Lord Field of Birkenhead Portrait

Lord Field of Birkenhead

Crossbench - Birkenhead

Became Member: 11th September 2020


Liaison Committee (Commons)
6th Nov 2017 - 6th Nov 2019
Ecclesiastical Committee (Joint Committee)
31st Oct 2017 - 6th Nov 2019
Work and Pensions Committee
12th Jul 2017 - 6th Nov 2019
Liaison Committee Sub-committee on the effectiveness and influence of the select committee system
13th Feb 2019 - 6th Nov 2019
Liaison Committee (Commons)
10th Sep 2015 - 3rd May 2017
Ecclesiastical Committee (Joint Committee)
28th Oct 2015 - 3rd May 2017
Work and Pensions Committee
18th Jun 2015 - 3rd May 2017
Ecclesiastical Committee (Joint Committee)
26th Oct 2010 - 30th Mar 2015
Draft Modern Slavery Bill
9th Jan 2014 - 3rd Apr 2014
Ecclesiastical Committee (Joint Committee)
6th Jul 2005 - 8th Apr 2010
Public Accounts Committee
15th May 2002 - 12th Jul 2005
Ecclesiastical Committee (Joint Committee)
31st Jan 2002 - 5th May 2005
Minister (Department of Social Security) (Welfare Reform)
3rd May 1997 - 28th Jul 1998
Social Security
27th Apr 1992 - 21st Mar 1997
Social Security
18th Nov 1993 - 21st Mar 1997
Liaison Committee (Commons)
17th Jun 1987 - 21st Mar 1997
Shadow Spokesperson (Education)
1st Jun 1980 - 1st Jun 1981


Division Voting information

During the current Parliament, Lord Field of Birkenhead has voted in 73 divisions, and never against the majority of their Party.
View All Lord Field of Birkenhead Division Votes

Debates during the 2019 Parliament

Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.

Sparring Partners
Lord Bethell (Conservative)
(4 debate interactions)
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Conservative)
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
(4 debate interactions)
Baroness Berridge (Conservative)
(2 debate interactions)
View All Sparring Partners
Department Debates
Department of Health and Social Care
(8 debate contributions)
Department for Work and Pensions
(1 debate contributions)
Department for International Trade
(1 debate contributions)
View All Department Debates
View all Lord Field of Birkenhead's debates

Lords initiatives

These initiatives were driven by Lord Field of Birkenhead, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.


14 Bills introduced by Lord Field of Birkenhead


A Bill to make provision for local authorities to monitor the educational, physical and emotional development of children receiving elective home education, and for connected purposes

Lords Completed
Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading: House Of Commons
Tuesday 24th July 2018

A Bill to require local authorities to facilitate the delivery of programmes that provide free meals and activities for children during school holidays; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 40%

Last Event - 2nd Reading: House Of Commons
Friday 19th January 2018
(Read Debate)

The Bill failed to complete its passage through Parliament before the end of the session. This means the Bill will make no further progress. A Bill to amend the definitions of worker and self-employed person; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading: House Of Commons
Monday 10th June 2019

The Bill failed to complete its passage through Parliament before the end of the session. This means the Bill will make no further progress. A Bill to safeguard rights of European Union citizens in the United Kingdom after exit day; to make provision for arrangements to be made with other European Economic Area countries and Switzerland to maintain the rights of British citizens in those countries after exit day; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading: House Of Commons
Monday 29th April 2019

A Bill to require the Secretary of State to guarantee paid employment for six months for claimants of Jobseeker’s Allowance, or the jobseeker’s component of Universal Credit, who have been unemployed for six months or longer; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading: House Of Commons
Wednesday 13th June 2018
(Read Debate)

A Bill to require school governing bodies to implement affordability policies when setting school uniform requirements; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading: House Of Commons
Monday 5th November 2018

A Bill to require landlords to meet standards for the hygienic storage and preparation of food and the provision of cooking appliances and equipment in accommodation provided for tenants in receipt of Universal Credit or Housing Benefit; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading: House Of Commons
Tuesday 5th February 2019

A Bill to abolish the House of Lords and make provision for its replacement by a Senate.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading: House Of Commons
Tuesday 19th June 2018

A Bill to require landlords of tenants in receipt of Universal Credit or Housing Benefit to ensure that their rented accommodation meets minimum standards for the hygienic storage and preparation of food; contains adequate appliances, equipment and utensils for the cooking of food; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading: House Of Commons
Thursday 20th October 2016
(Read Debate)

A Bill to provide local authorities with the duties and powers required to identify and automatically register all children eligible for free school meals; to provide for an opt-out where the family wishes; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading: House Of Commons
Tuesday 15th December 2015

A Bill to require the creation of a register of owners of property in the Greater London area, including details of the name of the owner of each property and the name of the beneficiary owner in the case of properties owned by a trust or similar body; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading: House Of Commons
Wednesday 20th April 2016
(Read Debate)

The Bill failed to complete its passage through Parliament before the end of the session. This means the Bill will make no further progress. A Bill to amend the Equality Act 2010 to remove discrimination against women in relation to consecration of bishops in the Church of England; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading: House Of Commons
Thursday 22nd November 2012

The Bill failed to complete its passage through Parliament before the end of the session. This means the Bill will make no further progress. A Bill to make provision for filling vacancies among Lords Spiritual sitting and voting as Lords of Parliament.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading: House Of Commons
Wednesday 12th December 2012

The Bill failed to complete its passage through Parliament before the end of the session. This means the Bill will make no further progress. A Bill to require the Secretary of State to make provision for the system for social housing allocation to give priority of choice of social housing to those with an exemplary tenancy record; to place a duty on housing associations to inform potential tenants about conduct of existing tenants in neighbouring properties; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading: House Of Commons
Tuesday 24th January 2012

Latest 50 Written Questions

(View all written questions)
Written Questions can be tabled by MPs and Lords to request specific information information on the work, policy and activities of a Government Department
1 Other Department Questions
9th Mar 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to secure Joshua Reynold's portrait of Omai for the nation.

We are in regular contact with the National Portrait Gallery and fully support their efforts to purchase this exceptional painting. In view of the strong support we have seen so far, the Government has extended the export deferral period to 10 June 2023 to provide every opportunity to save the Portrait of Omai so that the widest possible audience can see, enjoy, and learn from it for generations to come.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
18th May 2022
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will place in the Library of the House a copy of the legal opinion the Attorney General received on disapplying parts of the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland.

It is a longstanding convention, accepted by governments of all parties, not to disclose outside government whether the Law Officers have given legal advice or the contents of any advice. This convention protects the Law Officers’ ability to give full and frank legal advice on some of the most contentious and difficult issues the Government will be considering.

Lord Stewart of Dirleton
Advocate General for Scotland
18th Apr 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government how many "gig economy" workers there are in the UK workforce at present; and how many there were in each of the previous five years.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A holding response to the Noble Peer’s Parliamentary Question of 18th April is attached in the answer and the completed response will be deposited in the House of Lords Library.

The Rt Hon. the Lord Field of Birkenhead
House of Lords
London
SW1A 0PW
03 May 2023


Dear Lord Field,
As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking how many "gig economy" workers there are in the UK workforce at present; and how many there were in each of the previous five years (HL7206). Statisticians at the Office for National Statistics are currently undertaking additional analysis to answer your question and will place a copy in the House of Lords Library as soon as it is complete.


