Asked by: Lord Bird (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what evidence they received from local authorities about the impact of Local Housing Allowance shortfalls on (1) homelessness levels, and (2) temporary accommodation costs, in the lead up to the Spring Budget 2023.
Answered by Baroness Penn - Minister on Leave (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State)
The Government engages with a range of stakeholders on issues relating to the Local Housing Allowance, homelessness and temporary accommodation.
In April 2020, in response to the pandemic, Local Housing Allowance rates were raised to the 30th percentile of market rates. As a result of this increase, over 1.5 million households gained just over £600 per year on average in 2020/21. We have maintained rates at this elevated cash level and will continue to review rates annually.
Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) are also available from local authorities for tenants who face a shortfall in meeting their housing costs. Since 2011 the Government has provided nearly £1.6 billion in DHP funding to local authorities.
The Government is committed to preventing homelessness where possible. We have allocated £654 million through the Homelessness Prevention Grant which provides funding to enable Local Authorities to invest in prevention activities and helps meet their temporary accommodation costs. This is in addition to the £50m top-up to the Homelessness Prevention Grant for 2022/23 announced in December.
Asked by: Lord Bird (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to prevent job losses once the Job Support Scheme replaces the furlough scheme in November.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
In light of recent developments in the path of the virus, and the new temporary restrictions announced by the Prime Minister, the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme will be extended until 2 December 2020.
For hours not worked by the employee, the government will pay 80% of wages up to a cap of £2,500. The extension will apply UK-wise and eligible employers across the UK, small or large, including charitable or non-profit, will be able to claim for the extended CJRS.
Asked by: Lord Bird (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to (1) formally recognise, and (2) protect, the interests of future generations.
Answered by Earl of Courtown - Captain of the Queen's Bodyguard of the Yeomen of the Guard (HM Household) (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Lords)
I refer my noble friend to the answer given to him on 28 October 2019 in response to Question HL10.
Asked by: Lord Bird (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to formally recognise and protect the interests of future generations
Answered by Earl of Courtown - Captain of the Queen's Bodyguard of the Yeomen of the Guard (HM Household) (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Lords)
Accounting for the interests of future generations is a core consideration for the government. For example, in June 2019 the UK became the first major economy to legislate to end our net contribution to climate change by 2050. The government also has planned spending on childcare support of £6bn in 2019-20 and a further £4.6bn above inflation planned for schools by 2022-23.
The government currently uses the “Green Book” as a frameworks to potential interventions. In line with the Green Book, decisions on all government programmes, projects or policies must be informed by the costs, benefits and risks over the whole lifetime of the intervention, including where its impact will affect future generations.
Asked by: Lord Bird (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to make an assessment of the level of investment in programmes to tackle rough sleeping that would result by imposing either (1) a one per cent stamp duty surcharge on non-resident property purchases, or (2) a three per cent stamp duty surcharge on non-resident property purchases; if so, when; and if not, why not.
Answered by Earl of Courtown - Captain of the Queen's Bodyguard of the Yeomen of the Guard (HM Household) (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The Government announced at Budget 2018 a new Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) surcharge of one per cent on non-residents buying residential property in England and Northern Ireland. This will help control house price growth and so help ensure those resident in the UK can get on the housing ladder.
A costing for how much the surcharge will raise will be produced at a future fiscal event once the final design of the surcharge has been confirmed. This costing will follow the usual process for analysing the revenue impacts of new tax measures, including being subject to scrutiny from the Office for Budget Responsibility.
The Government remains committed to ending rough sleeping. The Chancellor announced £54m of new funding to reduce homelessness and rough sleeping in last week’s Spending Round. This takes total resource funding to £422m next year – a real terms increase of 13%.
Asked by: Lord Bird (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what evaluation they have made of the proposal by the retailer Timpsons that national insurance holidays be introduced as an incentive for employers to take on former prisoners, armed forces veterans, or long-term unemployed individuals.
Answered by Lord Young of Cookham
The Government has committed in its manifesto to introduce a National Insurance holiday for employers who take on:
- those who have committed a crime but who have repaid their debt to society;
- veterans;
- and those who have been unemployed for over a year.
We will set out any changes as part of the annual fiscal event process, in the context of broader government work on employment support, and the wider public finances.
Asked by: Lord Bird (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the long-term impact on future generations is accounted for in their policy-making processes.
Answered by Lord Bates
The Government requires that all programmes, projects and policies demonstrate the costs, benefits and risks associated with the intervention over its whole lifetime in line with the Government “Green Book”. This includes the impact on future generations.
The OBR produce both the Fiscal Risk Report and the Fiscal Sustainability Report which highlight the risks to the public finances and demographic trends that are likely to impact the public finances over the next half century. Managing Fiscal Risks, the Government’s response to the report, provides a comprehensive account of the actions the government is taking to address the 57 risks outlined by the OBR.
Asked by: Lord Bird (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 2 August 2018 (HL9831), when they expect the Breathing Space debt scheme to be fully established.
Answered by Lord Bates
The Government intends to lay regulations for the establishment of breathing space before the end of the year.
A consultation on the scheme closed in January. The Government intends to set out its approach to the scheme, including its implementation, in its response to the consultation. The response will be published in due course.
Asked by: Lord Bird (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the letter concerning the impact of Brexit on people and places in poverty from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Shelter, Trussell Trust, Child Poverty Action Group, Action for Children, National Children’s Bureau, Poverty Alliance, Turn2us, Barnardo's, and ATD Fourth World dated 15 February; and what plans they have to (1) lift the freeze on working-age benefits and tax credits, (2) end the five-week wait for the first payment within Universal Credit, and (3) bring forward funding from the Shared Prosperity Fund to create an emergency stimulus package before 2020.
Answered by Lord Bates
The government is tackling the root causes of poverty by getting people into work and giving children the best possible education. A record number of children are now in working households, with 630,000 fewer children in workless households than in 2010.
Budget 2018 announced that Universal Credit claimants will continue to receive Jobseeker’s Allowance, Employment and Support Allowance and Income Support for the first fortnight of a Universal Credit claim. This builds on previous announcements to support people moving onto Universal Credit.
The government has committed to establish the UK Shared Prosperity Fund after we have left the European Union and EU Structural Funds. The UKSPF will tackle inequalities between communities by raising productivity, especially in those parts of our country whose economies are furthest behind. We intend to consult widely on the fund shortly; details of the operation and priorities of the Fund will be announced following the Spending Review.
Asked by: Lord Bird (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans, if any, they have to assess the amount of VAT paid on e-publications by (1) ministerial departments, and (2) non-ministerial departments, agencies and other public bodies.
Answered by Lord Bates
HMRC does not hold detailed information on VAT paid on specific products by government departments, public institutions or private entities.
The Government keeps all taxes under review, including VAT on e-publications.
Any amendments to the VAT regime as it applies to physical publications and e-publications must be carefully assessed against policy, economic and fiscal considerations.