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her Department has to support the health of pensioners living in energy inefficient homes when Winter Fuel Payment is withdrawn.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 - Parliamentary 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 - Parliamentary 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.
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 will replace cash payments for the Personal Independence Payment.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We will be reviewing the responses people have made to the previous government's consultation on Personal Independence Payment, which closed on Monday 22 July.
The proposals in this Green Paper were developed by the previous government. We will be considering our own approach to social security in due course.
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 his Department has made an assessment of the (a) physical and (b) mental feasibility of people being able to continue working (i) until the existing state pension age and (ii) beyond that age.
Answered by Jo Churchill
The Department provides information to support people to make informed decisions such as Midlife MOT sessions in Jobcentres, and the digital Midlife MOT offer available to everyone online which offers financial, health and career guidance. There is no requirement for people to work beyond the State Pension age, however some people may choose to.
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 criteria the Government uses to assess whether to amend the state pension age.
Answered by Paul Maynard
Under Section 27 of the Pensions Act 2014, the Secretary of State has a duty to periodically review whether the existing rules about State Pension age are appropriate. He must consider evidence about life expectancy and appoint an independent reviewer to report to him on other factors that are relevant for the review.
The second Government Review of State Pension age was published on 30 March 2023. Government concluded that the planned increase in State Pension age from 66 to 67 will take place between 2026-2028. Government also concluded that due to uncertainties in relation to life expectancy data, labour markets and the public finances, there will be a further review within two years of the next Parliament to consider age 68. The further review will be supported by the latest evidence, including life expectancy projections, updated with 2021 Census data, and the economic position.
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 estimate he has made of the number of free television licences issued to residents in (a) the Norwich City Council area (b) Norwich South constituency and (c) Norwich North constituency in each of the last three years; and what the total annual value was of those licences.
Answered by Guy Opperman
In the 2015 funding settlement, the Government agreed with the BBC that responsibility for the concession will transfer to the BBC in June 2020.
The government and the BBC agreed at the time that this was a fair deal for the BBC. The BBC benefited as the government closed the iPlayer loophole and committed to increase the licence fee in line with inflation. And to help with financial planning, the government agreed to provide phased transitional funding over 2 years to gradually introduce the cost to the BBC.
This reform was subject to public discussion and debated extensively during the passage of the Digital Economy Act 2017 through Parliament.
On 10 June 2019, the BBC announced that the current scheme will end. From 1 June 2020, a free TV licence will only be available to a household with someone aged over 75 who receives Pension Credit.
The table below provides estimates of the costs and caseloads for 2015/16 through to 2017/18 of providing free TV licences to people aged 75 years and over in the geographical areas requested. Expenditure in nominal prices. The figures for 2018/19 will be available in September.
|
| Caseload (thousands) | |
| 2015-16 | 2016-17 | 2017-18 |
(a) the Norwich City Council (Norwich local authority area) | 8.5 | 8.7 | 8.6 |
(b) Norwich South constituency | 6.7 | 6.9 | 6.8 |
(c) Norwich North constituency | 7.4 | 7.7 | 7.6 |
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| Expenditure (£m) (Nominal) | |
| 2015-16 | 2016-17 | 2017-18 |
(a) the Norwich City Council (Norwich local authority area) | £1.21 | £1.21 | £1.23 |
(b) Norwich South constituency | £0.96 | £0.95 | £0.97 |
(c) Norwich North constituency | £1.06 | £1.07 | £1.10 |
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, how long on average it takes to (a) agree and (b) allocate pension credit to eligible claimants.
Answered by Guy Opperman
The specific information requested is not available.
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 steps she is taking to improve accessibility to pension credit and universal credit for pensioners.
Answered by Guy Opperman
Pension Credit is an important benefit specifically intended to help the poorest pensioners. There are over 1.6m pensioners already claiming Pension Credit worth over £5billion a year. However, the Government wants to ensure that all pensioners eligible can claim the Pension Credit to which they are rightly entitled.
We also welcome and encourage initiatives to promote take up of Pension Credit by national and local organisations who may often be best placed to understand the local circumstances and needs in the community. For this reason we have developed the Pension Credit toolkit, as an on-line tool for agencies and welfare rights organisations to use in order to encourage Pension Credit take-up. It can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pension-credit-toolkit
The toolkit contains resources for anyone working with pensioners and includes guides to Pension Credit. It also contains publicity material and guidance designed to help older people understand how they could get Pension Credit and help organisations support someone applying for Pension Credit as well as ideas for encouraging take-up. The toolkit also provides links to information about disability and carers benefits.
Organisations can use the Pension Credit calculator https://www.gov.uk/pension-credit-calculator to help people check if they are likely to be eligible and get an estimate of what they may receive.
In addition, the DWP targets activity on engaging with people who may be eligible to benefits at pivotal stages, such as when they claim State Pension or report a change in their circumstances. The DWP uses a wide range of channels to communicate information about benefits to potential claimants; including information on https://gov.uk/ but also in leaflets and by telephone. DWP staff in Pension Centres and Jobcentres including visiting officers are able to provide help and advice about entitlement to benefits, as are staff in Local Authorities who administer Housing Benefit.
People can telephone either the Pension Service helpline for general enquiries on 0800 731 0469 or those wishing to claim Pension Credit can do so by calling 0800 99 1234.
Universal Credit is designed to target resources at those that need them most and to provide support for people who cannot work or need help moving towards the labour market.
For those that are unable to access or use digital services, assistance to make and maintain their claim is available via the Freephone Universal Credit helpline on 0800 328 5644 and face-to-face support is available in Jobcentres. In exceptional circumstances, a home visit can be arranged to support a claimant in making and maintaining their claim.
Additionally, claimants can access support with their Universal Credit application through the Citizen’s Advice Help to Claim service which, offers tailored, practical support online, over the phone, and face-to-face. You can contact an adviser through the free national Help to Claim phone service:
England: 0800 144 8 444
Wales: 08000 241 220
Scotland: 0800 023 2581
We are continuously reviewing and improving the service for people who claim Universal Credit to ensure that it is accessible and responsive to their needs. This includes how they are identified and supported, either from our own staff or via referrals from local 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, when she will next review the state pension age.
Answered by Guy Opperman
The approach of the Labour Government 1997-2010, Coalition 2010-2015 and the Conservative Government has been the same in broad terms. State Pension age reform has focused on maintaining the right balance between sustainability of State Pension and fairness between generations in the face of demographic change. The Pensions Act 2014 requires governments to complete a structured review of State Pension age every 6 years in light of changes in life expectancy and other relevant factors. The Government’s first State Pension age review was published in July 2017.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/state-pension-age-review-final-report