Yours sincerely,
Professor Sir Ian Diamond

Baroness Neville-Rolfe
Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
11th May 2022
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the value of the lowest earnings decile, as a percentage of average earnings, of (1) male, and (2) female, workers in each year since 2020.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the noble Lord’s Parliamentary Question of 11 May is below and attached.

Dear Lord Field,

As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking what is the value of the lowest earnings decile, as a percentage of average earnings, of (1) male, and (2) female, workers in each year since 2020 (HL141).

The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) [1], carried out in April each year, is the most comprehensive source of earnings information in the United Kingdom. ASHE is based on a 1% sample of employee jobs taken from HM Revenue and Customs' Pay As You Earn (PAYE) records. [2]

Table 1 shows the median gross weekly earnings for all, male, and female employees in the United Kingdom for 2020 and 2021 (the latest period for which ASHE estimates are available). [3] As with any survey, estimates from ASHE are subject to a margin of uncertainty. [4]

Yours sincerely,

Professor Sir Ian Diamond

Table 1: Median gross weekly earnings (£) for all, male, and female employees [5] in the United Kingdom, April 2020, April 2021

2020

10th Percentile

50th Percentile (Median)

Proportion (%)

All Employees

156.8

*

479.1

*

32.7

Male

230.9

*

568.4

*

40.6

Female

123.6

*

400.1

*

30.9

2021

10th Percentile

50th Percentile (Median)

Proportion (%)

All Employees

171.0

*

504.4

*

33.9

Male

251.3

*

594.1

*

42.3

Female

138.4

*

420.1

*

32.9

Source: Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings

(1) https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/bulletins/annualsurveyofhoursandearnings/2021

(2) Consequently, individuals with more than one job may appear in the sample more than once.

(3) These estimates can be found at: https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/allemployeesashetable1

(4) The coefficient of variation (CV) indicates the quality of an estimate; the smaller the CV, the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV. For example, for an estimate of £200 with a CV of 5%, we would expect the true population average to be within the range £180 to £220. This is given by £200+/-({2*0.05}*200). The star system below is used in the table to indicate the degree of uncertainty.

Key

Coefficient of variation (CV) %

Statistical robustness

*

CV

Estimates are considered precise

**

CV > 5 and

Estimates are considered reasonably precise

***

CV > 10 and

Estimates are considered acceptable

x

CV > 20

Estimates are considered unreliable for practical purposes

(5) Employee jobs are defined as those held by employees and not the self-employed.

Lord True
Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
10th May 2022
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord True on 14 March (HL6441), whether they will provide the equivalent data for the 20 years up to April 2022.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the noble Lord’s Parliamentary Question of 10 May is below and attached.

Professor Sir Ian Diamond | National Statistician

The Rt Hon. the Lord Field of Birkenhead CH DL

House of Lords

London

SW1A 0PW

18 May 2022

Dear Lord Field,

As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking for the number of offences, by age, currently recorded as homicide by sharp instrument for the previous 20 years up to April 2022 (HL58).

The Office for National Statistics publishes homicide figures where the method of killing was by a knife or sharp instrument sourced from the Home Office Homicide Index, which is a database separate from the main police recorded crime dataset. It contains detailed record-level information about each homicide recorded by the police in England and Wales. It is continually updated with revised information from the police and courts and, as such, is a richer source of data than the main police recorded crime dataset.

Table 1 presents the number of offences currently recorded as homicide by a sharp instrument, by age, for the year ending March 2011 to the year ending March 2021. This data was published alongside Homicide in England and Wales, year ending March 2021 [1]. We do not hold up-to-date data on the number of offences currently recorded as homicide by a sharp instrument, by age, for year ending March 2003 to year ending March 2010 as requested [2].

Data for year ending March 2022 will not be published until February 2023.

Yours sincerely,

Professor Sir Ian Diamond

Table 1: Offences [3] currently recorded as homicide by a sharp instrument, by age [4], year ending March 2011 to year ending March 2021[5]

Apr 2010 to Mar 2011

Apr 2011 to Mar 2012

Apr 2012 to Mar 2013

Apr 2013 to Mar 2014

Apr 2014 to Mar 2015

Apr 2015 to Mar 2016

Apr 2016 to Mar 2017

Apr 2017 to Mar 2018

Apr 2018 to Mar 2019

Apr 2019 to Mar 2020

Apr 2020 to Mar 2021

Number of victims

Total

236

208

195

203

186

211

216

281

260

270

235

Under 16

14

10

9

4

6

9

6

6

7

10

8

16-17

8

7

11

10

8

11

10

14

17

13

10

18-24

40

46

38

47

44

37

51

82

61

77

54

1 https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/articles/homicideinenglandand
wales/yearendingmarch2021
2 This data may be available if you contact the Home Office directly.

3 As of 10 December 2021; figures are subject to revision as cases are dealt with by the police and by the courts, or as further information becomes available.

4 The age categories that have been used in this table are supplied by the Home Office.


5 Home Office statisticians and police forces have undertaken a review of homicide data for year ending March 2019 and year ending March 2020 to update suspect data and cancelled crimes. Totals shown in this table will not match previously published figures.

Lord True
Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
25th Feb 2022
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord True on 4 February (HL5661), what is the latest available data on youth deaths by stabbing in (1) London, (2) Birmingham, (3) Coventry, (4) Liverpool, (5) Manchester, and (6) Newcastle, for the year ending March 2021.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have, therefore, asked the Authority to respond.

Professor Sir Ian Diamond | National Statistician

The Rt Hon. the Lord Field of Birkenhead CH DL
House of Lords
London
SW1A 0PW

02 March 2022

Dear Lord Field,
As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking for the latest available data on number of youth deaths by stabbing in London, Birmingham, Coventry, Liverpool, Manchester and Newcastle for the year ending March 2021 (HL6441).

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes homicide figures where the method of killing was by a knife or sharp instrument sourced from the Home Office Homicide Index, which is a database separate from the main police recorded crime dataset. It contains detailed record-level information about each homicide recorded by the police in England and Wales. It is continually updated with revised information from the police and courts and, as such, is a richer source of data than the main police recorded crime dataset.

We do not hold data on homicide by knife or sharp instrument by age below the national level. However, we have provided the estimates for England and Wales for the year ending March 2021 in Table 1. This data was published alongside Homicide in England and Wales, year ending March 2021[1].

Yours sincerely,

Professor Sir Ian Diamond

Table 1: Offences[2] currently recorded as homicide by a sharp instrument, by age[3], year ending March 2021

Number of victims

Apr 2020 to Mar 2021

Total

235

Under 16

8

16-17

10

18-24

54

Source: Home Office - Homicide Index

1) https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/articles/homicideinenglan dandwales/yearendingmarch2021

2) As at 10 December 2021; figures are subject to revision as cases are dealt with by the police and by the courts, or as further information becomes available.

3) The age categories that have been used in this table are supplied by the Home Office.

Lord True
Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
25th Jan 2022
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the latest available data on youth deaths by stabbing in (1) London, (2) Birmingham, (3) Coventry, (4) Liverpool, (5) Manchester, and (6) Newcastle, for each of the last five years.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have, therefore, asked the Authority to respond.

