Became Member: 26th January 2011
Left House: 9th July 2024 (Retired)
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These initiatives were driven by Baroness King of Bow, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.
Baroness King of Bow has not introduced any legislation before Parliament
Baroness King of Bow has not co-sponsored any Bills in the current parliamentary sitting
The Government is strongly committed to advancing equality for transgender people and ending discrimination in the workplace. The Equality Act 2010 provides protection from discrimination because of gender reassignment in employment.
In March 2011 the Government published Working for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Equality: Moving Forward; and in December 2011 Advancing transgender equality: a plan for action both of which set out the actions to be taken across Government to enhance equality for transgendered individuals. Actions included the Department for Work and Pensions and Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs improving the experiences of transgender people seeking work. These include providing employers with help on employing transgender people and ensuring training is available to Jobcentre Plus staff on the specific challenges faced by transgender people.
Since 2010 we have received over 1500 applications to open a free school, all of which will have had some focus on the inclusion of disabled learners. Within this number we have received 89 applications to establish special free schools, 22 of which have been approved to proceed to the pre-opening stage and 67 rejected. The 67 applications were rejected because they failed to meet our quality threshold.
Three of the 11 open special free schools have been inspected by Ofsted, (with two being rated as ‘Good’ and one as ‘Outstanding’). Once open, all free schools have a statutory duty to make sure disabled students are not discriminated against and to promote their interests.
On behalf of the Secretary of State, the Education Funding Agency (EFA) deals with academy special educational needs (SEN) admission determination requests involving pupils in receipt of a statement of SEN or Education, Health and Care plan. Between January 2013 and November 2014 the EFA handled 56 admission determination requests.
The EFA does not categorise complaints about the teaching of children with SEN by academy schools, or whether a request for an SEN admission determination was received because an academy refused to admit a child owing to budgetary constraints.
On behalf of the Secretary of State, the Education Funding Agency (EFA) deals with academy special educational needs (SEN) admission determination requests involving pupils in receipt of a statement of SEN or Education, Health and Care plan. Between January 2013 and November 2014 the EFA handled 56 admission determination requests.
The EFA does not categorise complaints about the teaching of children with SEN by academy schools, or whether a request for an SEN admission determination was received because an academy refused to admit a child owing to budgetary constraints.
The Department for Education does not publish information on exclusions of pupils with special education needs (SEN) for academies.
Information for state-funded schools is published in the “Permanent and fixed-period exclusions in England: 2012 to 2013” Statistical First Release. This information is published online at:
www.gov.uk/government/statistics/permanent-and-fixed-period-exclusions-in-england-2012-to-2013
Table 9 gives a time series of the number of permanent exclusions of pupils with SEN. Tables 10a and 10b show the number of fixed-period exclusions of pupils with SEN and the number of pupils with SEN with one or more fixed- period exclusion, respectively. Data for earlier years can be found in the “Statistics: exclusions” series. This information is published online at:
www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-exclusions
The Department for Education does not collect information regarding the length of time it takes for an excluded pupil to be accepted at another school.
The numbers of claimants receiving higher or lower rate Attendance Allowance in (1) London and (2) the London Borough of Tower Hamlets are detailed below:
| Nov - 2012 | Nov - 2013 | Nov - 2014 | Nov - 2015 |
London Total | 138,710 | 133,470 | 131,930 | 130,760 |
Higher | 80,690 | 78,510 | 78,790 | 79,800 |
Lower | 58,050 | 54,950 | 53,120 | 51,000 |
Tower Hamlets Total | 3,420 | 3,310 | 3,380 | 3,460 |
Higher | 2,030 | 2,020 | 2,100 | 2,200 |
Lower | 1,380 | 1,290 | 1,290 | 1,260 |
Source: DWP Tab Tool (Cases in Payment)
Note: Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.
Figures may not sum due to rounding.
The Government has announced that by the end of the Parliament local government will retain 100% of local business rates and new responsibilities will be devolved alongside this. As part of this, the government will consider giving councils in England more responsibility to support older people with care needs. Any change would not affect existing Attendance Allowance claimants, and any new responsibilities would be matched by the transfer of equivalent spending power. The Government intends to consult on this in due course.
We will be writing to claimants potentially affected by the planned changes to the benefit cap in the coming months, ahead of the launch of the new benefit cap levels from the Autumn. These notifications will include details of the forthcoming exemptions. We are also working with stakeholder organisations to support them to share information with affected carers.
