Asked by: Lord Harrison (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the remarks by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth on 7 January (HL Deb, col 432), when they plan to consult on improving transparency for pension savers regarding where their money is invested and how rights attached to it are being exercised; and when they plan to consider how secondary legislation could be used to ensure greater transparency for pension savers.
Answered by Baroness Altmann
The Government is committed to ensuring greater transparency for pension savers.
From April this year, workplace schemes are required to report on the value delivered by costs and charges in their scheme for the first time. Building on this, the Department for Work and Pensions and the Financial Conduct Authority ran a joint Call for Evidence ‘Transaction Cost Disclosure: Improving Transparency in Workplace Pensions’, considering how transaction costs could be disclosed in a standardised way. This is the first phase of work required to meet duties under Section 44 of the Pensions Act 2014 to require transaction costs to be disclosed to members and others; and transaction costs and administration charges to be published. The Government is currently considering responses to the Call for Evidence.
Transparency is not just about costs and charges. Earlier this year the Government consulted on changes to the Occupational Pension Schemes Investment Regulations requiring trustees to report how they take financial and non-financial factors into account when investing, and their schemes stewardship policy. The Government is currently considering responses to the consultation.
The Government intends to consult on any secondary legislation required following these exercises later this year, and will consider what further proposals may be needed to ensure greater transparency for pension savers including consideration both of its duties under the Pensions Act 2014 and the remarks made in debates on 7 January.
Asked by: Lord Harrison (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people with movement disorders have applied for Personal Independence Payment.
Answered by Lord Freud
The information requested regarding interventions is not currently available.
Information on claims made to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) broken down by condition is not available. By 21 October 2014, 1,535 people classified as having a movement disorder as their primary condition were in receipt of PIP.
The Department has robust processes in place to assure the quality of Personal Independence Payment assessments and decisions about benefit entitlement, through regular audit and quality checks by specialist teams. We continue to review processes to ensure they remain appropriate and effective.
Asked by: Lord Harrison (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have (1) to pilot the Personal Independence Payment quality assurance process, (2) to publish an evaluation of the Personal Independence Payment quality assurance process, and (3) to consult on the Personal Independence Payment quality assurance process.
Answered by Lord Freud
The information requested regarding interventions is not currently available.
Information on claims made to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) broken down by condition is not available. By 21 October 2014, 1,535 people classified as having a movement disorder as their primary condition were in receipt of PIP.
The Department has robust processes in place to assure the quality of Personal Independence Payment assessments and decisions about benefit entitlement, through regular audit and quality checks by specialist teams. We continue to review processes to ensure they remain appropriate and effective.
Asked by: Lord Harrison (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people with Parkinson's receiving Personal Independence Payment have undergone an intervention to review their entitlement.
Answered by Lord Freud
The information requested regarding interventions is not currently available.
Information on claims made to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) broken down by condition is not available. By 21 October 2014, 1,535 people classified as having a movement disorder as their primary condition were in receipt of PIP.
The Department has robust processes in place to assure the quality of Personal Independence Payment assessments and decisions about benefit entitlement, through regular audit and quality checks by specialist teams. We continue to review processes to ensure they remain appropriate and effective.
Asked by: Lord Harrison (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people receiving Personal Independence Payment have undergone an intervention to review their entitlement.
Answered by Lord Freud
The information requested regarding interventions is not currently available.
Information on claims made to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) broken down by condition is not available. By 21 October 2014, 1,535 people classified as having a movement disorder as their primary condition were in receipt of PIP.
The Department has robust processes in place to assure the quality of Personal Independence Payment assessments and decisions about benefit entitlement, through regular audit and quality checks by specialist teams. We continue to review processes to ensure they remain appropriate and effective.