Professor Sir Ian Diamond | National Statistician

The Rt Hon. the Lord Field of Birkenhead CH DL

House of Lords

London

SW1A 0PW

27 January 2022

Dear Lord Field,

As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking what are the latest available data on youth deaths by stabbing in London, Birmingham, Coventry, Liverpool, Manchester and Newcastle in each of the last five years (HL5661).

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes homicide figures where the method of killing was by a knife or sharp instrument sourced from the Home Office Homicide Index, which is a database separate from the main police recorded crime dataset. It contains detailed record-level information about each homicide recorded by the police in England and Wales. It is continually updated with revised information from the police and courts and, as such, is a richer source of data than the main police recorded crime dataset.

We do not hold data on homicide by knife or sharp instrument by age below the national level. However, we have provided the estimates for the previous five years for England and Wales in Table 1. These data were published alongside Homicide in England and Wales, year ending March 2020 (1). This article will be updated on 10 February 2022 to include data for the year ending March 2021.

Yours sincerely,

Professor Sir Ian Diamond

Table 1: Offences (2) currently recorded as homicide (3) by a sharp instrument, by age (4), year ending March 2016 to year ending March 2020

Apr' 15 to Mar' 16

Apr' 16 to Mar' 17

Apr' 17 to Mar' 18

Apr' 18 to Mar' 19

Apr' 19 to Mar' 20

Number of victims

Total

212

216

281

260

275

Under 16

9

6

6

7

10

16-17

11

10

14

17

13

18-24

38

51

81

61

78

Source: Home Office-Homicide Index


(1) https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/articles/homicideinenglandandwales/yearendingmarch2020

(2) As at 15 December 2020; figures are subject to revision as cases are dealt with by the police and by the courts, or as further information becomes available.

(3) Home Office statisticians and Police Forces have undertaken a review of all historical homicide data to update court outcomes and suspect data, this means totals shown in this table will not match previously published figures.

(4) The age categories that have been used in this table are supplied by the Home Office.

Lord True
Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
14th Dec 2020
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to lay any UK–EU free trade agreement before the House; and what assessment they have made of what further legislation may be needed to implement the final agreement.

A copy of the UK/EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) and the Nuclear Cooperation Agreement (NCA) (together, the ‘Agreements’) have been placed in the House of Lords Library. The European Union (Future Relationship) Act 2020 made changes to domestic law needed to implement our international obligations. There will also be a small programme of secondary legislation needed to fulfill all our obligations under the Agreements.

Lord True
Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
18th Jan 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that accounting software used in the UK is free of flaws and defects, such as those experienced with the Horizon system.

Like business software in general, accounting software is not directly regulated in the UK. The directors of a UK company must prepare accounts that give a true and fair view of its assets, liabilities, financial position and profit or loss. This builds on requirements that the company keeps adequate records for preparation of accounts. It is for the company to ensure software supporting these requirements does not cause them to fail to be met. Where accounting software is not fit for purpose, a company may have contractual remedies for breach of quality by the supplier, depending on the contract terms.

Lord Johnson of Lainston
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
18th Jan 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to recover all compensation cost payments made to sub-postmasters and mistresses from Fujitsu, and when they expect Fujitsu’s contribution to those costs to be paid.

The extent of Fujitsu's culpability for the scandal will not be clear until the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry reports. However Ministers have made clear that the taxpayer should not have to meet all the costs of the scandal. In the light of such comments Fujitsu have recently apologised publicly for their role in the scandal and have accepted that they have a moral obligation to contribute to its costs. The Government welcomes these statements and will continue to discuss matters with Fujitsu.

Lord Offord of Garvel
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
18th Jan 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government how many Post Office employees lost their jobs as the result of evidence relating to the Horizon software presented by Fujitsu.

The Government does not hold the data requested. Our focus is on ensuring that all those who lost their Post Office roles or experienced other losses as a result of the Horizon scandal receive the compensation they deserve.

Lord Offord of Garvel
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
15th Mar 2022
To ask Her Majesty's Government how they intend to spend the £1.5 billion of funding allocated under the Global Forest Finance pledge, including the (1) £350 million for tropical forests in Indonesia, (2) £200 million for the LEAF Coalition, and (3) up to £300 million intended for the Amazon rainforest.

The Government is continuing to develop proposals for funding to Indonesia, the Amazon and other important regions, building on the UK’s existing partnerships in these areas. The UK’s investment in LEAF has helped bring other public and private funders on board, raising over £750m which will be used for technical assistance and carbon finance for developing countries.

Lord Callanan
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
11th Jan 2021
To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made towards ensuring the secure supply of (1) vaccines, and (2) personal protective equipment.

The UK was the first country in the world to start a vaccination programme using the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, followed by the AstraZeneca/Oxford University vaccine.

We have signed deals for substantial future supply of both vaccines to replenish our stocks and to enable swift vaccination across the UK in the months ahead. Our supply and scheduled deliveries of these vaccines will fully support vaccination of priority cohorts 1 to 4, as advised by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, by the middle of February.

The Government has also been working tirelessly to deliver personal protective equipment (PPE) to protect our frontline workers throughout the pandemic. We have significantly strengthened and diversified our supply chains for PPE, looking to new suppliers abroad as well as boosting our domestic manufacturing capability. This has helped to build our resilience into the future. We have ordered almost 32 billion items of PPE (of which the majority has been delivered or is on its way) to provide a continuous supply to the frontline over the coming months. As of December 2020, the Government had built a four-month stockpile of all COVID-critical PPE, with a tremendous contribution from UK manufacturers.

Lord Callanan
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
23rd May 2022
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will issue a progress report on their role in the sale of Chelsea Football Club given that its licence to continue operating ends this month.

Her Majesty’s Government has always been clear that a quick sale of the club is in the best interests of the club, its fans and the wider football community.

Following extensive work, we are now satisfied that the full proceeds of the sale will not benefit Roman Abramovich or any other sanctioned individual and the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) has issued a licence to enable a sale.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
11th Nov 2020
To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made on the implementation of each recommendation of The Cairncross Review: A Sustainable Future For Journalism, published on 12 February 2019.

In January 2020, the government published its formal response to the independent Cairncross Review, which outlines steps the government, regulators and industry will take to support the future of the news publishing industry.

In terms of the fiscal interventions proposed by the Review, the government has introduced the zero-rating of VAT on e-publications and has committed to extending the existing business rates relief for an additional 5 years, until 31 March 2025. We also worked with Nesta to develop a £2million pilot innovation fund, launched in October 2019, and have committed to considering further fiscal measures to support the sector.

The recommended market study into the workings of the online advertising market has now concluded. The CMA’s final report recommended a similar approach to the Cairncross Review in proposing codes of conduct to govern the relationship between platforms and publishers. We are considering the CMA’s findings carefully before determining next steps, and will publish our response shortly.

The Review also recommended that Ofcom explore the market impact of BBC News. Government welcomed Ofcom’s decision to conduct a review into the BBC’s news output, which was published in October 2019.

With regard to the Review’s recommendations on taking steps to help users identify the reliability and trustworthiness of news sources, online platforms’ efforts here may continue and expand as a result of the proposals in the Online Harms White Paper. We intend to publish the Full Government Response to the White Paper as soon as possible. We are also developing a Media Literacy Strategy, which will be published in Spring 2021.