It is important that local authorities are allowed to use their discretion to ensure Discretionary Housing Payments are awarded to those who most require assistance based on local circumstances. We have, however, amended the Discretionary Housing Payments Local Authority Good Practice Guide to reflect that those entitled to Carer’s Allowance or Universal Credit including the carer element should be considered as a priority group for whom Discretionary Housing Payments are specifically aimed.
The changes as introduced to the House of Commons on 9th July 2015 would mean that existing claimants, whether in the work-related activity group or the support group, who undergo a work capability assessment after April 2017 and are placed in, or remain in, the work-related activity group, will continue to receive the work-related activity component.
The changes as introduced to the House of Commons on 9th July 2015 would mean that existing claimants, whether in the work-related activity group or the support group, who undergo a work capability assessment after April 2017 and are placed in, or remain in, the work-related activity group, will continue to receive the work-related activity component.
The latest published statistics show that, as at December 2015, there were 1,409 Universal Credit claimants in Tower Hamlets.
We have safeguards in place to ensure an effective transition and avoid impacts on overlapping benefits.
The Government set out its assessment of the impacts of the policies in the Welfare Reform and Work Bill on 20th July. These are available on the Parliament website.
DWP is aware of issues raised by Tower Hamlets Council. The Department’s housing costs team have contacted Tower Hamlets to ask for examples so the Department can look into their concerns.
The estimated net savings from the removal of the family element in tax credits and Universal Credit, and the family premium in Housing Benefit, for new claims in 2016-17 is £55 million, as detailed in the Government’s summer budget 2015: policy costings publication.
The estimated net savings from limiting the child element to 2 children for new births in tax credits and new claims in UC in 2017-18 is £315 million.
The estimated net savings from the removal of the family element in tax credits and Universal Credit, and the family premium in Housing Benefit, for new claims in 2016-17 is £55 million, as detailed in the Government’s summer budget 2015: policy costings publication.
The estimated net savings from limiting the child element to 2 children for new births in tax credits and new claims in UC in 2017-18 is £315 million.
Future arrangements for all local authority funding are a matter for the next Spending Review period and Local Government Finance Settlement consultations, which are led by DCLG. The outcome of these discussions will be made clear at the appropriate time.
The Government set out its assessment of the impacts of the policies in the Welfare Reform and Work Bill on 20th July. The impact assessment is now available on Parliament’s website, and a copy is attached.
The Jobcentre Plus guidance that covers this subject area is the: Labour Market Conditions Guide (availability and actively seeking work section); ESA to JSA Transitions Guide; and Claimant Commitment guidance. These will be placed in the Library of the House as requested.
It should be noted, however, that all Jobseeker’s Allowance claimants should have their conditionality tailored to their individual personal circumstances regardless of their reasons for claiming.
We welcome the Supreme Court ruling that the benefit cap is lawful. The Court decided that the benefit cap does not breach the European Convention on Human rights and does not unlawfully discriminate against lone parents.
The Department for Work and Pensions does not have a clearance time target nor does it have information about average clearance times.
It plans to introduce a clearance time target for all benefits, starting with ESA from April 2016.
It plans to incorporate information on mandatory reconsideration clearance times into the relevant existing regular statistical publications. However, before decisions are made DWP statisticians need to make sure that the data is accurate and fit for purpose. When a decision has been made and as each publication is ready, we will pre-announce the improvements in accordance with the UKSA release protocols.
The Department for Work and Pensions does not have a clearance time target nor does it have information about average clearance times.
It plans to introduce a clearance time target for all benefits, starting with ESA from April 2016.
It plans to incorporate information on mandatory reconsideration clearance times into the relevant existing regular statistical publications. However, before decisions are made DWP statisticians need to make sure that the data is accurate and fit for purpose. When a decision has been made and as each publication is ready, we will pre-announce the improvements in accordance with the UKSA release protocols.
The information requested on mandatory reconsiderations is not currently available.
The Department is working to guidelines set by the UK Statistics Authority to ensure we are able to publish statistics that meet high quality standards at the earliest opportunity. We intend to publish official statistics on mandatory reconsideration relating to Personal Independence Payment when they are ready. The release of information will be pre-announced in line with United Kingdom Statistics Authority release protocols.
Ministry of Justice (MoJ) statistics on appeals to the Social Security and Child Support Tribunal published in December 2014 showed that between July and September 2014 there were 796 Personal Independence Payment appeals cleared at Hearing, of which 339 (43%) were revised in the appellant’s favour. The MoJ statistics are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/tribunals-and-gender-recognition-certificate-statistics-quarterly-july-to-september-2014
There are no current plans to uprate the Local Housing Allowance rate applicable to Temporary Accommodation in Housing Benefit.
The latest official statistics on the benefit cap can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/benefit-cap-number-of-households-capped-to-august-2014
These statistics do not contain benefit type information. A suite of evaluation was published on 15 December 2014. This evaluation made estimates of the proportion of capped households in scope for the cap who were in receipt of Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA), Income Support (IS), Employment Support Allowance (ESA) or other benefit types over time. The evaluation uses a different methodology to the Official Statistics and does not provide a cumulative count of numbers which is in line with Official Statistics. In July 2014 (the most recent data used in the evaluation), estimates found 23 per cent of capped claimants were in receipt of ESA; 45 per cent of capped claimants were in receipt of IS; and 9 per cent were in receipt of another benefit type, of which modelling suggests around 1,400 households had at least one Carer’s Allowance claimant.
Further information can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/benefit-cap-evaluation
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/benefit-cap-review-of-the-first-year
From April 2015 it was intended funding for local welfare provision would be funded from the general grant to Local Government. The general grant took this into account.
The Government has agreed to look again at how funding is provided for in 2015/16. Any decisions will be taken after we have reviewed how the current funds have been used and the on-going consultation and equality analysis on 2015/16 funding being co-ordinated by the Department for Communities and Local Government.
The information requested is due to be published shortly as part of wider analysis on the use of Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP) in 2013/14.
The information that has been requested was published on 24 March 2014 on GOV.UK and can be accessed through the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/295291/s3-2014.pdf
Surrogacy is a complex issue, the legislation about which has not been significantly addressed by respective administrations since the Surrogacy Arrangements Act 1985. The Government recognises the arguments for the need for a review, and we have therefore asked the Law Commission, as part of the consultation on its 13th work programme this summer, to consider including a project on surrogacy
The Government has accepted the judgment by Sir James Munby from the High Court. We will be looking to update the legislation on Parental Orders, and are now considering how best to do this.
The Government recognises surrogacy as an important option for some people wishing to start a family and is currently considering how best to clarify the current legal arrangements for intended parents, surrogates and their families. The Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service campaign to increase awareness of Parental Orders is ongoing and targeted at health workers, local authority registration staff and surrogacy agencies. It will be evaluated in full upon completion in autumn 2016; in-campaign monitoring indicates its messaging is reaching the target audience.
Surrogacy is a complex issue, the legislation about which has not been significantly addressed by respective administrations since the Surrogacy Arrangements Act 1985. The Government recognises the arguments for the need for a review, and we have therefore asked the Law Commission, as part of the consultation on its 13th work programme this summer, to consider including a project on surrogacy
The Government has accepted the judgment by Sir James Munby from the High Court. We will be looking to update the legislation on Parental Orders, and are now considering how best to do this.
The Government recognises surrogacy as an important option for some people wishing to start a family and is currently considering how best to clarify the current legal arrangements for intended parents, surrogates and their families. The Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service campaign to increase awareness of Parental Orders is ongoing and targeted at health workers, local authority registration staff and surrogacy agencies. It will be evaluated in full upon completion in autumn 2016; in-campaign monitoring indicates its messaging is reaching the target audience.
Surrogacy is a complex issue, the legislation about which has not been significantly addressed by respective administrations since the Surrogacy Arrangements Act 1985. The Government recognises the arguments for the need for a review, and we have therefore asked the Law Commission, as part of the consultation on its 13th work programme this summer, to consider including a project on surrogacy
The Government has accepted the judgment by Sir James Munby from the High Court. We will be looking to update the legislation on Parental Orders, and are now considering how best to do this.
The Government recognises surrogacy as an important option for some people wishing to start a family and is currently considering how best to clarify the current legal arrangements for intended parents, surrogates and their families. The Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service campaign to increase awareness of Parental Orders is ongoing and targeted at health workers, local authority registration staff and surrogacy agencies. It will be evaluated in full upon completion in autumn 2016; in-campaign monitoring indicates its messaging is reaching the target audience.
The following table outlines the sum of penalties applied to tax credits claimants in each of the past four years.
Penalties applied in period | Sum of civil penalties applied |
2013-14 | £28,181,587.50 |
2012-13 | £13,128,383.00 |
2011-12 | £4,599,135.86 |
2010-11 | £1,196,988.00 |
An integral part of the tax credits error and fraud strategy was to ensure that claimants who negligently or deliberately sought to mislead HMRC about their circumstances would be dealt with appropriately. This led to a review of the penalty regime, which resulted in a large scale levying of penalties. This was consistent with the principles contained in the Welfare Reform Act 2012, in particular with the approach to issue tougher penalties for the most serious offences.
The following table outlines the number of tax credit claims that have been subject to a penalty in each of the past four years.
Penalties applied in period | Tax credit claims subject to a civil penalty |
2013-14 | 15,182 |
2012-13 | 8,020 |
2011-12 | 2,769 |
2010-11 | 1,932 |
Four schemes were shortlisted to receive loan funding. One scheme withdrew and became self financing. We are in contract with Genesis Housing Association providing £56 million recoverable loan for the redevelopment of the Grahame Park Estate. We expect to be in contract with Swan New Homes, in relation to the Blackwall Reach redevelopment in Tower Hamlets shortly. The due diligence process with Notting Hill Homes is underway with regard to the Aylesbury Estate redevelopment.
Ministers and officials of the Department for Communities and Local Government have regular meetings with senior figures in the housing sector; Circle Housing Group included, and have done so since May 2010 in order to collaborate effectively with the sector.
The social housing regulator is an independent regulator and as such it is not appropriate for DCLG to comment on their operational work. However, we understand that they have met with Circle Housing Group as part of their ongoing regulatory engagement with this provider.
I refer the Noble Lady to my previous answer to her on 8 December (HL4002). The Social Housing Regulator is statutorily independent. The Department for Communities and Local Government cannot therefore direct the Regulator on this matter.
Appendix six of the final report of the independent review of Local Council Tax Support schemes (attached) contains details of the numbers of responses received to its public call for evidence. Appendices two, four and seven provide further information on which stakeholders were consulted by the Chair. A copy of the report, including this information, has been placed in the House Library, and the report is also available on GOV.UK.
The independent review of Local Council Tax Support Schemes commenced on the 2 December 2015. The chair, Eric Ollerenshaw OBE, put out a public call for evidence which was announced and promoted in our press release of the same date. The public call for evidence ran from the 2 December 2015 to 12 January 2016.
The Independent Review of Local Council Tax Support schemes will report by 31 March and will reflect the views and data submitted to the Chair. The Department does not currently intend to publish individual submissions to protect the confidentiality of those who submitted evidence.
I refer the noble Lady to my answer to her on 26 November 2015, PQ HL4002. The Social Housing Regulator is statutorily independent. The Secretary of State cannot, therefore, intervene in this matter. Details of the Social Housing Regulator's complaints procedure can be found (attached) at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/how-to-appeal-against-our-decisions. As with all public bodies, if there are grounds the Regulator can be challenged through the courts.
We are not able to place a copy of the document in the Library of the House; the transfer took place in 1999 and records are not kept that long.
The Social Housing Regulator is statutorily independent. The Department for Communities and Local Government cannot therefore direct the Regulator on this matter.
The Social Housing Regulator has a clear regulatory framework which it applied in this case. As is normal practice the Social Housing Regulator is working closely with Circle as it recovers the urgent and emergency repairs service provided to Old Ford’s tenants and improves its governance. The Regulator currently has sufficient assurance of Circle’s plans to address the issues and its progress in doing so, such that the Regulator considers it does not need to use its enforcement powers at this point. The Regulator will of course continue to examine new information that comes to light.
While independence was not referenced in my earlier answer, Ministers were mindful of independence in considering a chair, and have made it clear that this would be an independent review.
The Office for Tenants and Social Landlords (known as The Tenant Services Authority) ceased to exist from 31 March 2012. All staff were transferred under TUPE regulations to the Homes and Communities Agency from 1 April 2012, with the exception of the Managing Director. It was agreed that the post of Managing Director would not transfer and that the post should be deleted from the establishment from that date. A redundancy payment of £47,675 was made, together with enhanced pension contributions of £148,568.