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890674

registered interest
date	24/04/2018
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Students: Disadvantaged
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the report by the National Union of Students, Class dismissed: Getting in and getting on in further and higher education, published on 23 April, what steps they plan to take to tackle the 'poverty premium' in tertiary education in order for working class students to excel in post-16 educational settings.
tabling member printed	Lord Bird
uin	HL7197
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/05/2018 answer text <p>Widening participation remains a priority for this government, to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to benefit from further or higher education and apprenticeships regardless of their background. “Unlocking Talent, Fulfilling Potential,” published in December 2017, set out our plan for improving social mobility through education. A copy of this report was deposited in the Libraries of both Houses on 19 December 2017.</p><p> </p><p>The 16 - 18 Bursary Fund provides financial help to young people in further education who need help with costs such as travel and essential course equipment. Annual bursaries of up to £1,200 are available to vulnerable students such as those in care, care leavers and those receiving certain income or disability benefits in their own right. £130 million was allocated for discretionary bursaries to institutions in 2017 to 2018. A further £34 million was allocated in 2017 to 2018 for free meals.</p><p> </p><p>Changes to the student finance system have allowed more 18 year olds to enter higher education than ever before, including the highest ever number from disadvantaged backgrounds. Students from the lowest-income households starting their courses in 2018 to 2019 will have access to the largest ever amounts of cash-in-hand support for their living costs. Support for living costs increased by 10.3% for eligible students on the lowest incomes in 2016 to 2017 compared with the previous system, with further increases of 2.8 per cent for the current academic year. The government has announced a further 3.2 per cent increase in 2018 to 2019.</p><p> </p><p>A young person on an apprenticeship will receive at least the national minimum wage, which increased to £3.70 per hour in April 2018. The Apprenticeship Pay Survey 2016 estimates that the average gross hourly pay for apprentices in England was £6.70 an hour for level 2 and 3 apprentices and £9.83 for higher level apprenticeships.</p><p> </p><p>For apprentices claiming benefits in their own right, financial support is available for those on low incomes. Young people may be able to claim Universal Credit or Tax Credits to help with living costs. Universal Credit is also an in-work benefit, so young claimants in work on low wages, including apprentices under contract, can continue to claim housing support.</p><p> </p><p>Delivering more, better quality apprenticeships will make sure that more people from lower socio-economic backgrounds can gain the skills and training they need to build successful careers. The new funding model supports apprentices who are training on frameworks from disadvantaged areas by providing a cash payment to providers for training apprentices who live in the top 27 per cent of deprived areas.</p><p> </p><p>The Review of Post-18 Education and Funding aims to ensure that everyone from every background can access tertiary education. There will be an extensive programme of engagement with stakeholders and experts, including students and recent graduates. An independent panel will publish their report at an interim stage before the government concludes the overall review in early 2019.</p> answering member printed Lord Agnew of Oulton question first answered 09/05/2018 16:52:20 answering member 4689 label Biography information for Lord Agnew of Oulton
tabling member	4564 label Biography information for Lord Bird

890675

registered interest
date	24/04/2018
answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	10
answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of each of the recommendations of the report by Social Enterprise UK, Our money, our future, published in 2017, on the effect of the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 on public sector spending.
tabling member printed	Lord Bird
uin	HL7198
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/05/2018 answer text <p>We welcome Social Enterprise UK's report 'Our money, Our Future'. We are considering the report's recommendations as we develop our Civil Society Strategy through engagement with public sector commissioners, procurement and civil society representatives.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, the recently appointed Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise Sector Crown Representative is meeting stakeholders to assess how to increase social value through commissioning. Social value will be an important element in the Civil Society Strategy which we will publish later this year.</p> answering member printed Lord Ashton of Hyde question first answered 09/05/2018 12:37:15 answering member 4247 label Biography information for Lord Ashton of Hyde
tabling member	4564 label Biography information for Lord Bird

874573

registered interest
date	29/03/2018
answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	10
answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Proof of Identity: Internet
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to authenticate individuals' digital identities, including as part of the gov.uk verify scheme; and what plans they have to promote affordable and suitable financial and credit products and services.
tabling member printed	Lord Bird
uin	HL6793
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/04/2018 answer text <p>GOV.UK Verify has agreements with seven certified companies that the government has approved to verify users’ identity. The certified companies have to meet government and international standards for security and data protection.</p><p> </p><p>For a GOV.UK Verify user to have their identity verified, the certified companies look at a range of evidence and checks to establish that users are who they say they are. There are five identity proofing and verification elements involved, and the companies have to achieve thresholds in each element before they can verify someone’s identity.</p><p> </p><p>We are committed to delivering a well-functioning and sustainable consumer credit market which is able to meet the needs of all consumers. In March, the government hosted the first meeting of the Financial Inclusion Policy Forum, a new key initiative bringing together government, regulators, industry and the third sector to coordinate action and provide leadership in tackling these challenges. The Forum’s mission is to ensure that individuals, regardless of their background or income, have access to useful and affordable financial products and services, including affordable credit.</p><p> </p><p>The government also supports credit unions, which provide an affordable alternative to high-cost credit. In the Autumn Budget 2017, the government announced its intention to help the sector expand by increasing the number of potential members of credit unions from two million to three million. In addition, from this year a greater proportion of funds recovered from illegal money lenders will be allocated to incentivise vulnerable people to join, save, and borrow with a credit union instead of turning to loan sharks.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has responsibility for setting the direction for the spend of dormant assets funding. In March 2018, the Department, with the Big Lottery Fund, published a statement of intent for £55 million in funding for financial inclusion. This statement sets out that the money will be put towards increasing the use of fair, affordable and appropriate financial products and services. This includes credit products and services, along with savings and insurance products and services. Following an ongoing engagement exercise, Ministers are expected to issue formal policy directions to the Big Lottery Fund about the detailed focus of a programme and what it should achieve in summer 2018</p> answering member printed Lord Ashton of Hyde question first answered 16/04/2018 11:42:25 answering member 4247 label Biography information for Lord Ashton of Hyde
tabling member	4564 label Biography information for Lord Bird