The government is pleased to see the BBC has conducted a thorough review of the Local Democracy Reporting Service and the wider Local News Partnership, as recommended by the Cairncross Review. As set out in our response, we would support any efforts by the BBC to grow the scheme.

The government will not be taking forward the recommendation to establish an institute for Public Interest News. While we acknowledge the value the proposed institute is intended to provide, it is not for the government to lead on this issue.

The government recognises the vital role of newspapers in supporting communities and in ensuring the provision of reliable, high-quality information at this time. In addition to the above measures, it has therefore also been an absolute priority to ensure we do all we can as a government to support news publishers during the Covid-19 crisis.

Baroness Barran
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
1st Mar 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential merits of local authorities using data proactively to identify and register children eligible for free school meals.

Maximising the take-up of free school meals is important in ensuring that as many eligible children as possible benefit from a healthy and nutritious meal. The department aims to make it as simple as possible for schools and local authorities to determine eligibility.

To support this, an ‘Eligibility Checking System’ has been provided to make the checking process as quick and straightforward as possible for schools and local authorities.

The department has looked at this issue and considers there to be merit in local authorities exploring initiatives to maximise take up and to better understand the barriers that prevent such take up, whilst ensuring adherence to legal and data protection constraints. The department has not provided formal guidance to support these activities but continues to engage with key stakeholder on this issue.

Baroness Barran
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
1st Mar 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government what guidance they have provided, if any, to local authorities about using data proactively to identify and register all eligible children for free school meal entitlement.

Maximising the take-up of free school meals is important in ensuring that as many eligible children as possible benefit from a healthy and nutritious meal. The department aims to make it as simple as possible for schools and local authorities to determine eligibility.

To support this, an ‘Eligibility Checking System’ has been provided to make the checking process as quick and straightforward as possible for schools and local authorities.

The department has looked at this issue and considers there to be merit in local authorities exploring initiatives to maximise take up and to better understand the barriers that prevent such take up, whilst ensuring adherence to legal and data protection constraints. The department has not provided formal guidance to support these activities but continues to engage with key stakeholder on this issue.

Baroness Barran
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
4th Dec 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the additional expenditure that would be incurred if free school meals were to be provided to all registered pupils at maintained nursery schools in England as well as to children in receipt of relevant funded early years education.

Over 2 million pupils are currently eligible for benefits-related free school meals (FSM). This includes pupils attending a local authority maintained, academy or free school nursery, as long as they are either in full-time education or receive education both before and after lunch and meet the benefits-related FSM eligibility criteria.

Additionally, close to 1.3 million infants receive free and nutritious meals under the universal infant FSM policy (UIFSM).

The department does not currently have plans to change the existing eligibility conditions for FSM or UIFSM. As such, the department has not made an estimate of the associated costs of providing FSM to all registered pupils at maintained nursery schools in England as well as to children in receipt of relevant funded early years education. The department continues to keep eligibility of FSM under review.

Baroness Barran
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
15th Mar 2021
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps a school is legally obliged to take in response to an accusation of sexual assault being made by one pupil against another.

Keeping children safe in education’ (KCSIE) is statutory guidance to which all schools and colleges must have regard to when carrying out their duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. This guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-education--2.

Part 1 of KCSIE, which all staff should receive at induction, sets out what peer on peer abuse looks like, with detailed information covering child on child sexual violence and sexual harassment for staff who work directly with children. All staff should receive appropriate safeguarding and child protection training which is regularly updated.

Part 5 of KCSIE sets out how schools and colleges should respond to reports of child-on-child sexual violence and sexual harassment.

We also provide detailed advice to support schools and colleges to understand what sexual violence and sexual harassment between children in schools and colleges looks like, how to prevent it, how to respond to reports of it, and on how to support victims. This advice is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sexual-violence-and-sexual-harassment-between-children-in-schools-and-colleges.

The guidance is very clear that all school staff should know what to do if a child tells them they are being abused or neglected.

The guidance is also very clear that concerns about a child should be responded to immediately and referrals (generally led by the designated safeguarding lead) made to children’s social care and the police.

13th Jan 2021
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their policy on cooking, nutrition and food education in schools.

All schools are required to teach a balanced and broad curriculum that helps provide young people with the knowledge, skills and understanding to prepare them to play a full and active part in society.

The National Curriculum for Design and Technology (D&T) requires maintained schools to teach pupils about food, nutrition, how to cook and healthy eating. Cooking and nutrition is a discrete strand of the D&T curriculum and cooking is compulsory in maintained schools for key stages 1 to 3 (ages 5-14). The curriculum aims to teach children how to cook, with an emphasis on savoury dishes, and how to apply the principles of healthy eating and nutrition. In 2016, we also introduced a new food preparation and nutrition GCSE to provide pupils with practical cookery experience and teach them about the underlying scientific concepts of nutrition and healthy eating.

The importance of a healthy diet is also included in the science curriculum for both primary and secondary schools where healthy eating is covered through topics relating to nutrition and digestion, including the content of a healthy diet and the impact of diet on how the body functions.

30th Nov 2020
To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the numbers of children registered as having special educational needs in each year since that term was first used to the most recent date for which such data are available; and what plans they have to publish those data in tabular form.

The special educational needs (SEN) system was substantially reformed in 2014. One of the features of this was that there was a wider age range than before, meaning higher SEN numbers amongst children. Children can either receive support in schools (known as SEN support) or those with more complex needs are issued with an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan.

The department collects and publishes data on the numbers of pupils with SEN support and of children and young people aged 0-25 with EHC plans from 2015 (and the forerunner to EHC plans, constituting statements of SEN, which were phased out between 2015 and 2018).

Data shows that in the academic year 2015/16, 991,981 pupils were on SEN Support; in the academic year 2019/20 this was 1,079,000, and in 2015, 240,183 children and young people aged 0-25 had EHC plans (combined with statements); in 2020, there were 390,109 EHC plans.

Further data on pupils in schools with SEN (EHC plans and SEN support) can be found at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/special-educational-needs-in-england.

Data on all children and young people aged 0-25 with an EHC plan can be found at https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-health-and-care-plans.

The releases contain tables with key figures, and a table tool allowing users to create their own tables by selecting options from the filters available. Information on pupils in schools with SEN is expected to be updated in July 2021 with data for the 2020/21 academic year, and information on EHC plans in May 2021.

12th Apr 2021
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will answer the letters that he wrote to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, dated 8 and 16 March.

A reply was sent to the Noble Lord on 13 April 2021.

30th Dec 2020
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the estimated projected output of (1) cereals, (2) fruit and vegetables, (3) potatoes, (4) meat, (5) poultry meat, (6) dairy and eggs, and (7) fish, in the UK between 2030 and 2050.

The UK has the climate, the natural resources and entrepreneurial farmers and food producers to equip us to produce a wide range of commodities. 64% of the food that we consume is already home-grown, and we remain confident in the resilience of our leading agricultural sectors. Productivity is a key driver of long-term economic growth and prosperity and we will support our hard-working farmers and growers to continue to produce a reliable and sustainable supply to high environmental, food safety and animal welfare standards. Through our Environmental Land Management scheme, we will also support farmers to invest in the foundations of food production - healthy soil, clean and plentiful water and thriving wildlife.

We have agreed a new settlement with the EU and the Fisheries Act 2020 will ensure that our fisheries are managed in a sustainable way - balancing social, economic, and social benefits while preventing the over exploitation of fish stocks.

