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943367

registered interest
date	17/07/2018
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 is their assessment of the report by End Hunger UK, Fix Universal Credit, published in July; and what steps they are taking to respond to the criticisms of Universal Credit made in that report.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL9585
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/07/2018 answer text <p>The Department follows a test and learn approach to Universal Credit, with a number of changes being delivered following feedback from stakeholders and other interested parties during the last few months. These include:</p><ul><li>From 29 November 2017, introducing Freephone numbers for Universal Credit phone lines.</li><li>From 3 January 2018, extending the repayment period of Universal Credit advances to 12 months, with claimants now able to apply for up to 100 per cent of their estimated monthly entitlement upfront (and from July 2018 claimants can apply for an advance online). These can be paid on the same day where there is urgent need.</li><li>From 14 February 2018, removing the seven day waiting period that some claimants faced at the start of their claim.</li><li>From 11 April, providing an additional payment for claimants already receiving support towards their housing costs of two weeks of their Housing Benefit to support them as they transfer onto Universal Credit. Claimants will not be required to repay this money.</li></ul><p>We engage at a personal and individual level with all of our claimants and are committed to tailoring the support we give, and any conditionality requirements, to the specific circumstances of the individual. Our work coaches undergo a comprehensive training and accreditation programme. Telephony or face to face services are also in place for those vulnerable claimants who cannot self-serve online.</p><p> </p><p>Universal Support is available to help claimants with the transition to Universal Credit and we are investing £200 million into budgeting and digital support to help claimants with the transition to Universal Credit.</p><p> </p><p>In 2016, the Department trialled a new process for JSA sanctions in response to the Work and Pensions Select Committee’s recommendations to review the JSA sanction process. The trial involved 6,500 claimants, with the findings (Jobseeker’s Allowance Sanctions Early Warning Trial Evaluation – Final report) published on 21 May 2018. Given the low proportion of cases in which claimants provided further evidence and the even lower proportion of cases where decision outcomes were changed, the Department has decided not to implement this trial process more widely, and will instead consider alternative processes.</p><p> </p><p>As part of our test and learn approach we will continue to work closely with a wide range of stakeholders to ensure Universal Credit continues to be introduced in a measured and careful way. Universal Credit ensures claimants are better off when they move into work, by smoothing the transition into work and replacing the benefits cliff edge of the past.</p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe question first answered 31/07/2018 12:10:01 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

943368

registered interest
date	17/07/2018
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 support they will provide to those who are unable to use online forms and communications in relation to Universal Credit.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL9586
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/07/2018 answer text <p>The Department is committed to providing personalised support for all claimants, including vulnerable groups. Each individual’s circumstances are different and therefore their barriers to work and the support needed must be tailored to these needs.</p><p> </p><p>Face to face and telephony support is in place for those vulnerable claimants who cannot self-serve online; the Universal Credit telephone helpline is now a free phone number.</p><p> </p><p>Universal Support provides Universal Credit claimants with additional help to use a computer to make or maintain their claim (Assisted Digital Support), help in managing their monthly Universal Credit payment and possible advice on their finances (Personal Budgeting Support).</p><p> </p><p>In certain circumstances, where a claimant is unable to manage their own affairs, an appointee can act on their behalf, taking responsibility for making and maintaining any benefit claim. An appointee can be an individual, e.g. a friend or relative, an organisation or representative of an organisation, e.g. a solicitor or local council. The process for enlisting a DWP appointee includes a visit to the claimant and an interview with the potential appointee.</p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe question first answered 31/07/2018 12:08:52 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

940069

registered interest
date	12/07/2018
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Apprentices: Construction
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to reverse the decline in new apprenticeships for the construction industry, in particular in small and medium-sized firms; and what steps they are taking to ensure that the Building Crafts College and other smaller providers of training are able to contribute as fully as possible in the training of apprenticeships.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL9484
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/07/2018 answer text <p>The Institute for Apprenticeships is working with a range of sectors, including construction, to design and deliver new high quality apprenticeship standards that will meet the skills needs of industry. There are currently 52 construction standards approved for delivery, with 43 further standards in development. We have seen a 338% growth in apprenticeship starts at higher levels (Level 4 and above) in construction and planning this year, compared to the same period last year. To support smaller employers who do not pay the levy take on apprentices, the government provides at least 90% of training and assessment costs.</p><p>We recently released additional funds for providers who were successful in our procurement drive to fund apprenticeships amongst smaller employers, taking the total amount of investment to nearly £560 million. We recognise, however, that a number of smaller, niche providers were unsuccessful in the procurement. We have recently introduced the ability for levy paying employers to transfer up to 10% of their levy funds to other employers, including small and medium-sized enterprises in their supply chains, and we continue to make subcontracting an option; such initiatives have helped providers who were unable to continue in delivering high quality apprenticeship training.</p><p>We are encouraging employers to take advantage of these changes to enable them to grow their apprenticeship programmes and invest in the long-term skills required of their business. We meet regularly with business groups and individual employers to understand the impact of the reforms and use their feedback to inform any further changes.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Agnew of Oulton question first answered 25/07/2018 13:54:32 answering member 4689 label Biography information for Lord Agnew of Oulton
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

