Show Search Form

Search Results

registered interest	true false
date	exactly: or between: and
answering body
answering dept id
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name
hansard heading
house id
legislature	pref label
question text
tabling member constituency
tabling member printed
uin
answer	is ministerial correction true false date of answer exactly: or between: and answer text answering member constituency answering member printed question first answered answering member label
tabling member	label

Search

1648080

registered interest
date	27/06/2023
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	Universal Credit: Northern Ireland
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much Universal Credit was paid to recipients based in Northern Ireland in each year from 2019 to 2022.
tabling member constituency	East Londonderry
tabling member printed	Mr Gregory Campbell
uin	191250
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/07/2023 answer text <p>Universal Credit is a transferred matter in Northern Ireland, where it is administered by the Department for Communities.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 03/07/2023 10:33:36 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	1409 label Biography information for Mr Gregory Campbell

1648103

registered interest
date	27/06/2023
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: Poverty
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what fiscal steps he is taking to (a) tackle the impact of the benefit cap on low-income families and (b) help prevent increases in child poverty.
tabling member constituency	Dundee West
tabling member printed	Chris Law
uin	191327
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/07/2023 answer text <p>The Government is committed to reducing child poverty and supporting low-income families. We will spend around £276bn through the welfare system in Great Britain in 2023/24 including around £124bn on people of working age and their children.</p><p> </p><p>The Secretary of State reviewed the benefit cap levels in November 2022 and decided they should be increased from April 2023. The Secretary of State has a statutory obligation to review the benefit cap levels at least once every five years.</p><p> </p><p>With 1.05 million job vacancies across the UK, our focus remains firmly on supporting individuals, including parents, to move into, and progress in work, an approach which is based on clear evidence about the importance of employment - particularly where it is full-time - in substantially reducing the risks of child poverty and in improving long-term outcomes for families and children. The latest statistics show that in 2021/22 children living in workless households were around 5 times more likely to be in absolute poverty after housing costs than those where all adults work.</p><p> </p><p>To support those who are in work, from 1 April 2023, the National Living Wage (NLW) increased by 9.7% to £10.42 an hour for workers aged 23 and over - the largest ever cash increase for the NLW.</p><p> </p><p>At the Spring Budget, the Chancellor announced an ambitious package of measures designed to support people wherever they live in the UK to enter work, increase their working hours and extend their working lives.</p><p> </p><p>The Government recognises that high childcare costs can affect parents’ decisions to take up paid work or increase their working hours which is why, from 28 June, the changes to the Universal Credit (UC) childcare element announced in Spring Budget 2023 will provide generous additional financial support to parents moving into paid work and/or increasing their working hours.</p><p> </p><p>This government understands the pressures people are facing with the cost of living which is why we are providing total support of over £94bn over 2022-23 and 2023-24 to help households and individuals with the rising bills.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 03/07/2023 10:50:22 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4403 label Biography information for Chris Law

1648104

registered interest
date	27/06/2023
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	Local Housing Allowance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will increase Local Housing Allowance to reflect the housing market.
tabling member constituency	Dundee West
tabling member printed	Chris Law
uin	191328
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/07/2023 answer text <p>The Local Housing Allowance (LHA) determines the maximum housing support for tenants in the private rented sector.</p><p>In 2020 we spent almost £1 billion increasing LHA rates to the 30th percentile of market rents. This significant investment has been maintained ensuring that everyone who benefited continues to do so. The level of LHA rates is reviewed annually by the Secretary of State usually in the Autumn.</p><p>For those who require additional support with housing costs, Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) may be available. Since April 2017, DHPs have been fully devolved to Scotland who are responsible for the allocation and payment to Scottish local authorities.</p><p>We recognise that rents are increasing. However, the challenging fiscal environment means that difficult decisions have been necessary to ensure support is targeted effectively.</p><p>Over 2022-23 and 2023- 24 the Government is providing support in excess of £94 billion to help households and individuals with the rising cost of living.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 04/07/2023 15:55:37 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	4403 label Biography information for Chris Law

1648105

registered interest
date	27/06/2023
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: Uprating
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to (a) ensure regular and adequate uprating of benefits and (b) mitigate the risk of families falling into poverty.
tabling member constituency	Dundee West
tabling member printed	Chris Law
uin	191329
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/07/2023 answer text <p>The Government is committed to reducing poverty and supporting low-income families. We will spend around £276bn through the welfare system in Great Britain in 2023/24 including around £124bn on people of working age and children, and around £152 billion on pensioners. Of this, around £79 billion will be spent on benefits to support disabled people and people with health conditions.</p><p> </p><p>With respect to up-rating, the Social Security Administration Act 1992 places an obligation on the Secretary of State to review increases in prices and earnings each tax year, and to increase certain State pensions, additional-needs disability benefits and carers benefits at least in line with the relevant index. In the case of the new and basic State Pensions, the Government is committed to increasing these in line with the triple lock for the remainder of this Parliament. This is the highest of the increase in prices, the increase in earnings, or 2.5%.</p><p> </p><p>Once he has completed his review of the increase in prices, he must also decide whether to up-rate other benefit rates, and if so by how much. In the up-rating for the tax year 2023/24, all relevant State pension and benefit rates were increased by 10.1%, in line with the increase in the Consumer Prices Index in the year to September 2022.</p><p> </p><p>With 1.05 million job vacancies across the UK, our focus remains firmly on supporting individuals, including parents, to move into, and progress in work, an approach which is based on clear evidence about the importance of employment - particularly where it is full-time - in substantially reducing the risks of poverty. The latest statistics show that in 2021/22 working age adults living in workless families were 7 times more likely to be in absolute poverty after housing costs than working age adults in families where all adults work.</p><p> </p><p>To support those who are in work, from 1 April 2023, the National Living Wage (NLW) increased by 9.7% to £10.42 an hour for workers aged 23 and over - the largest ever cash increase for the NLW.</p><p> </p><p>At the Spring Budget, the Chancellor announced an ambitious package of measures designed to support people wherever they live in the UK to enter work, increase their working hours and extend their working lives.</p><p> </p><p>The Government recognises that high childcare costs can affect parents’ decisions to take up paid work or increase their working hours which is why, from 28 June, the changes to the Universal Credit (UC) childcare element announced in Spring Budget 2023 will provide generous additional financial support to parents moving into paid work and/or increasing their working hours.</p><p> </p><p>This government understands the pressures people are facing with the cost of living which is why we are providing total support of over £94bn over 2022-23 and 2023-24 to help households and individuals with the rising bills.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 04/07/2023 15:53:57 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	4403 label Biography information for Chris Law

1648190

registered interest
date	27/06/2023
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	Childcare: Fees and Charges
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made an estimate of the number of adults who have left the workforce as a result of the cost of childcare.
tabling member constituency	Slough
tabling member printed	Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi
uin	191392
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/07/2023 answer text <p>We know that the cost of childcare remains a significant barrier for people entering and remaining in work. For this reason, the government announced a series of measures at the Spring Budget to support parents with these costs.</p><p> </p><p>The number of people with dependent children who were working in Jan-Mar 2023 (12.100m) is slightly higher than in the same quarter in 2019 (11.825m), before the pandemic.</p><p> </p><p>The number of 16- to 64-year-olds who were economically inactive due to looking after family or home in Feb-Apr 2023 was 1,640,000, down 199,000 on pre-pandemic period (Dec-Feb 2020), and down 728,000 on the 2010 election</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 03/07/2023 10:48:57 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4638 label Biography information for Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi

1647648

registered interest
date	26/06/2023
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	Suicide
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the inclusion of advice on financial difficulties in the new suicide prevention strategy.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	191125
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/07/2023 answer text <p>The DWP is working closely with DHSC on the development of the national suicide prevention strategy. This is through our membership of the National Suicide Prevention Advisory Group Cost of Living Sub-forum. This forum includes sharing advice around supporting customers who are experiencing financial difficulties.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Corby answering member printed Tom Pursglove question first answered 03/07/2023 10:39:38 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1647658

registered interest
date	26/06/2023
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	State Retirement Pensions: Private Rented Housing
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment has he made of the potential merits of increasing the (a) State Pension and (b) Pensions Credit for people living in rented accommodation.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	191135
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/07/2023 answer text <p>No assessment has been made regarding increasing the State Pension, or Pension Credit for people living in rented accommodation.</p><p> </p><p>The Government remains committed to ensuring that older people can live with the dignity and respect they deserve, and the State Pension is the foundation of state support for older people. In April, the State Pension saw its biggest ever cash increase - rising by 10.1%. The full yearly amount of the basic State Pension will be over £3,050 higher in cash terms than in 2010. That is £790 more than if it had been uprated by Prices, and £945 more than if it had been uprated by earnings since 2010.</p><p /><p>The Standard Minimum Guarantee in Pension Credit has also increased by 10.1% from April 2023. It extends CPI protection to those who rely on the Standard Minimum Guarantee in Pension Credit at a cost of £700 million above the statutory minimum requirement. The same percentage increase will apply to the threshold for access to the Savings Credit for those who reached State Pension age before April 2016.</p><p> </p><p>Pensioners with a low income may qualify for help with their rent and council tax, and if receiving Pension Credit, other housing costs such as ground rent and certain service charges.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has also provided pensioners with additional payments to reflect the exceptional cost of living pressures.</p> answering member constituency Sevenoaks answering member printed Laura Trott question first answered 05/07/2023 15:42:53 answering member 4780 label Biography information for Laura Trott
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1647672

registered interest
date	26/06/2023
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	Local Housing Allowance: Private Rented Housing
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the local housing allowance in areas with high private rental costs.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	191147
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/07/2023 answer text <p>The Local Housing Allowance (LHA) determines the maximum housing support for tenants in the private rented sector. LHA rates are not intended to cover all rents in all areas.</p><p>In 2020 we spent almost £1 billion increasing LHA rates to the 30th percentile. These rates were aligned to the 30th percentile of market rents in Broad Rental Market Areas (BRMA) across the country, therefore in those areas with higher rent costs this is reflected in higher LHA rates for that BRMA. This significant investment at that time has been maintained ensuring that everyone who benefited continues to do so.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>For those who face a shortfall in meeting their housing costs and need further support, Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) are available from local authorities. Since 2011 the Government has provided nearly £1.6 billion in DHP funding to local authorities.</p><p> </p><p>We recognise that rents are increasing. However, the challenging fiscal environment means that difficult decisions have been necessary to ensure support is targeted effectively. Overall, the Government is providing total support of over £94 billion over 2022/23 and 2023/24 to help households and individuals with the rising cost of living.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 04/07/2023 15:45:54 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1647673

registered interest
date	26/06/2023
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	Housing Benefit: Private Rented Housing
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring that housing benefit is paid directly to landlords.
tabling member constituency	North Norfolk
tabling member printed	Duncan Baker
uin	191148
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/06/2023 answer text <p>Housing Benefit regulations have powers which allow local authorities to make payments of Housing Benefit direct to the landlord if it appears to be in the interest of the claimant and their family. Serious rent arrears, for example arrears equivalent of six weeks’ rent, may indicate it is in the claimant’s best interests to arrange direct payment.</p><p> </p><p>When deciding whether to make direct payments local authorities must consider the individual circumstances of each case.</p><p> </p><p>There are currently no plans to review this policy.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 28/06/2023 16:22:12 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	4784 label Biography information for Duncan Baker

1647814

registered interest
date	26/06/2023
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: Disability
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his Department's policy is on a person being entitled to a share of their partner’s disability benefits as part of a divorce settlement.
tabling member constituency	North Tyneside
tabling member printed	Mary Glindon
uin	191087
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/07/2023 answer text <p>Disability benefits, that is, Personal Independence Payment, Disability Living Allowance and Attendance Allowance, are personal benefits – the law does not provide for joint claims - and would remain with the existing claimant at the point of divorce. There are no plans to change this policy.</p> answering member constituency Corby answering member printed Tom Pursglove question first answered 03/07/2023 10:40:42 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
tabling member	4126 label Biography information for Mary Glindon