870271

registered interest
date	23/03/2018
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Credit
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they intend to take to support, promote and increase the ethical personal lending market as an alternative to high-cost credit providers.
tabling member printed	Lord Bird
uin	HL6605
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/03/2018 answer text The government is committed to delivering a well-functioning and sustainable consumer credit market which is able to meet the needs of all consumers.<p> </p>In March, the government hosted the first meeting of the Financial Inclusion Policy Forum, a new key initiative bringing together government, regulators, industry and the third sector to coordinate action and provide leadership in tackling these challenges. The Forum’s mission is to ensure that individuals, regardless of their background or income, have access to useful and affordable financial products and services, including affordable credit.<p> </p><p>The government also supports credit unions, which provide an affordable alternative to high-cost credit. In the Autumn Budget 2017, the government announced its intention to help the sector expand by increasing the number of potential members of credit unions from two million to three million. In addition, from this year a greater proportion of funds recovered from illegal money lenders will be allocated to incentivise vulnerable people to join, save, and borrow with a credit union instead of turning to loan sharks.</p> answering member printed Lord Bates question first answered 29/03/2018 14:42:59 answering member 1091 label Biography information for Lord Bates
tabling member	4564 label Biography information for Lord Bird

870272

registered interest
date	23/03/2018
answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
hansard heading	Debts
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of each of the six conclusions in the Royal Society for Public Health report, Life on Debt Row.
tabling member printed	Lord Bird
uin	HL6606
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/04/2018 answer text <p>The Department is currently reviewing the six conclusions in the Royal Society for Public Health’s report <em>Life on debt row</em>.</p><p>The Government recognises that experiencing debt problems or a financial crisis can have a wide impact on a person’s health and mental and social wellbeing. The Government takes a comprehensive and strategic approach to reducing health inequalities that addresses the wider causes of ill-health, promotes healthier lifestyles for all and tackles differences in access and outcomes from health and public health services, underpinned by legal duties. Action is led locally to ensure the solutions put in place reflect the needs of individual communities.</p><p>The 2017 manifesto committed the Government to implement a Breathing Space scheme, with the right safeguards to prevent abuse, so that someone in serious problem debt may apply for legal protection from further interest, charges and enforcement action for a period of up to six weeks. Where appropriate, they would be offered a statutory repayment plan to help pay back their debts in a manageable way. A call to evidence to support development of the scheme was conducted between October 2017 and January 2018.</p><p>The National Health Service already provides some services to people who may be experiencing the symptoms of debt problems or financial difficulties. We are aware that some general practitioner (GP) practices signpost patients to debt advice services as part of their care and some practices have arrangements in place with local Citizens Advice Bureaux and debt advice services to provide outreach support in primary care. Mental health services, including Improving Access to Psychological Therapies services, may also signpost patients to debt advice services as part of their care.</p><p>In January 2017, the Prime Minister announced that the Government would review the practice of GPs charging patients experiencing debt issues to complete Mental Health Evidence Forms when they require medical evidence for their creditors. The Department is working with the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute and a range of stakeholders from the financial and debt advice sectors and the British Medical Association to undertake the review, which we will publish in due course.</p> answering member printed Lord O'Shaughnessy question first answered 09/04/2018 14:05:54 answering member 4545 label Biography information for Lord O'Shaughnessy
tabling member	4564 label Biography information for Lord Bird

870273

registered interest
date	23/03/2018
answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	10
answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Public Libraries: Northamptonshire
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 the closure of libraries in Northamptonshire on literacy, social mobility, and poverty prevention programmes.
tabling member printed	Lord Bird
uin	HL6607
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/04/2018 answer text <p>The Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964 places a duty on the Secretary of State to superintend, and promote the improvement of, the public library service provided by local authorities in England. In accordance with this duty and in light of representations to the Department about the agreed changes to the library service in Northamptonshire, the Secretary of State wrote to the Acting Council Leader on 19 March 2018 to confirm the Department is treating representations as a formal complaint.</p><p> </p><p>We understand that none of the Council’s libraries have yet closed. However, the Council has revised opening hours at the libraries, with the intention that they are open for at least three days per week.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Ashton of Hyde question first answered 03/04/2018 13:58:23 answering member 4247 label Biography information for Lord Ashton of Hyde
tabling member	4564 label Biography information for Lord Bird