The Seafood Industry Leadership Group leads and supports the work of the Seafood 2040 Strategic Framework for England (SF2040). Seafood 2040 aims to achieve a 75% increase in UK Seafood consumption by 2040. As part of Seafood 2040, the English Aquaculture Strategy published in November 2020 sets out plans for the sustainable development of English aquaculture over the next twenty years, including a tenfold increase in production volume to around 90,000 tonnes by 2040.

30th Nov 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government, in the most recent period of 12 months for which data are available, how many benefit claims were cancelled or suspended while third-party accusations about claimants' circumstances were investigated, what proportion of those claims were fully reinstated following an investigation, and what was the average length of time taken to investigate those claims.

DWP values the role played by members of the public in reporting suspected fraud and takes appropriate action in relation to all such allegations. However, we do not hold information regarding the number of such cases suspended or closed whilst a fraud investigation is ongoing.

A claim would only be suspended whilst investigations are ongoing where there is strong intelligence/evidence that benefit entitlement is in doubt. The claimant would be informed of the specific reason for this, with all decisions on suspension being made in accordance with legislation and case law.

Such decisions are not taken lightly but are important in ensuring not only that losses to the public purse as a result of suspected fraud are minimised, but also in ensuring that the individual concerned does not incur potentially large benefit overpayments that they might later be required to repay.

Viscount Younger of Leckie
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
14th Jun 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made on their plans to audio-record all assessments for disability benefit by default.

Audio recording is now available for face-to-face and telephone assessments with all the department’s assessment providers. These arrangements are publicised on providers’ websites and in the assessment invitation letters to claimants. The department remains committed to offering audio recording on an opt-in basis, giving claimants the choice of having their assessment recorded.

Viscount Younger of Leckie
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
14th Jun 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government what were (1) the average waiting times, and (2) the average length of waiting lists, for assessments for (a) Child Disability Living Allowance, and (b) the limited capability for work element of Universal Credit, for each of the most recent period of six months for which data are available.

In the case of Disability Living Allowance for children, the data is not available. Decisions are made on behalf of the Secretary of State by Case Managers from evidence supplied by parents and medical professionals, and do not require an assessment.

In Universal Credit (UC) a claimant is only deemed to have limited capability for work after an assessment has been completed, and a decision made by a DWP decision maker. We have, therefore, interpreted part 2 of your question to mean the total number of UC claimants, who have been referred to the assessment provider, and are awaiting a Work Capability Assessment (WCA) in each of the most recent period of six months for which data are available.

To manage the assessment service effectively, we hold the number of outstanding WCA referrals made to the assessment provider. The number of UC WCA referrals outstanding at the end of each month are shown in the table below:

UC

Oct-22

Nov-22

Dec-22

Jan-23

Feb-23

Mar-23

Total outstanding

227,000

222,000

215,000

204,000

192,000

180,000

Please note:

  • All volumes have been rounded to the nearest 1000;
  • All of the above data is derived from contractual management information produced by the assessment providers; and
  • The above data is derived from unpublished management information which is collected for internal departmental use only and has not been quality assured to Official Statistics Publication Standards.

There will always be outstanding referrals in the assessment process, from those claimants, who have been asked to return a Capability for Work questionnaire and have yet to do so, through to those with an assessment scheduled in the coming weeks. The department closely monitors the levels of outstanding referrals. Not all of these cases will require the claimant to attend an assessment. Where there is already sufficient evidence to determine benefit entitlement, claims will be assessed on a paper basis.

With regards to waiting times, the initial release of Official Statistics on UC WCA covers key metrics on the number of people on the UC health journey, as well as WCA decisions and outcomes. As set out in the published Release Strategy, we are taking a phased approach to development and publication of additional statistics accounting for the complexity of source data that is in discovery. Future releases are planned to include new/repeat claims, medical conditions, Mandatory Reconsiderations and Appeals, and clearance times.

Viscount Younger of Leckie
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
14th Jun 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government (1) how many, and what proportion of, existing claimants receiving Personal Independence Payment Review forms in each of the past 12 months have (a) requested an extension, (b) had their request accepted, or (c) had their request rejected; (2) how many, and what proportion of, Personal Independence Payment Review forms issued in each of the past 12 months have been (a) returned on time, (b) returned late, and (c) not returned; and (3) how many, and what proportion of, claimants making a telephone call regarding a Personal Independence Payment Review form in the past 12 months have (a) waited on hold for longer than 60 minutes, or (b) had their call disconnected.

We can confirm that the department holds some of the information requested. We have numbered your questions and our response to each, for ease of reference.

  1. Extensions to Review forms

The information requested (extensions and acceptance status) is not readily available, and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

The department recognises the importance of claimants having the opportunity to provide information, and evidence about their disabilities, and health conditions, in their review forms in support of their awards, and there are existing provisions available that allow additional time, and support, to those who require it.

For Personal Independence Payment (PIP), safeguards are already in place to allow for additional time for claimants to submit their Award Review 1 (AR1) form. Claimants can ask for additional time to complete their AR1 form and can do so on more than one occasion.

  1. Return of Review forms


The information requested for on-time and late AR1 form returns is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Data for AR1 forms not returned has been provided in the table below. Data is available up to the end of April 2023, but since the default time allowance for returning an AR1 form is 40 days, the latest two months of data for AR1 forms issued have not been included. It is worth noting there are multiple reasons a form may not be returned within 40 days, or at all, without a resulting disallowance. For example, where a claimant has an additional support marker, or where an extension has been granted. On average, only 7% of claimants in the time period, who received AR1 forms, were disallowed for non-return.

Table 1 below shows, for each of the latest 12 months of useable data, how many AR1 forms were issued and how many, and what proportion, were not returned by the end of available data. This will include claimants who have not returned their form, but have not been disallowed for the reasons explained previously.


Table 1: Number and proportion of AR1 forms not returned by 30th April 2023

Month AR1 form was issued

Total number of AR1 forms sent out in month

Number of AR1 forms not returned by 30th April 2023

Proportion of AR1 forms not returned by 30th April 2023

Mar 22

42,600

12,900

30%

Apr 22

42,800

11,300

26%

May 22

46,600

12,500

27%

Jun 22

48,600

12,200

25%

Jul 22

48,600

11,900

24%

Aug 22

55,000

13,500

25%

Sep 22

52,700

13,100

25%

Oct 22

48,600

12,600

26%

Nov 22

53,000

13,400

25%

Dec 22

51,200

10,000

19%

Jan 23

60,200

15,000

25%

Feb 23

49,500

14,300

29%

Data Source: PIP Atomic Data Source (ADS)

Notes:

  • Figures have been rounded to the nearest 100;
  • Data for England and Wales only;
  • Data excludes claimants with special rules for the terminally ill.

  1. Telephone calls regarding Review forms

The information requested (telephony figures for those relating to AR1 forms) is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Viscount Younger of Leckie
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
14th Jun 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the current status of the two local pilots of early warning systems instead of immediate benefit sanctions that they launched in 2019.

Evidence from a previous Early Warning trial in 2016 showed the cost of the warning system outweighed the benefits. Since then, we have completed two small-scale proofs of concept to test a simple warning process and currently have no plans to run another test.

Viscount Younger of Leckie
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
25th May 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the adequacy of Support for Mortgage Interest in the light of rising interest rates.

