Asked by: Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will publish the impact assessment for removing the £20 uplift to Universal Credit.
Answered by Baroness Stedman-Scott
No impact assessment has been made.
The Chancellor announced a temporary six-month extension to the £20 per week uplift at the Budget on 3 March to support households affected by the economic shock of Covid-19. Universal Credit has provided a vital safety net for six million people during the pandemic, and the temporary uplift was part of a COVID support package worth a total of £407billion in 2020-21 and 2021-22.
There have been significant positive developments in the public health situation since the uplift was first introduced. With the success of the vaccine rollout and record job vacancies, it is right that our focus is on helping people back into work.
Through our Plan for Jobs, we are targeting tailored support schemes of people of all ages to help them prepare for, get into and progress in work. These include: Kickstart, delivering tens of thousands of six-month work placements for Universal Credit claimants aged 16-24 at risk of unemployment; we have also recruited an additional 13,500 work coaches to provide more intensive support to find a job; and introduced Restart which provides 12 months’ intensive employment support to Universal Credit claimants who are unemployed for a year. Our Plan for Jobs interventions will support more than two million people.
Asked by: Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is (1) the number of people, and (2) the percentage of the total workforce, registered as unemployed in the (a) Bolsover, (b) Redcar, (c) Darlington, (d) Blyth, (e) Wolverhampton North East, (f) Bury South, (g) Bolton North East, (h) Heywood and Middleton, and (i) Ashfield, Parliamentary constituencies.
Answered by Baroness Stedman-Scott
Estimates of the level and rate of unemployment are compiled by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) using the Labour Force Survey (LFS) and Annual Population Survey (APS). The LFS provides national and regional unemployment estimates whilst the APS, which boosts the sample of the LFS, allows more local analysis.
Estimates are based on a sample of cases and therefore subject to sampling uncertainty. Unemployment estimates at geographies below regions, such as local authorities and parliamentary constituencies, can be more statistically uncertain. The confidence intervals given in Table 2 in the Annex reflect the level of uncertainty around the rates given, with confidence intervals (and therefore uncertainty in the figure) generally increasing as the underlying sample size decreases.
The Annex sets out the constituency level information asked for. All estimates of unemployment and the claimant count used the Annex are also publicly available on the NOMIS website (https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/).
Table 1 of the Annex gives the latest figures from the LFS on the unemployment levels and rates for the relevant regions for the named constituencies.
Table 2 of the Annex gives the latest estimate from the APS on the levels and rates of unemployment for the named constituencies. These figures, where available, should be treated as indicative, rather than precise, due to the heightened level of sample variability of estimates at this level of geography due to the small sample of people the estimate is based upon. Where the sample is too small to derive an estimate, figures are not given. The rates given express the proportion of the economically active population (those in work plus those seeking and available to work) who are unemployed, in line with the International Labour Organization definition of unemployment.
Table 3 of the Annex gives the latest figures on the Claimant Count for the named constituencies. The Claimant Count is based on administrative data and can be broken down robustly to constituency level, and as such, there are no confidence intervals around the figures. The Claimant Count is the number of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance plus those who claim Universal Credit who are out of work. The rates given express the number of claimants as a percentage of the population aged 16-64.
Asked by: Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is (1) the number of people, and (2) the percentage of the total workforce, registered as unemployed in the (a) Rother Valley, (b) Newcastle-under-Lyme, (c) Leigh, (d) Don Valley, (e) Wakefield, (f) Bishop Auckland, (g) Sedgefield, (h) North West Durham, (i) Bassetlaw, and (j) Great Grimsby, Parliamentary constituencies.
Answered by Baroness Stedman-Scott
Estimates of the level and rate of unemployment are compiled by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) using the Labour Force Survey (LFS) and Annual Population Survey (APS). The LFS provides national and regional unemployment estimates whilst the APS, which boosts the sample of the LFS, allows more local analysis.