861301

registered interest
date	13/03/2018
answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept id	201
answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
hansard heading	Bookshops
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how they (1) support, and (2) plan to support, independent booksellers and bookshops across the UK, including any initiatives undertaken in cooperation with local authorities and the devolved administrations.
tabling member printed	Lord Bird
uin	HL6284
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/03/2018 answer text <p>The Government works with all types of retailers based in the UK to better understand their concerns and has taken action to support them. Specific initiatives which have benefited independent booksellers and bookshops include: making 100% Small Business Rate Relief permanent, whilst increasing the threshold of the relief, taking 600,000 of the smallest businesses out of business rates and the introduction of the Employment Allowance, giving employers up to £3000 off their National Insurance contributions (NICs) bill, benefitting 1m employers. The Government has also established the Future High Street Forum, chaired by the Minister for the Northern Powerhouse and Local Growth. It provides joint business and government leadership to help support new and small business to start up and compete by having regard to the costs and regulatory burdens for small retailers, whilst factoring in the opportunities of digital trends.</p> answering member printed Lord Henley question first answered 19/03/2018 16:11:37 answering member 2616 label Biography information for Lord Henley
tabling member	4564 label Biography information for Lord Bird

860823

registered interest
date	12/03/2018
answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
hansard heading	Mental Health Services: Homelessness
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord O'Shaughnessy on 18 December 2017 (HL3813), what assessment, if any, they have made of the impact of cuts by clinical commissioning groups to homeless and rough sleeping mental health teams, including the decision by Camden NHS Clinical Commissioning Group to reduce its financial support for the Focus Homeless Outreach.
tabling member printed	Lord Bird
uin	HL6222
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/03/2018 answer text <p>The Department has not made any such assessment. It is the responsibility of commissioners and health and wellbeing boards to ensure services meet local need as part of the Joint Service Needs Assessments.</p><p>The Government has set an aim to halve rough sleeping by 2022 and eliminate it entirely by 2027. The Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 introduces new duties for specified public services, including the National Health Service, to refer service users they consider may be homeless or threatened with homelessness to a local housing authority.</p> answering member printed Lord O'Shaughnessy question first answered 26/03/2018 16:47:06 answering member 4545 label Biography information for Lord O'Shaughnessy
tabling member	4564 label Biography information for Lord Bird

845380

registered interest
date	20/02/2018
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	Poverty
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Buscombe on 12 December 2017 (HL3812), which (1) ministers, (2) departments, (3) agencies, and (4) arm’s length government bodies, including non-ministerial departments, executive agencies, non-departmental public bodies and public corporations, have responsibility for poverty, and issues relating to poverty.
tabling member printed	Lord Bird
uin	HL5580
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/03/2018 answer text <p>This Government is committed to collective action that tackles the root causes of poverty and disadvantage through a range of policies, such as Universal Credit, the National Living Wage, tax changes, and up to 30 hours of free childcare a week to incentivise employment as the best opportunity for families to get out of poverty and become self-reliant.</p><p> </p><p>In <em>Improving Lives: Helping Workless Families</em>, we set out a framework for a continued focus on improving children’s long-term outcomes. This includes nine national indicators to track progress across a number of departments in tackling the disadvantages that can affect families and their children. The Government has a statutory duty to report annually against two of these indicators - parental employment, and children’s educational attainment. The relevant departments and agencies - Department for Education, Department of Health and Social Care, Public Health England, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, HM Treasury and Department for Work and Pensions – all aim to publish data on the other, non-statutory indicators by the end of March.</p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe question first answered 06/03/2018 13:30:24 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
tabling member	4564 label Biography information for Lord Bird

845381

registered interest
date	20/02/2018
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	Poverty
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 effectiveness of their preventative approach with regard to addressing the root causes of poverty in the long term.
tabling member printed	Lord Bird
uin	HL5581
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/03/2018 answer text <p>This Government is committed to action that tackles the root causes of poverty and disadvantage. We are undertaking the most ambitious reform to the welfare system in decades to ensure that it supports people to find and progress in work. This is because we have clear evidence that work offers families the best opportunity to get out of poverty and to become self-reliant. Adults in workless families are 4 times more likely to be in poverty than those in working families. We also know that children living in workless households are 5 times more likely to be in poverty than those where all adults work. We are making good progress. Nationally, there are now 954,000 fewer workless households, and 608,000 fewer children living in such households compared with 2010.</p><p> </p><p>In <em>Improving Lives: Helping Workless Families</em>, we set out a framework for a continued focus on improving children’s long-term outcomes. This includes nine national indicators to track progress across government in tackling the disadvantages that can affect families and their children. The Government has a statutory duty to report annually against two of these indicators - parental employment, and children’s educational attainment.</p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe question first answered 06/03/2018 16:26:36 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
tabling member	4564 label Biography information for Lord Bird