The rate of SMI we pay is based on the Bank of England average published rate and recently increased from 2.09% to 2.65% in May 2023. Any further changes will occur when the average differs by 0.5 percentage points or more from the rate in payment.

SMI is intended to provide reasonable support by making a contribution towards mortgage interest to protect claimants against the threat of repossession.

To support low-income mortgage borrowers with rising interest rates, from April 2023, we extended the support SMI provides by allowing those on Universal Credit to apply for a loan after three months, instead of nine. We also abolished the earnings rule to allow claimants to continue receiving support while in work and on Universal Credit.

For those who need additional support the Government is providing an additional £1 billion of funding, including Barnett impact, to enable a further extension to the Household Support Fund in England over the 2023/24 financial year. In England, this scheme will be backed by £842 million, running from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024, which local authorities will use to help households with the cost of essentials. It will be for the devolved administrations to decide how to allocate their additional Barnett funding.

Viscount Younger of Leckie
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
25th May 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government what was the average amount paid to individuals for each passported benefit, including cold weather payments.

There are many passported benefits, for example free prescriptions and free school meals. The information provided relates solely to Cold Weather Payments. You may get Cold Weather Payments if you’re getting Pension Credit, Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Universal Credit or Support for Mortgage Interest. Additional information on further eligibility requirements can be found here: Cold Weather Payment: Eligibility - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

A Cold Weather Payment (CWP) award of £25 is made to eligible recipients for each qualifying period of cold weather to provide help with additional costs of heating during periods of severely cold weather. The average Cold Weather Payment award is therefore £25. Qualifying individuals may receive more than one payment during each CWP season.

Viscount Younger of Leckie
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
25th May 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government what was the average amount paid to individuals for each passported benefit, including (1) funeral payments, and (2) maternity grants.

There are many passported benefits, for example free prescriptions and free school meals. The information provided relates solely to Funeral Expenses Payments and Sure Start Maternity Grant.

Funeral Expenses Payment (FEP) provides help towards the cost of a funeral. To be eligible for FEP, you (or your partner) must get one or more of the following benefits: Universal Credit, Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Pension Credit, Housing Benefit, the disability or severe disability element of Working Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit. You might also be eligible if you’re getting a Support for Mortgage Interest loan. This is in addition to other eligibility criteria which is available here: Get help with funeral costs (Funeral Expenses Payment): Eligibility - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Sure Start Maternity Grant (SSMG) is payment of £500 to provide help with the costs of a new baby (or babies in the event of a multiple birth) if there are no other children under 16 in the claimant’s family. To be eligible for SSMG, you (or your partner) must get one of these benefits: Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Pension Credit, Child Tax Credit, Working Tax Credit that includes a disability or severe disability element or Universal Credit. You may also qualify if you’re getting a Support of Mortgage Interest Loan. This is in addition to other eligibility criteria which is available here: Sure Start Maternity Grant: Eligibility - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

The table below provides information of the average award for both FEP and SSMG. Information on average awards along with other data such as number of awards can be found in Annex 1 of the Annual Social Fund Reports which can be found here: Social Fund accounts and reports - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). The 2021/22 Social Fund Report is due to be published in the near future and thus the data below goes up to 2020/21.

Table 1: Average award for Funeral Expenses Payments and Sure Start Maternity Grant

£

2020/21

2019/20

2018/19

FEP

508

508

508

SSMG

1,838

1,561

1,517

Notes:

  1. Data is for England and Wales.
  2. For SSMG and FEP, the average award value is calculated by dividing gross expenditure by the number of awards.
  3. The average SSMG award is higher than the award value of £500 to reflect the additional award made for multiple births.
  4. SSMG devolved to Scotland on 10 December 2018. From this date, SSMG is only awarded in England and Wales. Therefore, the figures report on Great Britain up to 10 December 2018, and on England and Wales from that date onwards.
  5. Due to missing data for 2019 to 2020, the SSMG average award figure has been estimated using a historical average. From this, the number of awards has been calculated by dividing gross expenditure by this average award.
Viscount Younger of Leckie
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
25th May 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government what was the average amount paid to individuals for each passported benefit, including (1) warm home discounts, and (2) help from energy and water suppliers.

I refer the noble Lord to the answers I gave to questions HL7344 and HL7345 on 4 May.

Passported benefits, such as free school meals and help with healthcare costs are owned and delivered by different departments across government and Local Authorities.

This information would not be held by one single department, to get this information you would need to approach each department individually.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) does not hold data on all ‘passported benefits’. Passported benefit is a term used to refer to additional support/discounts or schemes, usually available to those on an income-based benefit, like Universal Credit or Pension Credit.

The vast majority of ‘passported benefits’ are provided by departments other than DWP, including Warm Home Discount, and help from energy or water suppliers. Many departments use receipt of a means-tested benefit as part of the eligibility criteria for the ‘passported benefits’ it may offer, in order to target extra support to those on the lowest incomes.

Warm Home Discount and support from energy suppliers is a matter for the Department for Energy, Security and Net Zero (DESNZ). It has confirmed that:

Households may be eligible to receive £150 directly off their energy bills each winter under the Warm Home Discount scheme.

For any queries regarding this scheme, DESNZ is best placed to provide it.

Support for water bills is a matter for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). It has confirmed that:

We expect all companies to make sure households are aware of the schemes available to help those struggling to pay their bills. In England, the water sector has both statutory (WaterSure) and voluntary measures (social tariffs) in place for households who struggle to pay for their water bills.

The Consumer Council for Water (CCW) provides information on the number of households in receipt of WaterSure and social tariffs. A detailed breakdown can be found on CCW’s website (www.ccw.org.uk/advice-and-support/households/company-performance).

Approximately 202,898 households benefitted from WaterSure in England and Wales in 2021/22. The average bill discount was £307 per annum.

All companies offer their own social tariffs to support vulnerable customers. Approximately 1,148,310 households benefitted from social tariffs in England and Wales in 2021/22. The average bill discount was £149 per annum.

For further information on ‘passported benefits’, the relevant department is best placed to provide it.

Viscount Younger of Leckie
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
20th Apr 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the average amount paid to each individual for each passported benefit.

Passported benefits, such as free school meals and help with healthcare costs are owned and delivered by different departments across government and Local Authorities.

This information would not be held by one single department, to get this information you would need to approach each department individually.

Viscount Younger of Leckie
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
20th Apr 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government what was the total annual value of passported benefits, for the most recent year for which figures are available, broken down by each passported benefit.

Passported benefits, such as free school meals and help with healthcare costs are owned and delivered by different departments across government and Local Authorities.

This information would not be held by one single department, to get this information you would need to approach each department individually.

Viscount Younger of Leckie
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
7th Mar 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by Bright Blue Building up: The future of social security, published in January; and what steps they will take to establish the minimum living income proposed in that report.

No assessment has been made.

We will spend £245bn through the welfare system in 2022/23, including £111bn on people of working age and around £134 billion on pensioners. Of the total amount, around £66 billion will be spent on supporting disabled people and people with health conditions in Great Britain.

In April, we are uprating benefit rates and State Pensions by 10.1%. In order to increase the number of households who can benefit from these uprating decisions, the benefit cap levels are also increasing by the same amount.

To further support those who are in work, from 1 April 2023 the National Living Wage (NLW) will increase by 9.7% to £10.42 an hour for workers aged 23 and over - the largest ever cash increase for the NLW.