Estimates are based on a sample of cases and therefore subject to sampling uncertainty. Unemployment estimates at geographies below regions, such as local authorities and parliamentary constituencies, can be more statistically uncertain. The confidence intervals given in Table 2 in the Annex reflect the level of uncertainty around the rates given, with confidence intervals (and therefore uncertainty in the figure) generally increasing as the underlying sample size decreases.
The Annex sets out the constituency level information asked for. All estimates of unemployment and the claimant count used the Annex are also publicly available on the NOMIS website (https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/).
Table 1 of the Annex gives the latest figures from the LFS on the unemployment levels and rates for the relevant regions for the named constituencies.
Table 2 of the Annex gives the latest estimate from the APS on the levels and rates of unemployment for the named constituencies. These figures, where available, should be treated as indicative, rather than precise, due to the heightened level of sample variability of estimates at this level of geography due to the small sample of people the estimate is based upon. Where the sample is too small to derive an estimate, figures are not given. The rates given express the proportion of the economically active population (those in work plus those seeking and available to work) who are unemployed, in line with the International Labour Organization definition of unemployment.
Table 3 of the Annex gives the latest figures on the Claimant Count for the named constituencies. The Claimant Count is based on administrative data and can be broken down robustly to constituency level, and as such, there are no confidence intervals around the figures. The Claimant Count is the number of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance plus those who claim Universal Credit who are out of work. The rates given express the number of claimants as a percentage of the population aged 16-64.
Asked by: Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is (1) the number of people, and (2) the percentage of the total workforce, registered as unemployed in the (a) Richmond (Yorkshire), (b) Uxbridge and Ruislip, (c) Esher and Walton, (d) Witham, (e) Surrey Heath, (f) Swindon South, (g) Wyre and Preston, (h) West Suffolk, (i) Reading West, and (j) South West Norfolk, Parliamentary constituencies.
Answered by Baroness Stedman-Scott
Estimates of the level and rate of unemployment are compiled by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) using the Labour Force Survey (LFS) and Annual Population Survey (APS). The LFS provides national and regional unemployment estimates whilst the APS, which boosts the sample of the LFS, allows more local analysis.
Estimates are based on a sample of cases and therefore subject to sampling uncertainty. Unemployment estimates at geographies below regions, such as local authorities and parliamentary constituencies, can be more statistically uncertain. The confidence intervals given in Table 2 in the Annex reflect the level of uncertainty around the rates given, with confidence intervals (and therefore uncertainty in the figure) generally increasing as the underlying sample size decreases.
The Annex sets out the constituency level information asked for. All estimates of unemployment and the claimant count used the Annex are also publicly available on the NOMIS website (https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/).
Table 1 of the Annex gives the latest figures from the LFS on the unemployment levels and rates for the relevant regions for the named constituencies.
Table 2 of the Annex gives the latest estimate from the APS on the levels and rates of unemployment for the named constituencies. These figures, where available, should be treated as indicative, rather than precise, due to the heightened level of sample variability of estimates at this level of geography due to the small sample of people the estimate is based upon. Where the sample is too small to derive an estimate, figures are not given. The rates given express the proportion of the economically active population (those in work plus those seeking and available to work) who are unemployed, in line with the International Labour Organization definition of unemployment.
Table 3 of the Annex gives the latest figures on the Claimant Count for the named constituencies. The Claimant Count is based on administrative data and can be broken down robustly to constituency level, and as such, there are no confidence intervals around the figures. The Claimant Count is the number of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance plus those who claim Universal Credit who are out of work. The rates given express the number of claimants as a percentage of the population aged 16-64.
Asked by: Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is (1) the number of people, and (2) the percentage of the total workforce, registered as unemployed in the (a) Suffolk Coastal, (b) South Staffordshire, (c) Cambourne and Redruth, (d) Newark, (e) Welwyn Hatfield, (f) Great Yarmouth, (g) Hertsmere, (h) Berwick-upon-Tweed, (i) Cannock Chase, and (j) Wolverhampton South West, Parliamentary constituencies.
