Asked by: Lord Sikka (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Offord of Garvel on 13 May (HL Deb col 456), what were the titles of the cases prosecuted by the Department of Work and Pensions against postmasters in England and Wales, and in each case what was (1) the date of proceedings, (2) the location of the court, and (3) the outcome.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department is aware of 61 Post Office members of staff who were prosecuted by DWP between 2001 and 2006. Each of the cases involved welfare-related fraud offences. In most cases this involved encashment of stolen benefit payment order books. There is no evidence that any of the cases prosecuted by DWP relied on the Horizon system. They followed lengthy, complex investigations, relying on multiple sources of evidence.
Until 2012, DWP prosecuted its own cases. The cases were handled by DWP Solicitors who would instruct Counsel to represent DWP at Court. In March 2012, the prosecutorial function of the DWP was assigned to the Crown Prosecution Service.
In the early 2000’s the Department moved to paying benefits automatically into people’s bank accounts which significantly reduced the opportunity for benefit fraud, including potential offences by Post Office staff.
To assist, please find attached a table setting out the information the Department holds for each of the 61 cases. The information includes the date of conviction, the location of the court, and the sentence (outcome) for each of the 61 cases.
Asked by: Lord Sikka (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to publish a list of the cases of sub-postmaster prosecutions which have been initiated by the Department of Work and Pensions between 1999 and 2018 and subsequently passed to the Crown Prosecution Service; and the outcome of each of those cases.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department is aware of 61 Post Office members of staff who were prosecuted by DWP between 2001 and 2006. Each of the cases involved welfare-related fraud offences. In most cases this involved encashment of stolen benefit payment order books. There is no evidence that any of the cases prosecuted by DWP relied on the Horizon system. They followed lengthy, complex investigations, relying on multiple sources of evidence.
Until 2012, DWP prosecuted its own cases. The cases were handled by DWP Solicitors who would instruct Counsel to represent DWP at Court. In March 2012, the prosecutorial function of the DWP was assigned to the Crown Prosecution Service.
In the early 2000’s the Department moved to paying benefits automatically into people’s bank accounts which significantly reduced the opportunity for benefit fraud, including potential offences by Post Office staff.
To assist, please find attached a table setting out the information the Department holds for each of the 61 cases. The information includes the date of conviction, the location of the court, and the sentence (outcome) for each of the 61 cases.
Asked by: Lord Sikka (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Hayman of Ullock on 23 July (HL Deb col 364) that nationalisation of water companies “would cost billions of pounds”, whether they plan to provide details of that calculation.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The cost of nationalisation was calculated in a report published by the Social Market Foundation titled ‘The cost of nationalising the water industry in England’. The report estimated the costs of nationalising water companies would be £90 billion. This research draws on a range of existing academic studies, as well as publicly available data from Ofwat, the London Stock Exchange and the annual accounts of the water companies. The research can be viewed on the Social Market Foundation’s website www.smf.co.uk.
Asked by: Lord Sikka (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the recommendations of Lord Myners published in March 2001 in Institutional Investment in the United Kingdom: A Review will form part of their growth and productivity plans.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
Institutional investment is vital for growth, and investment in starts ups and scale ups is an important part of that. The Myners Report contains valuable insights that are still valuable today. However, the pensions market in particular is now significantly different than it was in 2001. The Chancellor has launched a landmark pensions review which will focus on increasing investment, improving saver returns and tackling waste in the pensions system. This is alongside other major initiatives to drive economic growth such as the National Wealth Fund to mobilise private capital and institutional investment.
Asked by: Lord Sikka (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Department of Work and Pensions has transcripts of court judgments and accompanying documents for all cases related to the prosecution of sub-postmasters that they have initiated.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Transcripts of court judgments are available upon application HMCT, DWP does not hold transcripts of court judgments. The DWP case files referred to in the question have been destroyed in line with data protection legislative requirements.
Asked by: Lord Sikka (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Stedman-Scott on 6 December 2021 (HL4310), what is the median state pension for (1) men, and (2) women, for 2024–25.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Data for 2024-25 as requested is not currently held by the department.
Asked by: Lord Sikka (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether water companies are required to have full and complete maps of their sewage network infrastructure, and if so how this is enforced.
Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller
Having a full and detailed map of sewerage assets is a vital part of understanding the network and identifying areas for improvements. Water companies are already required to map their assets under Section 199 of the Water Industry Act 1991. The section, and the requirement to map assets, is enforceable under powers laid out in Section 18 of the Act. Sewerage undertakers are not required to keep records of assets that were laid before 1 September 1989, but only if either:
1) the undertaker does not know of, or have reasonable grounds for suspecting, the existence of the drain, sewer or disposal main;
2) it is not reasonably practicable for the undertaker to discover the course of the drain, sewer or disposal main and it has not done so.
As part of the Environment Act 2021, a new duty has been created for sewerage undertakers in England to produce Drainage and Wastewater Management Plans (DWMPs). DWMPs set out how a sewerage undertaker intends to manage and improve their drainage and wastewater systems over the next 25 years. DWMPs will complement existing requirements to map the sewerage network, to facilitate a detailed understanding of the network and help ensure that drainage and wastewater services are better managed and properly supported, as well as delivering greater efficiencies for customers and supporting investment in nature-based solutions.
In addition, the Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan sets out that the Government expects that water companies have maps of their sewer networks, to understand where properties with separate rainwater pipes are connected to their combined sewer network.
Asked by: Lord Sikka (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many of the sub-postmasters’ convictions secured by the Crown Prosecution Service had an input from the Department of Work and Pensions.
Answered by Lord Offord of Garvel
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.
Asked by: Lord Sikka (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to provide a list of the cases of sub-postmaster prosecutions which have been initiated by the Department of Work and Pensions and subsequently passed to the Crown Prosecution Service; and the outcome of each of those cases.
Answered by Viscount Younger of Leckie
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.
Asked by: Lord Sikka (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Stedman-Scott on 6 December 2021 (HL4310), what is the median state pension for (1) men, and (2) women, for 2024–25.
Answered by Viscount Younger of Leckie
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.