There is no objective way of deciding what an adequate level of benefit should be - each household will always have different requirements depending on their circumstances. Income–related benefit rates are not made up of separate amounts for specific items of expenditure, such as food. The Government firmly believes claimants should be free to spend their benefit as they see fit, in line with their individual needs and preferences. The Government does not consider it appropriate to introduce changes that would prioritise one particular area of household expenditure over the cost of other essential goods and services that benefit claimants have to meet.

We recognise the pressures of the rising cost of living which is why households on eligible means-tested benefits will get up to £900 in Cost of Living Payments in 2023/24. This will be split into three payments of around £300 each across the 2023/24 financial year. A separate £300 payment will be made to pensioner households on top of their Winter Fuel Payments and individuals in receipt of eligible disability benefits will receive a £150 payment. Further to this, the Energy Price Guarantee will be extended from April 2023 until the end of March 2024, meaning a typical household bill will be around £3,000 per year in Great Britain.

This support is in addition to that provided in 2022/23, including cost of living payments for people on eligible benefits, the Energy Price Guarantee and the £400 non-repayable discount to eligible households provided through the Energy Bills Support Scheme.

Viscount Younger of Leckie
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
7th Mar 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government how many Universal Credit claimants received (1) £10–19 per week, (2) £20–£29 per week, (3) £30–39 per week, (4) £40–£49 per week, (5) £50–£59 per week, (6) £60–£69 per week, (7) £70–£79 per week, (8) £80–£89 per week, (9) £90–£99 per week, (10) £100–£109 per week, (11) £110–£119 per week, (12) £120–£129 per week, (13) £130–£139 per week, (14) £140–£149 per week, and (15) £150 and above per week, in the latest period for which figures are available.

Universal Credit is paid to households monthly and the official statistics, including the amounts paid per month, are published every three months on Stat-Xplore. The latest statistics are in the following table.

Table 1: Number of Households in receipt of Universal Credit, by monthly payment amount, in November 2022.

Payment Amount

Number of Households

Less than £40

72,857

£40 - £79.99

53,878

£80 - £119.99

63,360

£120 - £159.99

73,342

£160 - £199.99

77,612

£200 - £239.99

100,586

£240 - £279.99

224,528

£280 - £319.99

136,853

£320 - £359.99

203,224

£360 - £399.99

67,924

£400 - £439.99

74,063

£440 - £479.99

85,036

£480 - £519.99

111,719

£520 - £559.99

103,904

£560 - £599.99

130,586

£600 or more

2,747,768

Total

4,327,245

Source: Stat-Xplore – Households on Universal Credit

Notes:

  1. Statistical disclosure control has been applied to these figures to avoid the release of confidential data. Totals may not sum due to the disclosure control applied.
  2. These figures do not include households with a nil award. Households may not be in payment if, for example, earnings for the period are sufficiently high that the taper rate reduces their entitlement to £0.
  3. These figures are provisional and will be subject to revision. It is expected that overall provisional figures will be within two per cent of their revised figure in future releases.
  4. Monthly award amounts include any awards due to entitlement such as the standard allowance or housing entitlement plus any advance payments. Advance payments will normally be recovered during subsequent assessment periods.
Viscount Younger of Leckie
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
7th Mar 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government what were the (1) minimum, and (2) maximum, benefit sanctions issued in the latest period for which data are available; and what was the average duration of benefit stoppage in that period.

The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Viscount Younger of Leckie
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
27th Feb 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government when they will publish their evidence review on the drivers of food bank usage; and whether they have considered the potential merits of including the need to use a food bank, alongside undue hardship, in the criteria which may exempt claimants from having deductions taken from their universal credit claim.

The Department reallocated resources to prioritise work to help the COVID-19 effort. This caused delays to some work, including this literature review. The department has subsequently decided not to restart the review, as it summarises publicly available information and does not contain any new research carried out by the Department. However, we continue to monitor new research and evidence produced by external organisations.

The Department has recently published new data from the Family Resources Survey on household food security, giving us a better understanding of who is most at risk. We have also included new questions in the family resources survey for 2021/2 which will be published in March 2023 and further expand our evidence in this area. This underlines how seriously we take the issue of food insecurity.

The Government recognises the importance of supporting claimants to manage their liabilities. Under Universal Credit, there is a co-ordinated approach to deductions from benefit, which supports claimants to manage their financial obligations. The primary aim of deductions in Universal Credit is to protect vulnerable claimants by providing a last resort repayment method for arrears of essential services. We continue to aim to strike the right balance between ensuring those protections are in place and allowing claimants to retain as much of their award as possible for day-to-day needs.

There has been no specific consideration around the merits of including food bank usage when considering claimants for an exception from deductions. However, if a claimant is struggling financially, they can ask for the amount of the following deductions to be reconsidered:

  • Repaying benefit overpayments,
  • Social Fund loan; and
  • rent arrears.

For benefit overpayments and Social Fund loans, deductions can be reduced or deferred for a period. DWP will always try to ensure that Government debt is recovered effectively without causing undue hardship.

For rent arrears, claimants can ask Universal Credit staff to exercise their discretion to fix rent arrears deductions at the lowest rate in legislation – 10% of the Standard Allowance. This can be done using the Journal or by phone. However, staff would not agree to remove a rent arrears deduction entirely in order to ensure a claimant is protected from eviction.

For those repaying a New Claim Advance, a deferral of up to 3 months is available, in exceptional circumstances, which allow those claimants to temporarily receive their Universal Credit awards without advance repayments being deducted.

We encourage anyone unable to afford the proposed rate of repayment to contact DWP Debt Management at the earliest opportunity - all DWP notifications advise how to get in touch. We seek to do as much as we are able to support claimants through the recovery of their overpayments.

Viscount Younger of Leckie
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
27th Feb 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government whether all universal credit claimants subject to a deduction are automatically informed of their option to seek a waiver; how many universal credit claimants requested a deductions waiver in the most recent six months for which data is available; and of those requests, what proportion were successful.

During the last 6-month period ending January 2023, 94 Universal Credit claimants had asked for their debts to be waived. Of these, 14 cases were fully waived and a further 5 cases were partially waived.

Whilst Universal Credit claimants are not automatically informed of their option to seek a waiver, anyone who feels they cannot afford the proposed rate of recovery is encouraged to contact the department to discuss their situation.

The DWP remains committed to working with anyone who is struggling with their repayment terms, and has a well-established process for working with individuals to support them to manage their debts.

Our agents will always look to negotiate affordable and sustainable repayment plans. This includes working with individuals to review their financial circumstances. In most instances, a temporary reduction in their rate of repayment can also be agreed. There is no minimum amount that a claimant has to pay. Other options agents can consider where appropriate is to suspend repayments or refer a case for consideration of waiver.

In addition, customers are routinely referred to the Money Advisor Network, who work in partnership with the DWP, to offer free independent and impartial money and debt advice. We also remain committed to His Majesty’s Treasury’s Beathing Space policy, which provides those with problem debt the right to legal protections from creditor action for a period of 60 days to enable them to receive debt advice and enter into an appropriate debt solution.

Viscount Younger of Leckie
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
27th Feb 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government how many universal credit claims were subject to deductions in the most recent month for which data is available, broken down by parliamentary constituency; how much was the (1) total, and (2) average sum of, deductions in each constituency; what proportion of those sums was deducted to repay advance payments; and how many universal credit claimants were subject to deductions as a result of overpayments where the fault lay entirely with the relevant government department or agency.

