Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of financial subsidies given to the creative industries over the past five years have employment conditions attached to them so that those working and seeking work in the creative industries do not need to rely on the benefits system.

Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Shadow Minister (Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)

No financial subsidies given to the creative industries over the past five years have had employment conditions attached to them.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the benefits system continues to recognise polygamy in social security regulations and, if so, why.

Answered by Viscount Younger of Leckie - Shadow Minister (Work and Pensions)

Polygamous marriages are illegal in the UK

Universal Credit does not recognise polygamous households in the benefit system. Any adults living in the household would each have to claim as a single person on the basis of their own circumstances.

Benefits such as Income Support, Jobseeker's Allowance, Employment and Support Allowance and Housing Benefit do recognise a small number of polygamous marriages which took place in a jurisdiction where polygamy is permitted. This number is very small and declining, since the Immigration Act 1988, it has not been possible for people polygamously married overseas to bring second wives to the UK through the spouse visa route.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether, when referencing benefits, they will gross up the value of each benefit to demonstrate a direct and fair comparison with salaries paid to people who are not claiming benefits.

Answered by Viscount Younger of Leckie - Shadow Minister (Work and Pensions)

It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what percentage of residents of Ceredigion in Wales are currently in receipt of disability benefits.

Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The table below shows the number of claimants in February 2024 who are on the different disability benefits, Personal Independence Payment (PIP), Disability Living Allowance, including the Child element (DLA) and Attendance Allowance (AA).

This information can be found on the published datasets on Stat-Xplore - Log in (dwp.gov.uk)

The latest available population estimates published by the Office of National Statistics on Population estimates - local authority based by single year of age - Nomis - Official Census and Labour Market Statistics (nomisweb.co.uk) show that the estimated population of Ceredigion in April 2023 is 73,050.

This means that 12% of the residents of Ceredigion in Wales were claiming disability benefits in February 2024.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that information published about the total value of benefits paid to claimants, including available discount schemes and grants, can be readily compared with employee salaries, which are usually quoted before tax.

Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Government has no such plans. Independent, free and anonymous benefit calculators are available that can help individuals to see how their benefits are affected if they start work or increase their hours. Benefit calculators can be found on gov.uk.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the financial implications of the proposal to impose VAT on independent school fees on the parents of children supported by the Continuity of Education Allowance.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity, ensuring every child has access to high-quality education, which is why we have made the tough decision to end tax breaks for private schools. This will raise revenue for essential public services, including investing in the education system.

Recognising the enormous sacrifices our military families make, the Ministry of Defence provide the Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA) to eligible Service Personnel. The government will monitor closely the impact of these policy changes on affected military families and the upcoming Spending Review is the right time to consider any changes to this scheme.

Found: 2024 10.35 am Watch the meeting Members present: Lord Foster of Bath (The Chair); Lord Bach; Baroness Buscombe

Found: 2024 10.35 am Watch the meeting Members present: Lord Foster of Bath (The Chair); Lord Bach; Baroness Buscombe

Found: at 15.45pm in Committee Room 3A Present: Lord Morse (Chair) Baroness Blake of Leeds Baroness Buscombe

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Found: Tuesday 12 March 2024 at 12.30 pm in Committee Room 3A Present: Lord Morse (Chair) Baroness Buscombe

Found: 2024 11.35 am Watch the meeting Members present: Lord Foster of Bath (The Chair); Lord Bach; Baroness Buscombe

Found: 2024 10.35 am Watch the meeting Members present: Lord Foster of Bath (The Chair); Lord Bach; Baroness Buscombe

Found: 2024 10.35 am Watch the meeting Members present: Lord Foster of Bath (The Chair); Lord Bach; Baroness Buscombe

Found: believe that the ETA does not fully compensate for gaps in the existing system. 97 Q 96 (Baroness Buscombe

Found: The Bill has been subject to careful scrutiny by a Joint Parliamentary Committee, chaired by Baroness Buscombe

The House of Lords Justice and Home Affairs Committee is undertaking a short inquiry into responses to shoplifting, including the Pegasus initiative.

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