The Government understands the pressures people are facing with the cost of living and is taking action to help. Overall, we are providing total support of over £94bn over 2022-23 and 2023- 24 to help households and individuals with the rising cost of bills.<\/p>
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This includes up to £900 in Cost of Living Payments for households on eligible means-tested benefits. The next payment of £300 will be made between 31 October 2023 and 19 November 2023 for most people who are eligible, which follows on from the £301 payment issued in April 2023 to 8.3 million households. A further payment of £299 will be made by spring 2024 for those entitled. In addition, more than eight million pensioner households across the UK will receive an additional £300 Cost of Living Payment during winter 2023-24 paid as a top up to the winter fuel payment and 6.4 million individuals on eligible \u2018extra-costs\u2019 disability benefits have also received a further £150 Disability Cost of Living Payment.<\/p>
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For people who require additional support, in England, the Household Support Fund will continue until March 2024. This year long extension allows Local Authorities in England to continue to provide discretionary support to those most in need with the significantly rising cost of living. Local Authorities are expected to support households in the most need, and in particular those who may not be eligible for the other support Government recently made available but are nevertheless in need of support. In the case of Westmorland and Furness, the local authority has been allocated £3,045,591 for this period. The Devolved Administrations will receive consequential funding as usual to spend at their discretion.<\/p>
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From April, we uprated benefit rates and State Pensions by 10.1%, and in order to increase the number of households who can benefit from these uprating decisions the benefit cap levels also increased by the same amount.<\/p>
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To support those who are in work, from 1 April, 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>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4513", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Mims Davies"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Mid Sussex"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Mims Davies"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2023-10-26", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2023-10-26T11:12:09.113Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "29"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Work and Pensions"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Work and Pensions"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2023-10-24", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Cost of Living"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to help support people with increases in the cost of living.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4853", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Dr Neil Hudson"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Penrith and The Border"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Dr Neil Hudson"} ], "uin" : "204057"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1666853", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Work and Pensions"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1666853/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
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.<\/p>
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In April, the State Pension saw its biggest ever rise, increasing 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\u2019s £790 more than if it had been uprated by Prices, and £945 more than if it had been uprated by earnings (since 2010).<\/p>
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The Government understands the pressures people including pensioners are facing with the cost of living and has put in place a significant package of measures. To ensure stability and certainty for households, the Government is providing a further £26bn in cost-of-living support for 2023/24. This is a substantial package of support which recognises the current additional costs faced by pensioners.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4780", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Laura Trott"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Sevenoaks"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Laura Trott"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2023-10-26", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2023-10-26T09:18:48.97Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "29"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Work and Pensions"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Work and Pensions"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2023-10-24", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "State Retirement Pensions"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the level of financial support provided to people on the State Pension.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4853", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Dr Neil Hudson"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Penrith and The Border"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Dr Neil Hudson"} ], "uin" : "204058"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1666893", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Work and Pensions"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1666893/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
Pension Credit is only available to those of State Pension age. Therefore the number and proportion of people claiming Pension Credit who were born on or after April 2016, is zero. They are, at most, seven years old.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4780", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Laura Trott"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Sevenoaks"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Laura Trott"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2023-10-26", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2023-10-26T09:15:43.253Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "29"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Work and Pensions"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Work and Pensions"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2023-10-24", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Pension Credit"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of people claiming Pension Credit were born on or after April 2016.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4418", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Justin Madders"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Ellesmere Port and Neston"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Justin Madders"} ], "uin" : "204041"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1666894", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Work and Pensions"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1666894/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The Government is taking several steps to help support employers to encourage good musculoskeletal (MSK) health in the workplace and reduce MSK-related economic inactivity.<\/p>
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