Asked by: Jim Allister (Traditional Unionist Voice - North Antrim)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has had discussions with Ministers in the Department for Communities in the Northern Ireland Executive on (a) eligibility for the winter fuel allowance and (b) that Department's access to administrative data used for the payment of winter fuel payments.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Ministers in the two Departments have discussed eligibility for Winter Fuel Payments in England and Wales, as part of continuing engagement between the UK Government and the Northern Ireland Executive.
Winter Fuel Payments are a transferred matter in Northern Ireland, but the delivery infrastructure is provided by the Department for Work and Pensions. This includes the use of administrative data necessary to make the payments on behalf of the Department for Communities.
Asked by: Jim Allister (Traditional Unionist Voice - North Antrim)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will take steps to (a) extend the duration of Bereavement Support Payments and (b) update those payments in line with inflation.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Bereavement Support Payment (BSP) helps people through the immediate period following a bereavement by way of an initial lump sum followed by up to 18 monthly instalments. Where longer-term financial support is needed, benefits such as Universal Credit have been specifically designed to provide assistance with ongoing living costs. We have no current plans to change the duration of Bereavement Support Payment.
The rate of Bereavement Support Payment is reviewed on a discretionary basis as part of the annual uprating process, but there is no legal requirement to uprate it. BSP is not a cost-of-living benefit like Universal Credit, which has been increased in line with inflation. We will review the rate of Bereavement Support Payment later this year as part of the annual uprating process.