Asked by: Baroness Hollins (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the findings of the report by the British Medical Association <i>Growing Older in the UK</i>.
Answered by Lord O'Shaughnessy
The Government welcomes the British Medical Association’s report Growing Older in the UK. Supporting people to continue to play an active role in society as they grow older is a priority for Government and the report’s findings will be taken into account in relevant policy development work.
Asked by: Baroness Hollins (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what guarantees they plan to give to people with a learning disability that they will continue to have their right to independent living respected following the introduction of the new funding system for supported housing.
Answered by Lord Freud
Supported accommodation plays a vital role in the lives of many vulnerable people. A safe and stable and supportive place to live can be the key to unlocking better outcomes for people and for many it is a stepping stone to independent living in the longer term. The Government values the role supported housing plays and is committed to encouraging further development to meet future demand.
The Secretary of State confirmed in his written Ministerial Statement to Parliament on 15th September that the Government will shortly be publishing a consultation document on supported housing.
Asked by: Baroness Hollins (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, following the introduction of the new funding system for supported housing, what guarantees they plan to give that guidelines for local authorities will be sufficiently robust to ensure that there are no trade-offs between different groups in need of supported housing.
Answered by Lord Freud
The Secretary of State announced in a Written Ministerial Statement on 15 September 2016 that a formal consultation document will be published shortly. This consultation will consult on appropriate safeguards to ensure that funding continues to support vulnerable groups and promotes the supply of supported housing.
Asked by: Baroness Hollins (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many respondents to the first consultation on reforming housing benefit for supported housing in 2011 considered the idea of a localised pot to support the right of disabled people to live independently.
Answered by Lord Freud
The consultation in 2011 sought views on a wide variety of options, and received a range of viewpoints, reflecting the diversity of the sector. It did not consider whether localised funding would support the right of disabled people to live independently.
Asked by: Baroness Hollins (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have for monitoring the impact of the new funding system for supported housing on people with a learning disability after 2019.
Answered by Lord Freud
The Secretary of State confirmed in his written Ministerial Statement to Parliament on 15th September that the Government will shortly be publishing a consultation document on supported housing.
Asked by: Baroness Hollins (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what guarantees they plan to give that, once the new funding system for supported housing comes into place in 2019–20, existing tenants will not be affected negatively by any changes.
Answered by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
The Government is committed to protecting the most vulnerable through our welfare reforms. That is why we have exempted supported housing from the Local Housing Allowance policy until 2019/20, from which point we will bring in a new funding model which will ensure that the sector continues to be funded at current levels, taking into account the effect of Government policy on social sector rents. The new funding model will include a ring-fenced local top-up to ensure that funding is used only for supported housing provision and will support existing tenants.
The funding will be administered locally so that local authorities can respond flexibly to local need. We believe local authorities are best placed to make decisions about how to support vulnerable people in their areas and to commission the supported housing services that are needed locally.
Asked by: Baroness Hollins (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made, or are planning to make, of the cost to the health service of poverty-related ill health.
Answered by Lord Prior of Brampton
The Department has not made, and is not planning to make, an estimate of the cost to the health service of poverty related ill health. However, in 2008 the Department commissioned Professor Michael Marmot of University College London to chair an independent strategic review of health inequalities in England from 2010. The Review, Fair Society, Healthy Lives, estimated that, in 2010, direct NHS healthcare costs in England associated with treating the consequences of inequality amounted to £5.5 billion per year for treating acute illness, mental illness and prescriptions. This estimate does not cover all health service activity, including primary care costs.
The review also estimated the wider costs of health inequalities, with £31-33 billion worth of productivity losses resulting from inequalities in illness, and between £20-32 billion in lost taxes and higher welfare payments. A copy of the review has been placed in the Library.
Asked by: Baroness Hollins (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the cumulative impact of housing benefit cuts, benefit caps and council tax on the health of benefit claimants, both those in work and unemployed, since 2008, taking into account the impact of debt on mental health and the need for women to receive a healthy diet before they conceive and while they are pregnant if they are to give birth to healthy babies.
Answered by Lord Freud
Impact assessments published for welfare changes, for example those relating to the Welfare Reform and Work Act 2016, are available on www.gov.uk.
Published impact assessments not available on www.gov.uk may be available at www.nationalarchives.gov.uk.
We already have cumulative distributional analysis published by HMT that is the most comprehensive available covering not only the effects of direct cash transfers between households and government but also the effects of frontline public service provision.
Our welfare reforms since 2010 are intended to incentivise work and make work pay. There is a strong evidence base showing that work is generally good for physical and mental health and wellbeing. We recognise that not everyone can work and therefore we provide financial assistance.
The employment rate is at 74.4 per cent which is the highest since comparable records began. In addition the number and rate of workless households are both at a record low.
Asked by: Baroness Hollins (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Neville-Rolfe on 16 June (HL576), whether the trial of Mazher Mahmood is among those cases she refers to as connected to the subject of the Leveson Inquiry and which must conclude before they will consider Part 2 of the Leveson Inquiry, and which other criminal proceedings are also in that category.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Shadow Minister (Treasury)
There are a number of on-going cases captured by the Leveson criteria, which were laid down to avoid the risk of prejudice to the right to fair trials in the criminal courts. The trial of Mazher Mahmood is one of these.
Asked by: Baroness Hollins (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Neville-Rolfe on 26 January (HL Deb, col 1152), who, in addition to Sir Brian Leveson, will be consulted before a decision on Leveson Part 2 is made, and what form that consultation will take.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Shadow Minister (Treasury)
Criminal proceedings connected to the subject matter of the Leveson Inquiry, including the appeals process, have not yet been completed. We have always been clear that these cases must conclude before we consider Part 2 of the Inquiry.