling member printed	Lord Field of Birkenhead
uin	HL7345
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/05/2023 answer text <p>Passported benefits, such as free school meals and help with healthcare costs are owned and delivered by different departments across government and Local Authorities.</p><p> </p><p>This information would not be held by one single department, to get this information you would need to approach each department individually.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 04/05/2023 14:31:25 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
tabling member	478 label Biography information for Lord Field of Birkenhead