Answered by Baroness Stedman-Scott
Estimates of the level and rate of unemployment are compiled by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) using the Labour Force Survey (LFS) and Annual Population Survey (APS). The LFS provides national and regional unemployment estimates whilst the APS, which boosts the sample of the LFS, allows more local analysis.
Estimates are based on a sample of cases and therefore subject to sampling uncertainty. Unemployment estimates at geographies below regions, such as local authorities and parliamentary constituencies, can be more statistically uncertain. The confidence intervals given in Table 2 in the Annex reflect the level of uncertainty around the rates given, with confidence intervals (and therefore uncertainty in the figure) generally increasing as the underlying sample size decreases.
The Annex sets out the constituency level information asked for. All estimates of unemployment and the claimant count used the Annex are also publicly available on the NOMIS website (https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/).
Table 1 of the Annex gives the latest figures from the LFS on the unemployment levels and rates for the relevant regions for the named constituencies.
Table 2 of the Annex gives the latest estimate from the APS on the levels and rates of unemployment for the named constituencies. These figures, where available, should be treated as indicative, rather than precise, due to the heightened level of sample variability of estimates at this level of geography due to the small sample of people the estimate is based upon. Where the sample is too small to derive an estimate, figures are not given. The rates given express the proportion of the economically active population (those in work plus those seeking and available to work) who are unemployed, in line with the International Labour Organization definition of unemployment.
Table 3 of the Annex gives the latest figures on the Claimant Count for the named constituencies. The Claimant Count is based on administrative data and can be broken down robustly to constituency level, and as such, there are no confidence intervals around the figures. The Claimant Count is the number of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance plus those who claim Universal Credit who are out of work. The rates given express the number of claimants as a percentage of the population aged 16-64.
Asked by: Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many single parents aged between 18 and 25 currently receive Income Support and Jobseeker’s Allowance; and of those, how many they estimate are care leavers.
Answered by Baroness Altmann
The Department collects information for those aged 18 to 24 and the latest information available at May 2015 shows that for this age group there were 121,950 lone parents receiving Income Support and 3,500 people, without an additional payment for a partner and with at least one dependent child, receiving Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA).
Please note that the figures are rounded to the nearest ten.
The information requested for those who are care leavers is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many kinship care households they estimate will be affected by the combined impact of the proposals in the Welfare Reform and Work Bill to limit child tax credit to two children and to reduce the benefit cap in each year between 2016 and 2021; what is their estimate of the cost of exempting kinship care households from those measures; and what impact assessment has been carried out as to how many potential kinship carers may be unable to afford to take on the children as a result of those measures and any consequential cost to the state of such children remaining in the care system.
Answered by Lord Freud
It is fair that families on benefits have to make the same financial decisions as families supporting themselves solely through work. These measures are being actively discussed in the Committee stage of the Welfare Reform and Work Bill (as the Minister informed the House) and there will be further discussion at the Report stage.
Asked by: Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of the cost in each year between 2016 and 2021 of young parents under 25 years old, who are single claimants and care leavers, receiving the same rate of standard allowance in universal credit as single claimants who are parents aged 25 years old; and how many people this would affect.
Answered by Lord Freud
The information requested is not available.
Asked by: Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will list those persons appointed as chairs of non-departmental public bodies by the Department for Work and Pensions.
Answered by Lord Freud
As at 16 July 2015, the information requested is:
Ian Russell Disabled People’s Employment Corporation (GB) Ltd. (formerly Remploy Ltd.)
Judith Hackitt Health and Safety Executive
Professor Keith Palmer Industrial Injuries Advisory Council
Otto Thoresen National Employment Savings Trust Corporation
Anthony Arter Pensions Ombudsman and Pension Protection Fund Ombudsman
Geoff Shanks (interim chair) The Pensions Advisory Service
Mark Boyle The Pensions Regulator
Paul Gray Social Security Advisory Committee