I refer the Noble Peer to the answers I gave on the 3rd and 6th of March to questions HL5652 and HL5656.

Viscount Younger of Leckie
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
27th Feb 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government how many children are living in households in which a benefit claimant is under sanction.

Sanctions are only ever applied when a claimant fails to meet their agreed conditionality requirements without good reason. These requirements are developed and agreed in discussion with their work coach and tailored to their individual capability, capacity and specific circumstances, including any health conditions or disability, ensuring they are realistic and achievable. The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Viscount Younger of Leckie
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
27th Feb 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government how many and what proportion of benefit claimants currently under sanction (1) are in paid employment, (2) are receiving hardship payments, (3) have a medical condition, or (4) were in hospital or attending a medical appointment when they were deemed to have failed to comply.

The information requested for parts (2), (3) and (4) is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

In November 2022 (4%) of those who received a sanction were in the working – with requirements and working – no requirements conditionality regimes.

Sanctions are only ever applied when a claimant fails to meet their agreed conditionality requirements without good reason. These requirements are developed and agreed in discussion with their work coach and tailored to their individual capability, capacity and specific circumstances, including any health conditions or disability, ensuring they are realistic and achievable.

Those who are not expected to look for work, such as those with severe health conditions, including mental health conditions, are not subject to requirements or sanctions.

Viscount Younger of Leckie
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
27th Feb 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government how many benefit claims were subject to sanctions in the most recent three months for which data is available, broken down by parliamentary constituency; how much was the total and average sum of benefit income lost by claimants due to sanctions in each constituency; what was the (1) shortest, (2) average, and (3) longest, length of time taken to challenge a benefit sanction decision in the most recent 12 months for which data is available; and when, and for what reason, the Department for Work and Pensions ceased requiring a case conference to assess the impact of a sanction before any sanction was imposed.

The latest monthly statistics, taken from Stat-Xplore, on the number of Universal Credit full service claimants with a payment that has been reduced due to a sanction, by Westminster parliamentary constituency, for September to November 2022, are provided in the answer I gave to you on 6 March for HL5653.

The information requested for the total and average sum of benefit income lost and parts (1), (2) and (3) is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Sanctions are only ever applied when a claimant fails to meet their agreed conditionality requirements without good reason.

Viscount Younger of Leckie
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
20th Feb 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have considered the potential merits of including the need to use a food bank, alongside undue hardship, in the criteria which may exempt claimants from having deductions taken from their universal credit claim.

There has been no specific consideration around the merits of including food bank usage when considering claimants for an exception from deductions.

The Government recognises the importance of supporting claimants to manage their liabilities. Under Universal Credit, there is a co-ordinated approach to deductions from benefit, which supports claimants to manage their financial obligations. The primary aim of deductions in Universal Credit is to protect vulnerable claimants by providing a last resort repayment method for arrears of essential services. We continue to aim to strike the right balance between ensuring those protections are in place, and allowing claimants to retain as much of their award as possible for day-to-day needs.

If a claimant is struggling financially, they can ask for the amount of certain deductions to be reconsidered. Financial hardship decisions are made for any of the following:

  • Repaying benefit overpayments,
  • Social Fund loan; and
  • Rent arrears.

Benefit debts and Social Fund loans can see deductions reduced and/or deferred. The DWP will always try to ensure that Government debt is recovered effectively without causing undue hardship.

For those repaying a New Claim Advance, a deferral of up to 3 months is available, in exceptional circumstances, which allow those claimants to temporarily receive their Universal Credit awards without advance repayments being deducted.

For rent arrears, claimants can ask Universal Credit staff to exercise their discretion to fix rent arrears deductions at the lowest rate in legislation – 10% of the Standard Allowance. This can be done using the Journal or by telephone. However, UC staff would not agree to remove a rent arrears deduction entirely to ensure a claimant is protected from eviction.

We encourage anyone unable to afford the proposed rate of repayment to contact DWP Debt Management at the earliest opportunity - all DWP notifications advise how to get in touch. We seek to do as much as we are able to support claimants through the recovery of their overpayments.

Viscount Younger of Leckie
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
20th Feb 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government how many universal credit claims were subject to deductions in the most recent month for which data are available, broken down by parliamentary constituency; how much was the (1) total, and (2) average, sum of deductions in each constituency; and what proportion of those sums was deducted to repay advance payments.

The Government recognises the importance of supporting the welfare of claimants who have incurred debt. We seek to balance recovery of debt against not causing hardship for claimants and their families. Processes are in place to ensure deductions are manageable, and customers can contact the DWP Debt Management Team if they are experiencing financial hardship, to discuss a reduction in their rate of repayment, or a temporary suspension, depending on their financial circumstances.

Since April 2021, we have reduced the normal maximum rate of deductions in Universal Credit from 40% to 25% of a claimant’s Standard Allowance. These positive measures were put in place to support claimants to manage financial difficulties.

Advances are a claimant’s benefit entitlement paid early, allowing claimants to access 100% of their estimated Universal Credit payment upfront. They ensure nobody has to wait for a payment in Universal Credit, and those who need it are able to receive financial support as soon as possible. Claimants can receive up to 100% of their estimated Universal Credit award if required, resulting in 25 payments over a 24-month period. This is not a debt.

The requested analysis of Universal Credit claims with a deduction in November 2022 by parliamentary constituency in Great Britain (GB) is provided in the separate spreadsheet.

Viscount Younger of Leckie
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
20th Feb 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government how many benefit claims were subject to sanctions in the most recent three months for which data are available, broken down by parliamentary constituency; and how much was the (1) total, and (2) average, sum of benefit income lost by claimants due to sanctions in each constituency.

The latest monthly statistics, taken from Stat-Xplore, on the number of Universal Credit full service claimants with a payment that has been reduced due to a sanction, by Westminster parliamentary constituency, for September to November 2022, are provided in the attached spreadsheet.

The additional information requested for (1) and (2) is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Sanctions are only ever applied when a claimant fails to meet their agreed conditionality requirements without good reason.

Viscount Younger of Leckie
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
20th Feb 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government how many universal credit claimants were subject to deductions as a result of overpayments where the fault lay entirely with the relevant government department or agency, in the most recent month for which figures are available.

We do not hold data on actual Universal Credit (UC) overpayments as requested, as there is no requirement to categorise UC debt because it is all recoverable in law.

However, our national statistics on fraud and error in the benefit system provide information on the estimated value of UC Official Error, both as a percentage of benefit expenditure and by value.

For UC, the figures show that UC Official Error loss has fallen from 1.3% (£250m) in 2019/20, to 0.9% (£330m) in 2020/21, to 0.7% (£270m) in 2021/22.

The statistics also indicate how many cases were estimated to have an overpayment of this type - in 2019/20 the figure stood at 4.1%; in 2021/22 it was 2.6%. We do not collect data on how many of these overpayments were detected or subsequently recovered. See:

Fraud and error in the benefit system: financial year 2021 to 2022 estimates - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

The DWP remains committed to working with anyone who is struggling with benefit debt deductions and encourages customers experiencing hardship to contact the DWP to discuss their repayment plan.

Viscount Younger of Leckie
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)