I refer the Noble Baroness to the oral answer given by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, the Rt.Hon. Iain Duncan Smith, Official Report, 8 December 2014, column 633. He set out how the Department for Work and Pensions will be doing much more to raise awareness of Short Term Benefit Advances (STBAs) as recommended by the All-Party Parliamentary inquiry and others, including the Social Security Advisory Committee. This will include providing more information to claimants about STBAs online and in Jobcentres. Staff guidance on STBAs will also be updated and staff reminded of the process for considering an STBA.<\/p>
<\/p>
A key part of the STBA process is a discussion between the claimant and the Decision Maker to consider the circumstances of the request and make an informed discretionary decision about the claimant\u2019s needs. Such a discussion needs to be had with the claimant and cannot be done online or with a third party.<\/p>
<\/p>
Benefits are normally paid in arrears and where the Department can pay any benefit due to the claimant it does. Where an STBA can be paid it is usually paid the day after it is first requested by the claimant.<\/p>
<\/p>
The Government believes the current system for claiming STBAs is simple. All claimants need to do is mention to staff that they will not be able to manage until their payment is due and the STBA process will start. However, the Government has accepted the need to raise awareness of STBAs as set out above.<\/p>
<\/p>
The Government has made improvements to the hardship process. In July 2014 it strengthened guidance for work coaches so that all claimants are informed about how and when they can make an application for hardship payment and processing times have also been improved.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/3893", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Freud"} } , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Lord Freud"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2014-12-17", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "groupedQuestionUIN" : [{"_value" : "HL3744"} , {"_value" : "HL3745"} , {"_value" : "HL3746"} ], "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2014-12-17T17:21:20.167Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "29"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Work and Pensions"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Work and Pensions"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2014-12-15", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Social Security Benefits"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "2"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25277", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Lords"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask Her Majesty\u2019s Government, further to the answer by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on 8 December (HC Deb, col 633), what specific new steps they are taking to raise awareness of short-term benefit advances.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4234", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Baroness Lister of Burtersett"} } , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Baroness Lister of Burtersett"} ], "uin" : "HL3743"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/164500", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Home Office"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/164500/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
Capacity of the detention estate is kept under rolling review. Decisions will continue to be made according to operational priorities.<\/p>
<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1091", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Bates"} } , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Lord Bates"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2014-12-01", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2014-12-01T11:57:03.623Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Home Office"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Home Office"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2014-11-24", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Detention Centres"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "2"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25277", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Lords"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask Her Majesty\u2019s Government whether they will postpone their plans to expand the immigration detention estate until they have received the findings of the Parliamentary inquiry into the Use of Immigration Detention in the United Kingdom.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4234", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Baroness Lister of Burtersett"} } , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Baroness Lister of Burtersett"} ], "uin" : "HL3093"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/156486", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Communities and Local Government"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/156486/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The Government received more than 5,000 responses to the consultation which are being considered, alongside the review by the Department for Work and Pensions into existing provision. The Government will make a decision based on this analysis in time for the provisional local government finance settlement in December 2014.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4210", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon"} } , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2014-12-01", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2014-12-01T15:20:29.497Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "7"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Communities and Local Government"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Communities and Local Government"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2014-11-18", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Welfare Assistance Schemes"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "2"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25277", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Lords"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask Her Majesty\u2019s Government how many responses they have received to their consultation on local welfare provision; and how they propose to ensure that all those responses are considered at the formative stage of decision-making in the light of the time period between the end of the consultation period and the Local Government Finance Settlement.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4234", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Baroness Lister of Burtersett"} } , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Baroness Lister of Burtersett"} ], "uin" : "HL2928"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/156487", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Home Office"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/156487/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
Fifty people were relocated to the UK under the scheme between the first group of arrivals on 25 March and the end of June. (This is the latest publicly available figure, as numbers are released as part of the publication of Home Office official statistics each quarter; the number of arrivals under the scheme up to September 2014 will be published on 27 November.) Groups are arriving in the UK on a regular basis, and we continue to work closely with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to identify Syrian refugees who are most at risk.<\/p>
The scheme is designed to complement our humanitarian aid efforts and is based on need rather than fulfilling a quota; however, we have said we expect it to help several hundred people over three years, and we remain on track to deliver that commitment. This is in addition to our consideration of asylum claims lodged in the UK under our normal rules. However, we strongly believe that we should continue to focus on aid rather than resettlement as the best way for the UK to maximise our impact, and we therefore have no current plans to expand the scheme.<\/p>
<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1091", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Bates"} } , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Lord Bates"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2014-11-27", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2014-11-27T12:49:08.96Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Home Office"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Home Office"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2014-11-18", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Asylum: Syria"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "2"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25277", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Lords"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask Her Majesty\u2019s Government, further to the answer by Lord Bates on 11 November (HL Deb, col 122), how many people have been resettled under the Syrian resettlement programme; and what steps are being taken to increase that number.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4234", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Baroness Lister of Burtersett"} } , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Baroness Lister of Burtersett"} ], "uin" : "HL2929"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/100979", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Communities and Local Government"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/100979/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
I refer the noble Lady to my answer to the noble, Lady Baroness King of Bow, of 5 November 2014 (Official<\/em> Report, <\/em>Column WA 255).<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4210", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon"}
}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2014-11-06", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2014-11-06T14:17:58.2659077Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "7"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Communities and Local Government"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Communities and Local Government"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2014-10-27", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Welfare Assistance Schemes"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "2"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25277", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Lords"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask Her Majesty\u2019s Government when they expect to publish the review of the use of local welfare provision funding, mentioned at paragraph 1.10 of Local Welfare Provision in 2015\u201316; and whether they plan to make a written statement when it is published and place a copy of the review in the library of the House.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4234", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Baroness Lister of Burtersett"}
}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Baroness Lister of Burtersett"}
], "uin" : "HL2435"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/100980", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Work and Pensions"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/100980/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " We have already published our response to the Oakley Report and a copy can be found here:<\/p>