938811

registered interest
date	11/07/2018
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Asylum: Interviews
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what safeguards they plan to put in place to ensure that any poor interpreting and poor interview practices do not adversely affect individual asylum claims.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL9427
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/07/2018 answer text <p>All asylum interviews are carried out by an impartial interviewing officer.</p><p>All interpreters engaged by the Home Office must demonstrate they have the required skills and qualifications. They are also bound by a “Code of Conduct” to ensure minimum standards for interpreting and behaviour. Home Office policy and guidance ensures that in the event of interpreters or interviews falling short of those standards, it would not adversely affect an individual’s asylum claim.</p><p>Interviewing Officers are encouraged to provide feedback on the performance of interpreters, using specifically designed monitoring forms. Interviews may also be monitored for training and security purposes. Increased use of technologies, such as interviewing by video conferencing facilities, are being trialled to increase efficiency and transform the asylum process. Currently the majority of interviews are conducted face to face.</p><p>We have recently introduced digital interviewing capability across the asylum casework operational as part of the wider Home Office digital transformation programme, which aims for the department to become ‘digital by default’. We are aiming to digitally record all asylum interviews and provide claimants and their legal representative with a digital recording of their interview in addition to a written transcript. Claimants who do not want their interview to be audio recorded and provide reasonable explanation for this will be exempt from the recording requirement.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 23/07/2018 12:49:25 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

938812

registered interest
date	11/07/2018
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Asylum: Interviews
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to audio-record all substantive asylum interviews.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL9428
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/07/2018 answer text <p>All asylum interviews are carried out by an impartial interviewing officer. All interpreters engaged by the Home Office must demonstrate they have the required skills and qualifications. They are also bound by a “Code of Conduct” to ensure minimum standards for interpreting and behaviour.</p><p>Home Office policy and guidance ensures that in the event of interpreters or interviews falling short of those standards, it would not adversely affect an individual’s asylum claim. Interviewing Officers are encouraged to provide feedback on the performance of interpreters, using specifically designed monitoring forms. Interviews may also be monitored for training and security purposes.</p><p>Increased use of technologies, such as interviewing by video conferencing facilities, are being trialled to increase efficiency and transform the asylum process. Currently the majority of interviews are conducted face to face.</p><p>We have recently introduced digital interviewing capability across the asylum casework operational as part of the wider Home Office digital transformation programme, which aims for the department to become ‘digital by default’. We are aiming to digitally record all asylum interviews and provide claimants and their legal representative with a digital recording of their interview in addition to a written transcript. Claimants who do not want their interview to be audio recorded and provide reasonable explanation for this will be exempt from the recording requirement.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 23/07/2018 12:50:01 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

938813

registered interest
date	11/07/2018
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, in the light of the demand on the services of food banks, whether they plan to introduce any modifications and improvements to the administration of Universal Credit; and in particular whether they will reduce (1) the waiting time for first payments, and (2) the level of advance loan repayments.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL9429
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/07/2018 answer text <p>We continuously modify and improve Universal Credit in response to feedback, and have also implemented a number of further improvements.</p><p>This package of measures, which are set out below, not only addresses concerns raised around the first assessment period and the budgeting issues faced by some claimants at the start of their claim, but also supports the vast majority of claimants transitioning onto Universal Credit. They include:</p><ul><li>from 29 November 2017, all DWP Universal Credit phone lines are free and claimants will not be charged when they need to get help with their Universal Credit claim.</li></ul><ul><li>from 3 January, the repayment period of Universal Credit advances has been increased to 12 months and claimants can now get up to 100 per cent of their estimated monthly entitlement upfront. These advances are available to claimants interest-free. Earlier this month (July 2018), advances also became available to apply for online.</li></ul><ul><li>from 14 February, the seven-day waiting period that some claimants had at the start of their Universal Credit claim was removed; and,</li></ul><ul><li>from 11 April, we have provided an additional payment for claimants already receiving support towards their housing costs of two weeks of their Housing Benefit to support them as they transfer onto Universal Credit. Claimants will not be required to repay this money.</li></ul> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe question first answered 24/07/2018 16:37:41 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

