Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights' publication Concluding observations on the seventh periodic report of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, published on 12 March 2025, whether she will make it her policy to adopt the Committee's recommendations on enhancing measures to tackle poverty through measurable targets.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We value the UN’s Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights’ input and their perspectives on our policies. It is right that the government considers this report in full, and we will respond in line with the timescales set by the committee in their concluding observations.
The Child Poverty Taskforce is continuing its urgent work and is exploring all available levers, including considering social security reforms, to drive forward short and long-term actions across government to reduce child poverty.
Our metrics must also reflect the experience of poverty in households across the UK and the urgent need to focus on those children experiencing the most severe and acute forms of poverty. The Taskforce will consider how best to measure this as the strategy develops, including through our work on the material deprivation measure following the recent review of the material deprivation survey questions carried out by the Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion at the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights' publication Concluding observations on the seventh periodic report of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, published on 12 March 2025, whether she will make it her policy to adopt the Committee's recommendations on the two-child limit and the benefit cap.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We value the UN’s Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights’ input and their perspectives on our policies. It is right that the government considers this report in full, and we will respond in line with the timescales set by the committee in their concluding observations.
The Child Poverty Taskforce is continuing its urgent work and is exploring all available levers, including considering social security reforms, to drive forward short and long-term actions across government to reduce child poverty.
Our metrics must also reflect the experience of poverty in households across the UK and the urgent need to focus on those children experiencing the most severe and acute forms of poverty. The Taskforce will consider how best to measure this as the strategy develops, including through our work on the material deprivation measure following the recent review of the material deprivation survey questions carried out by the Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion at the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the planned timetable is for the publication of the Child Poverty Strategy; and whether an (a) interim report and (b) update will be published.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Taskforce is on track to publish the Child Poverty Strategy in spring this year as set out in our framework ‘Tackling Child Poverty: Developing Our Strategy’.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 9 December 2024 to Question 17570 on Pension Funds: Environment Protection, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of creating a legal obligation for UK-based pension schemes to divest from companies that are not compliant with the UK’s climate commitments.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
As set out in our answer of 9 December to Question 17570, in line with their fiduciary duty trustees of pension schemes have a responsibility to consider and review their approach to investment, stewardship and voting in light of the climate risks to their members. The Government has no current plans to change legislation.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of whether the divestment of pension funds from insurance companies that are not compliant with the UK’s climate commitments is a part of fiduciary duty.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
Trustees have a fiduciary duty to make investment decisions in members’ best interests. Climate-related risk and opportunity is one of the major categories of financial factors of which trustees need to take account, in line with their fiduciary duty.
The Department introduced new requirements for schemes in 2021, based on the recommendations of the Taskforce on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD). The legislation requires trustees of occupational pension schemes, with assets above £1 billion, to manage climate-related risks and explain how they have done so in an annual TCFD report. The Pensions Regulator is responsible for monitoring compliance with the requirements and reviewed a sample of reports in 2024. The findings are available here: Review of climate-related disclosures by occupational pension schemes: Year 2 | The Pensions Regulator.
It is up to individual schemes, in line with their fiduciary duty, to choose whether to divest from companies that are not compliant with the UK’s climate commitments. In 2025, Government will consult on proposals for financial institutions, including insurance companies, to develop Paris Aligned Transition Plans which set out steps for reaching net zero. Pension schemes can utilise their stewardship approaches, namely voting and engagement, to nudge companies towards greener practices. There is no single approach to managing climate-related risk, but trustees typically use a combination of investment strategies and stewardship approaches to deliver the best outcomes for members.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will publish the evidential basis supporting her statement that trials of employment advisers giving CV and interview advice in hospitals has produced dramatic results.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Based on over 20 years of research, the Individual Placement and Support employment model is internationally recognised as the most effective way to support people with mental health problems to gain and keep paid employment. Individual Placement and Support services offer intensive, individually tailored support to help people to choose and find the right job, with ongoing support for the employer and employee to help ensure the person sustain their employment.
Randomised Control Trials demonstrated that Individual Placement and Support can achieve up to twice as many job outcomes for people with severe mental illness than traditional programmes. For example, in 2013, 55% of clients were found to be in competitive employment for at least one day compared to 28% of clients in the control group.
Individual Placement Support has been subject to several impact evaluation Randomised Control Trials. All trials have shown significantly better results, in terms of achieving competitive employment for Individual Placement Support participants, compared to conventional vocational rehabilitation services. On average, people who receive Individual Placement Support show employment rates of 30-40% compared to rates in the control group of 10-12%.
The severe mental illness Individual Placement Support programme aims to support an additional 140,000 people living with severe mental illness to access the services by 2028/29. This programme aims to reduce economic inactivity and increase labour market participation and retention for people with severe mental illness.
In August, 38,704 people had accessed Individual Placement services in the previous 12 months, meaning we are above our trajectory to meet the end of year target of 40.500 people accessing these services.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 11 September 2024 to Question 3732 on Pension Credit: Applications, how the Service Modernisation Programme will make service more user friendly and accessible for citizens; and what her planned timeline is for making those changes.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
We continuously improve and iterate the Pension Credit application service to make the service more user friendly and accessible for citizens. New features are released regularly to the service in line with user research and feedback on the service from citizens and colleagues and in line with the Pension Credit policy.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans her Department has to support the health of pensioners living in energy inefficient homes when Winter Fuel Payment is withdrawn.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
Energy support is the responsibility of Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.
We are providing support through our Warm Homes Plan which pensioners will benefit from. This will support investment in insulation and low carbon heating – upgrading millions of homes over this Parliament. Our long-term plan will protect billpayers permanently, reduce fuel poverty, and get the UK back on track to meet our climate goals.
The Household Support Fund is also being extended for a further six months, from 1 October 2024 until 31 March 2025. An additional £421 million will be provided to enable the extension of the HSF in England, plus funding for the Devolved Governments through the Barnett formula to be spent at their discretion, as usual.
The Warm Home Discount scheme in England and Wales provides eligible low-income households across Great Britain with a £150 rebate on their electricity bill. This winter, we expect over three million households, including over one million pensioners, to benefit under the scheme.
The Home Upgrade Grant provides grants to low-income households to upgrade the energy performance of the worst quality, off gas grid homes in England by installing multiple energy efficiency measures and low carbon heating. This will typically include insulation measures in combination with a heat pump to make the home heat efficient and suitable for the future as we build towards net zero.
The Government is committed to a preventative approach to public health. Keeping people warm and well at home and improving the quality of new and existing homes will play an essential part in enabling people to live longer, healthier lives and reducing pressures on the NHS.
The Government is ensuring pensioners are supported through our commitment to protect the Triple Lock, over 12 million pensioners will benefit, with many expected to see their new State Pension increase by around £1700 over the course of this Parliament.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of simplifying the application process for Pension Credit.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
We are streamlining all Pension Credit application routes by using information held internally to reduce the number of questions the citizen must answer.
A key objective of DWP’s Service Modernisation Programme is to utilise end user research to understand how the application process should operate in the future and consider the opportunities on how services can be more user friendly and easily accessible for citizens.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she plans to review the removal of the spare room subsidy.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Any decisions on the Removal of the Spare Room Subsidy policy need to be taken in the context of the Government’s missions, housing priorities, and the fiscal context.
Those unable to meet a shortfall in their rent can seek a Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP) from their local authority. DHPs can be paid to those entitled to Housing Benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit.