Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the recommendation of the Migration Advisory Committee, in its Review of the Seasonal Worker Visa, published on 16 July, that the UK food industry should cover the upfront costs faced by migrant farm workers.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government is carefully considering the Migration Advisory Committee’s review of the Seasonal Worker route and will announce a detailed response in due course.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) any affordability constraints faced by buyers due to high interest rates, and (2) any potential impact on the homebuilding industry.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The affordability challenges facing prospective first-time buyers mean that too many people are now locked out of homeownership.
The sharp increase in interest rates after the September 2022 Budget created significant challenges for the housing market. In 2023 there were 235,000 first-time buyers, compared to 334,000 in 2021, a fall of nearly 30%.
In addition to increasing the supply of homes of all tenures, the Government has committed to introducing a permanent, comprehensive mortgage guarantee scheme and to giving first-time buyers the first chance to buy homes.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support workers to better understand their pension options.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government recognises that people face important decisions about how to use their pension savings and ensures everyone has access to free, impartial pension guidance through the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS). MaPS’ MoneyHelper brand provides support on all areas of UK pensions to the public regardless of age. The service offers a range of pension guidance through articles and support from pension specialists, via written enquiries, webchat and a telephone helpline.
The Department for Work and Pension’s digital Midlife MOT is a review for workers in their 40s, 50s and 60s that helps them take stock of their finances, skills and health, enabling them to get access to the best possible guidance. This includes helping people to understand planning for later life, including their workplace pension and State Pension options.
MaPS also offers more targeted support as people progress towards retirement. Pension Wise, a service delivered through MoneyHelper, can help anyone over 50 understand their options for accessing their Defined Contribution pension pots. After entering retirement, ongoing guidance is available through the MoneyHelper website, webchat and telephone helpline.
Pension schemes also have a responsibility under the Occupational and Personal Pension Schemes (Disclosure of Information) Regulations 2013 to provide information on the options available to members when they decide to access their pensions.
Furthermore, the Government signalled its intent, through the Pension Schemes Bill announced in the King’s Speech, to place duties on all trustees of occupational pension schemes to tailor the retirement products they offer in order to support people when accessing their pensions. This will ensure pots are accessed in the right way to support people in retirement and keep money invested for longer.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support first-time buyers in taking advantage of new lower mortgage rates; and what additional incentives they are considering to stimulate home ownership.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The average 2-year fixed rate mortgage rose from 2 per cent to 6.2 percent between Q1 2022 and Q1 2024, adding £300 to typical monthly payments.
This government will deliver economic stability with tough spending rules so we can grow our economy and keep taxes, inflation and mortgages as low as possible.
This Government will also help to turn the dream of owning a home into a reality by fixing the planning system and building 1.5 million more homes, as well as helping buyers who are struggling to save with Freedom to Buy.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to (1) monitor, and (2) evaluate, the long-term impacts of immigration on (a) innovation, (b) productivity, and (c) public finances.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
This Government has an ongoing programme of work to monitor and evaluate the impact of migration, including the impact of the package of net migration reforms implemented in Spring 2024. Statistics, research and analysis published by the Home Office on migration can be found here: Migration analysis at the Home Office - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). Economic and fiscal forecasts are made by the independent Office for Budget Responsibility.
With a joined-up approach across government to reform the points-based immigration system, we will ensure that migration to address skills shortages triggers a plan to upskill workers and improve working conditions in the UK.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking in collaboration with the Office for Budget Responsibility to ensure that economic growth forecasts are (1) realistic, and (2) aligned with the fiscal targets that have been set.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) produces its forecasts independently from the Government.
The OBR is required by primary legislation to publish an annual assessment of the accuracy of its forecasts. All previous Forecast Evaluation Reports are available on the OBR’s website.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the increasing popularity of the use of digital wallets, what steps they are taking to ensure the (1) security, and (2) privacy, of consumers using digital wallets for contactless payments.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The government recognises the importance of ensuring payment methods, including digital wallets, offer a high level of security and privacy to consumers.
Between them, the independent Payment Systems Regulator and Financial Conduct Authority are responsible for ensuring payments systems and financial markets are working well for consumers.
These regulators have jointly published a Call for Information to better understand the impacts of the increasing popularity of digital wallets on consumers and businesses, including in relation to security and privacy. This Call for Information is open for responses until 13 September.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to (1) assess the impact, and (2) address the challenges, of the current supply chain constraints on the UK's offshore wind targets.
Answered by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government has established The Mission Control for Clean Power, led by climate expert Chris Stark, which will work alongside GB Energy, a new publicly owned company, to accelerate the transition to clean power.
The Government will collaborate with the Offshore Wind Industry Council (OWIC) to address supply chain constraints within the offshore wind industry. Industry published their Industrial Growth Plan in April which sets out opportunities to grow the offshore wind supply chain.
Furthermore, the Government is preparing to launch the first phase of the British Jobs Bonus for renewables as part of Contracts for Difference Allocation Round 7.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to address concerns from businesses about the potential increase in costs and legal disputes as a result of their proposed employment law reforms.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Through the Plan to Make Work Pay we will deliver a new deal for working people. A number of these measures already have strong support from businesses, and we will consult with them as we put these plans into practice to ensure they are as effective as possible. We also expect that stronger employment practices could aid recruitment and retention, and ultimately save business costs.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following concerns raised by the head of the British Olympic Association, what steps they are taking to increase investment in sports infrastructure.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government recognises that grassroots sports clubs are at the beating heart of communities up and down the country. High-quality, inclusive facilities help clubs to get more people active and by backing these clubs, the Government will support more people to get onto the pitch wherever they live.
To mark the achievements of our senior men’s and women’s football teams, and inspire the next generation as we look ahead to hosting UEFA EURO 2028 across the UK and Ireland, we have set out plans to strengthen our support for grassroots clubs. This includes continuing the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme this year, and a commitment to work with the sector to develop a funding package that will support these plans.
We provide the majority of support for grassroots sport through our arm’s-length body, Sport England – which annually invests over £250 million of National Lottery and Government money. Sport England’s newly established Movement Fund offers crowdfunding pledges, grants and resources to improve physical activity opportunities for the people and communities who need it the most.