Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of how much (a) Allied Steel and Wire pensioners have received collectively as of 2 September 2022 and since their pension deal was agreed in 2007 and (b) those pensioners would have received collectively as of 2 September 2022 in the even that their pension deal been fully linked to inflation.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The information required to carry out each assessment is not readily available and to obtain it would incur disproportionate costs. The Secretary of State has therefore made no such assessment and does not intend to do so at this stage.
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to employees who have reached the earnings trigger and are auto-enrolled onto a workplace pension scheme, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of setting the lower limit of qualifying earnings at £0 for the purposes of calculating how much employers should contribute towards an employee’s pension; and whether she has made an estimate of the cost of setting that limit at £0.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
It remains the governments intention to lower the earnings limit on Automatic Enrolment as soon as Parliamentary time allows. The latest published estimate of the costs of this change to workplace pensions is set out in the analytical report that accompanied the 2017 Automatic Enrolment (AE) Review, here: Automatic enrolment review 2017: analytical report (publishing.service.gov.uk).
It shows that the removal of the AE Lower Earnings Limit (LEL) would initially increase total contributions by £2.6 billion per annum. This represents an initial upper bound cost estimate as, for example, many employers choose to pay above the current automatic enrolment statutory minimum contribution levels.
We continue to build the evidence base and use the latest data to improve the estimates in line with government’s ambition of implementing the AE 2017 Review proposals in the mid-2020s.
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she is taking steps in response to the decision of some energy companies to halt participation in the Fuel Direct Scheme.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Secretary of State has written to OFGEM to express her concern. Energy suppliers have a duty to support customers in payment difficulty. OFGEM have noted the concerns raised and will work with DWP to ensure benefit claimants receive the support they need.
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions she has had with representatives of energy suppliers on third party deductions.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
DWP collaborate with Ofgem and Energy UK on any changes to energy deductions from benefits, most recently to gauge their thoughts on the temporary changes to be made regarding ongoing consumption payments. They both supported DWP in communicating to energy suppliers why a change was required, how it operates and when it is effective.
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will guarantee the maintenance of third party deductions in their current form until at least the end of this Parliament.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Social Security Benefits (Claims and Payments) (Modification) Regulations 2022 are a temporary modification to legislation which means that only claimants will be able to make new requests to pay for their ongoing energy consumption directly from their benefit or request an increase or decrease to existing arrangements. Requests for fixed-rate deductions towards fuel arrears remain unchanged. These regulations will expire on 06/04/2023 and legislation will revert unless a further legislative change is made.
Record energy prices are just one of a range of cost-of-living pressures that DWP claimants are facing. Given the increased proportion of income that energy bills are likely to represent in coming months, the Department is not content to continue to prioritise this particular need to the potential detriment of other essential needs - unless this is the express wish of a claimant.
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to promote the Fuel Direct scheme as an alternative to energy prepayment for vulnerable customers who are at risk of self-disconnection.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government's website, GOV.UK provides information about the option of paying towards energy bills directly out of a range of benefits if the claimant is in debt and is having difficulties budgeting for these costs, as well as advice on extra help with fuel bills for people in receipt of benefits.
DWP staff will discuss the option of Fuel Direct and third-party deductions with claimants and handle any applications they receive. The scheme is not intended to be an alternative to energy prepayment meters, which may be appropriate for the claimant depending on their circumstances.
In addition, Jobcentre staff have access to information on services and support available in their local area and will signpost claimants to national and local organisations who provide specialist debt and money management support.
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to promote the use of third party deductions from benefits claimants to pay energy bills in (a) Wales and (b) the UK.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government's website, GOV.UK provides information about the option of paying towards energy bills directly out of a range of benefits if the claimant is in debt and is having difficulties budgeting for these costs, as well as advice on extra help with fuel bills for people in receipt of benefits.
DWP staff will discuss the option of Fuel Direct and third-party deductions with claimants and handle any applications they receive. The scheme is not intended to be an alternative to energy prepayment meters, which may be appropriate for the claimant depending on their circumstances.
In addition, Jobcentre staff have access to information on services and support available in their local area and will signpost claimants to national and local organisations who provide specialist debt and money management support.
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she plans to take steps to support unpaid carers with the recent increase in the cost of living.
Answered by Chloe Smith
I refer the Rt Hon member to the answer I gave to Question Number 142004.
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 23 February 2022 to Question 125365 on Maternity Allowance, and with reference to the Benefit expenditure and caseload tables published by her Department, what assessment she has made of reasons for the absence of a decline in the Statutory Maternity Pay caseload over the period in which the number of grants of Maternity Allowance to employed women has fallen by 45 per cent.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Statutory Maternity Payment caseload is a different measure to the number of grants of Maternity Allowance.
Both the number of women on the caseload for Statutory Maternity Pay and Maternity Allowance has decreased from 2016/17 to 2020/21. The reason for this has not been fully assessed.
However, the date shows a larger decrease in the Maternity Allowance caseload, than the Statutory Maternity Pay caseload. A likely contributor to the fall is the decrease in the UK’s total fertility rate
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department taking to increase awareness of the Fuel Direct scheme amongst people in Wales.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government's website, GOV.UK provides information about Fuel Direct as well as advice on extra help with fuel bills for people in receipt of benefits. DWP staff will discuss this option with claimants and handle any applications they receive.
In addition, Jobcentre staff have access to information on services and support available in their local area and will signpost claimants to national and local organisations, who provide specialist debt and money management support.
Whilst we can identify the number of claims on Universal Credit with a deduction for energy arrears or energy ongoing consumption in the Dwyfor Meirionnydd parliamentary constituency we cannot release this data as the numbers are so small that releasing these could potentially identify individuals and risk claimant confidentiality.
The Department does not keep this information centrally for legacy benefits and to provide it would incur disproportionate costs.