938814

registered interest
date	11/07/2018
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 whether they plan to increase Universal Credit payments in line with inflation; and what plans they have, if any, to make payments reflect more closely the Minimum Income Standard.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL9430
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/07/2018 answer text <p>The Department will be conducting the annual review of benefit and pension rates later this year, as required by the Social Security Administration Act 1992. This will include many Universal Credit rates, though it will exclude the standard allowance which has been frozen at 2015/16 levels until the end of 2019/20, by the Welfare Reform and Work Act 2016.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is committed to supporting people who cannot work or have additional needs as a result of illness or disability and has consistently increased the carer amount, Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity amount and higher disabled child addition in line with inflation since the introduction of Universal Credit. Additionally, although work allowances, have not been increased each year they were raised in line with inflation for 2018/19.</p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe question first answered 24/07/2018 16:38:21 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

938815

registered interest
date	11/07/2018
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 whether they plan to introduce any improvement to Universal Credit in order to protect vulnerable groups, including people with mental health problems, and families with children under school age.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL9431
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/07/2018 answer text <p>We are fully committed to providing personalised support for all claimants, including vulnerable groups. Each individual’s circumstances are different and therefore their barriers to work and the support required must be tailored to their needs.</p><p> </p><p>Work coaches are supported in building a strong relationship with their claimants through a comprehensive training and accreditation programme which includes support to identify and help claimants with complex needs. All work coaches delivering Universal Credit receive training on supporting claimants with health conditions. We are developing additional training in mental health that will be available to work coaches to build their expertise and provide the most effective support. The Department has also increased the numbers of Disability Employment Advisers who provide additional support to the work coaches.</p><p> </p><p>On 7 June we announced additional transitional protection for those moving onto Universal Credit via managed migration to protect people who receive a Severe Disability Premium. We also announced changes to make sure the protection we offer people that we move on to Universal Credit is not affected by them taking on a job, earning more or claiming childcare.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is also committed to providing additional support for working families, so we have increased childcare funding from 70 per cent of eligible costs in Tax Credits to 85 per cent in Universal Credit.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe question first answered 25/07/2018 11:52:54 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

938816

registered interest
date	11/07/2018
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 Her Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to review the benefits system focussing on training and support for staff, and cooperation with Citizens' Advice and credit unions, in order to prevent rent and utility arrears and defaults on Council Tax.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL9432
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/07/2018 answer text <p>DWP is committed to making sure that claimants have the right support available to them to help make and maintain a Universal Credit claim and manage their finances. The Department works with local authorities, Citizens Advice and other third sector providers to make sure that this support is in place.</p><p> </p><p>Universal Support provides Universal Credit claimants with additional help to use a computer to make or maintain their claim (Assisted Digital Support), help in managing their monthly Universal Credit payment and possible advice on their finances (Personal Budgeting Support).</p><p> </p><p>We also refer claimants to Citizens Advice and the Money Advice Service for more specialist debt advice and have also worked with the Money Advice Service to develop a Money Manager Tool. The Money Manager is designed for people on Universal Credit to make the most of their money, both when they are waiting for their first Universal Credit payment and when they are getting regular monthly payments, and is available online through the Money Advice Service.</p><p> </p><p>DWP is currently looking at how Universal Support operates and will examine feedback from providers and users before making decisions related to the future and shape of Universal Support.</p><p> </p><p>If people have problems managing their monthly payments, alternative payment arrangements (APAs) are available. These include direct payment of rent to landlords, more frequent-than-monthly Universal Credit payments, and splitting household payments in some cases. Work coaches make claimants aware of APAs. Information is also available through <a href="http://gov.uk" target="_blank">gov.uk</a>, the Universal Credit helpline and Universal Credit at Work and DWP always prioritise vulnerable claimants for APAs.</p><p> </p><p>All DWP staff delivering Universal Credit undergo comprehensive training, which includes information on Universal Support. This training includes support to recognise and help claimants with complex needs, and is delivered through a range of methods, which includes facilitator-led learning and skills practice.</p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe question first answered 18/07/2018 14:24:41 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

938075

registered interest
date	10/07/2018
answering body	Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
answering dept id	7
answering dept short name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
answering dept sort name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
hansard heading	Social Rented Housing
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many local authorities have produced 500 or more new homes for rent in the last ten years.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL9380
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/07/2018 answer text <p>500 or more additional dwellings were built for rent between 2007 - 08 and 2016 - 17 in 251 out of 326 local authorities. This includes social rent, affordable rent and intermediate rent.</p><p>More comprehensive statistics on additional affordable housing provided local authority and private registered providers (housing association) are published in the Department’s live tables (attached) at: <a href="http://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-affordable-housing-supply" target="_blank">http://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-affordable-housing-supply</a></p><p>Tables 1006C and 1006aC provide figures for ‘social rent’ and ‘affordable rent’ by local authority area respectively.</p> answering member printed Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth question first answered 18/07/2018 16:12:57 answering member 4282 label Biography information for Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth attachment 1 file name 180713 Copy of Live Table 1006 1009 - HL9380.xlsx title live table on affordable housing
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton