Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to (a) ensure regular and adequate uprating of benefits and (b) mitigate the risk of families falling into poverty.
Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government is committed to reducing poverty and supporting low-income families. We will spend around £276bn through the welfare system in Great Britain in 2023/24 including around £124bn on people of working age and children, and around £152 billion on pensioners. Of this, around £79 billion will be spent on benefits to support disabled people and people with health conditions.
With respect to up-rating, the Social Security Administration Act 1992 places an obligation on the Secretary of State to review increases in prices and earnings each tax year, and to increase certain State pensions, additional-needs disability benefits and carers benefits at least in line with the relevant index. In the case of the new and basic State Pensions, the Government is committed to increasing these in line with the triple lock for the remainder of this Parliament. This is the highest of the increase in prices, the increase in earnings, or 2.5%.
Once he has completed his review of the increase in prices, he must also decide whether to up-rate other benefit rates, and if so by how much. In the up-rating for the tax year 2023/24, all relevant State pension and benefit rates were increased by 10.1%, in line with the increase in the Consumer Prices Index in the year to September 2022.
With 1.05 million job vacancies across the UK, our focus remains firmly on supporting individuals, including parents, to move into, and progress in work, an approach which is based on clear evidence about the importance of employment - particularly where it is full-time - in substantially reducing the risks of poverty. The latest statistics show that in 2021/22 working age adults living in workless families were 7 times more likely to be in absolute poverty after housing costs than working age adults in families where all adults work.
To support those who are in work, from 1 April 2023, the National Living Wage (NLW) increased by 9.7% to £10.42 an hour for workers aged 23 and over - the largest ever cash increase for the NLW.
At the Spring Budget, the Chancellor announced an ambitious package of measures designed to support people wherever they live in the UK to enter work, increase their working hours and extend their working lives.
The Government recognises that high childcare costs can affect parents’ decisions to take up paid work or increase their working hours which is why, from 28 June, the changes to the Universal Credit (UC) childcare element announced in Spring Budget 2023 will provide generous additional financial support to parents moving into paid work and/or increasing their working hours.
This government understands the pressures people are facing with the cost of living which is why we are providing total support of over £94bn over 2022-23 and 2023-24 to help households and individuals with the rising bills.
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will increase Local Housing Allowance to reflect the housing market.
Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Local Housing Allowance (LHA) determines the maximum housing support for tenants in the private rented sector.
In 2020 we spent almost £1 billion increasing LHA rates to the 30th percentile of market rents. This significant investment has been maintained ensuring that everyone who benefited continues to do so. The level of LHA rates is reviewed annually by the Secretary of State usually in the Autumn.
For those who require additional support with housing costs, Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) may be available. Since April 2017, DHPs have been fully devolved to Scotland who are responsible for the allocation and payment to Scottish local authorities.
We recognise that rents are increasing. However, the challenging fiscal environment means that difficult decisions have been necessary to ensure support is targeted effectively.
Over 2022-23 and 2023- 24 the Government is providing support in excess of £94 billion to help households and individuals with the rising cost of living.
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what fiscal steps he is taking to (a) tackle the impact of the benefit cap on low-income families and (b) help prevent increases in child poverty.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government is committed to reducing child poverty and supporting low-income families. We will spend around £276bn through the welfare system in Great Britain in 2023/24 including around £124bn on people of working age and their children.
The Secretary of State reviewed the benefit cap levels in November 2022 and decided they should be increased from April 2023. The Secretary of State has a statutory obligation to review the benefit cap levels at least once every five years.
With 1.05 million job vacancies across the UK, our focus remains firmly on supporting individuals, including parents, to move into, and progress in work, an approach which is based on clear evidence about the importance of employment - particularly where it is full-time - in substantially reducing the risks of child poverty and in improving long-term outcomes for families and children. The latest statistics show that in 2021/22 children living in workless households were around 5 times more likely to be in absolute poverty after housing costs than those where all adults work.
To support those who are in work, from 1 April 2023, the National Living Wage (NLW) increased by 9.7% to £10.42 an hour for workers aged 23 and over - the largest ever cash increase for the NLW.
At the Spring Budget, the Chancellor announced an ambitious package of measures designed to support people wherever they live in the UK to enter work, increase their working hours and extend their working lives.
The Government recognises that high childcare costs can affect parents’ decisions to take up paid work or increase their working hours which is why, from 28 June, the changes to the Universal Credit (UC) childcare element announced in Spring Budget 2023 will provide generous additional financial support to parents moving into paid work and/or increasing their working hours.
This government understands the pressures people are facing with the cost of living which is why we are providing total support of over £94bn over 2022-23 and 2023-24 to help households and individuals with the rising bills.
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of care-experienced people aged 18 to 25 claim Universal Credit.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of people aged 18 to 25 claim Universal Credit.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Statistics on the number of people in receipt of Universal Credit are published every month. The latest statistics are available by age, to December 2022, on Stat-Xplore.
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the rate was of successful applications for pension credit in each year from 2015 to 2019 inclusive.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department does not hold this information.
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Scottish Social Security Committee's report on Benefit take-up, published 11 March 2020, whether her Department plans to respond to the (a) recommendation that the Government develops a written strategy that aims to?maximise?take-up of reserved benefits across the UK and (b) other recommendations made in that report.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
DWP officials appeared at the inquiry to provide information on reserved benefits, and they will provide further information to the Committee should it be required.
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the covid-19 outbreak, what plans she has to allow universal credit advance payments to be made as soon as possible without work coach meetings.
Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Face-to-face checks for Universal Credit advances have been removed for people self-isolating due to coronavirus so they can get the support they need quickly. Advances are available online or via the phone.
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
What recent assessment she has made of the effect of the benefit freeze on trends in the level of child poverty.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
An Impact Assessment of the benefit freeze was published in 2015. Evidence shows that work is the best route out of poverty. Children in workless households are five times more likely to be in poverty than those in households where all adults were working. The Welfare Reforms such as the benefit freeze were designed to incentivise parents to choose to move into and progress in work.
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what percentage of benefits claims are reinstated on mandatory reconsideration.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The information requested is not available.
Although the Department holds data on the percentage of original decisions upheld at Mandatory Reconsideration (MR), the Department does not hold data on the percentage of claims reinstated as a result of a MR.