Asked by: Alison Thewliss (Scottish National Party - Glasgow Central)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to ensure that people who are on the State Pension and are not eligible for the Cost of Living Payment are being supported in the context of the increased costs of living.
Answered by Julie Marson
In 2022/23, we will spend over £134bn on benefits for pensioners in GB. This includes spending on the State Pension which is forecast to be over £110bn. The full yearly basic State Pension is now over £2,300 higher, in cash terms, than in 2010 which is around £720 more than if it had been up-rated in line with prices.
The government understands the pressures people are facing with the cost of living. This is why we are providing £37bn of support this year which includes a one-off payment of £300 to pensioner households as an addition to the Winter Fuel Payment. All households with a domestic electricity bill will also benefit from the £400 support being provided through the Energy Bills Support Scheme.
We are also providing an additional £500 million to help households with the cost of essentials, on top of what we have already provided since October 2021, bringing the total funding for this support to £1.5 billion.
Asked by: Alison Thewliss (Scottish National Party - Glasgow Central)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to ensure that people who (a) have not qualified for the Cost of Living Payment as a result of seasonal work and (b) are receiving a nil payment for the period ending 25 May 2022, are being supported in the context of the increased costs of living.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government understands the pressures people are facing with the cost of living, which is why it is providing over £37 billion of support this year.
Those who do not meet the eligibility criteria for the first Cost of Living Payment instalment may qualify for the second instalment of £324 later in the year.
The Cost of Living Payments are only one part of the support available. All households with a domestic electricity bill across the UK will benefit from the £400 being provided through the Energy Bills Support Scheme, for example. We are also providing an additional £500 million to help households with the cost of essentials, on top of what we have already provided since October 2021, bringing the total funding for this support to £1.5 billion. In England, the current Household Support Fund is already providing £421m of support for the period 1 April – 30 September 2022. Devolved administrations have received £79 million through the Barnett formula.
We are also extending the support Jobcentres provide to people in work and on low incomes to help them to increase their earnings and move into better paid quality jobs. Through a staged roll-out, which started in April 2022, around 2.1m low-paid benefit claimants will be eligible for support to progress into higher-paid work.
This is on top of the support we have already provided by giving the lowest earners a pay rise by increasing the National Living Wage by 6.6% to £9.50 an hour, providing an extra £1,000 a year for a full-time worker and we raised the National Insurance threshold to £12,570 from 6 July 2022, which is a saving of over £330 a year for a typical employee.
Asked by: Alison Thewliss (Scottish National Party - Glasgow Central)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to ensure that people who are on Contributions Based ESA and are not eligible for the Cost of Living Payment are being supported in the context of increased costs of living.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Non-means tested benefits are not eligible benefits for the Cost of Living Payment in their own right because people receiving these benefits may have other financial resources available to them. Many will also have been in receipt of an eligible means tested benefit on the qualifying date for the £326 Cost of Living Payment.
Individuals who do not qualify for a Cost-of-living Payment, may
In addition, Personal Independence Payment is available to help with the extra costs faced by people with a long-term health condition or disability. Disability benefits can provide a gateway or passport to a wide range of additional support or help.
Asked by: Alison Thewliss (Scottish National Party - Glasgow Central)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when she plans to announce the timetable for the managed migration from legacy benefits to Universal Credit.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Department is committed to ensuring the final phase of Universal Credit is rolled out safely and is responsibly delivered by the end of 2024. We are currently focused on the discovery phase of managed migration beginning with 250 claimants respectively in both Bolton and Medway
Asked by: Alison Thewliss (Scottish National Party - Glasgow Central)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what her timeframe is for managed migration of Universal Credit in Scotland.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Department is currently focused on the discovery phase of managed migration starting with 250 claimants in Bolton and Medway. We are committed to ensuring the final phase of Universal Credit is rolled out safely and is responsibly delivered by the end of 2024 in Scotland and the rest of Great Britain.
Asked by: Alison Thewliss (Scottish National Party - Glasgow Central)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when her Department plans to notify people in Universal Credit managed migration areas.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Department is currently focussed on the discovery phase of managed migration starting with 250 claimants in Bolton and Medway respectively. We started to issue migration notices in these two locations from 9 May 2022 and will consider the timeframe for other locations in due course.
There are no managed migration areas, we are conducting discovery work in a number of locations with controlled volumes in those locations.
Asked by: Alison Thewliss (Scottish National Party - Glasgow Central)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she plans to make funding available for third sector organisations supporting their service users through managed migration to universal credit.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Department recognises the importance of establishing the best possible support arrangements for those moving from legacy benefits to Universal Credit. We will start the managed migration of legacy benefit claimants by initially moving very small numbers, beginning with 250 claimants respectively in both Bolton and Medway. There will be a range of support available to individuals, including a dedicated DWP telephone line and signposting to independent support through the Help to Claim service. As we develop our learning, we will gradually increase the cases over time. It is important that we learn how to safely move people to Universal Credit, and understand the support required to do so. We are also currently considering what further independent support might be needed to support those considering a voluntary move to Universal Credit.