Paula Barker

Winter Fuel Payments will continue to be paid to pensioner households with someone receiving Pension Credit or certain other income-related benefits. They will continue to be worth £200 for eligible households, or £300 for eligible households with someone aged over 80.

Pensioners on low incomes and in receipt of Attendance Allowance can qualify for an additional amount in Pension Credit, providing they meet the other eligibility criteria.

In making a decision on Winter Fuel Payment eligibility, the government had regard to the equality analysis in line with the Public Sector Equality Duty requirements.

The Government estimates that linking entitlement to receipt of Pension Credit and other relevant DWP income-related benefits will reduce expenditure by around £1.4 billion in 2024/25 and £1.5bn in 2025/26.

The responsibility to make a claim to Pension Credit is with individuals, and we can only encourage them to apply. We encourage all pensioners who may be eligible for Pension Credit to use the Pension Credit Calculator to check eligibility and to use our online Pension Credit claims process, via telephone or paper claims.

The Government is determined to ensure that the poorest pensioners get the support they need. As part of Pension Credit Week of Action, we joined forces with national charities, broadcasters and local authorities to encourage pensioners to check their eligibility and make a claim.

From 16 September, we will be running a national marketing campaign on a range of channels. The campaign will target potential pension-age customers, as well as friends and family who can encourage and support them to apply.

Our future campaign messaging will also focus on encouraging pensioners to apply for Pension Credit before the 21 December 2024, which is the last date for making a successful backdated claim for Pension Credit in order to receive a Winter Fuel Payment.

We will work with external partners, local authorities and the Devolved Governments to boost the take-up of Pension Credit.

The latest available take-up estimates Income-related benefits: estimates of take-up: financial year ending 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) cover the financial year 2021/2022 and suggest an overall Pension Credit take-up rate of 63%. The next take-up estimates covering the financial year 2022/2023 are due to be published in October.

The department will deliver this year’s winter fuel payments within the existing planned headcount and budget. This is due to linking eligibility to Winter Fuel with existing means tested benefits rather than means testing Winter Fuel separately.

In terms of administrative costs, in 2022/23 the Department for Work and Pensions spent £2.6m on the administration of Winter Fuel Payments. It is currently assessing the delivery costs current and future years.

The savings were estimated in Fixing the Foundations as Annually Managed Expenditure (AME) Winter Fuel Payments (WFP) savings of £1.4bn, for 2024/2025, for Great Britain. These included an assumption about increased take-up of Pension Credit which is in line with the highest levels it has achieved historically. WFPs are classified as AME. Estimated savings are sensitive to forecasted take up of Pension Credit. Final savings will be certified and published by the Office for Budget responsibility at the Autumn Budget on the 30th October Budget, taking account of any behavioural response.

The estimated total cost if all people eligible for Pension Credit claimed is around £7.6 billion, for Financial Year Ending (FYE) 2022, for Great Britain.

This has been calculated by adding the benefit expenditure for Pension Credit for 2021/2022 (Pension Credit claimed by eligible pensioners) and the estimate of pension credit unclaimed by eligible pensioners in FYE 2022.

As published in DWP Pension Credit Take-up statistics, an estimate of up to 880,000 families who were entitled to receive PC did not claim the benefit, and the estimate of Pension Credit unclaimed by eligible pensioners in FYE 2022 is £2.1 billion. The pension credit expenditure was an estimated £5.5 billion in 2021/2022.

Source:

Income-related benefits: estimates of take-up: financial year ending 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Benefit expenditure and caseload tables 2024 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

When a vaccination programme is expanded, decisions must be made regarding who to offer the vaccine to first. These decisions are based on advice given by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), and includes evidence of the impact of the vaccine in different age groups as well as the capacity of the National Health Service to deliver the vaccination programme alongside other important healthcare priorities.

From September 2023, the routine shingles vaccination programme changed from the Zostavax vaccine to the more effective Shingrix vaccine, to better protect individuals from the effects of shingles, provide better clinical outcomes, and reduce pressures on the health system.

A phased expansion of the routinely eligible cohort also began in September 2023. The programme currently includes those aged 50 years old and over who are at increased risk of serious complications, and those turning 65 years old on or after 1 September 2023, as well as those turning 70 years old, as was previously the case. The programme is next due to be expanded on 1 September 2028 to those turning 60 years old. There is no intention to change the planned expansion of the shingles vaccination programme.

Phasing the roll-out of the shingles vaccination over time to everyone aged 60 years old and over is in line with the JCVI’s recommendation, maximises cost effectiveness and population benefit, ensures consistent messaging over time to maximise coverage, takes account of NHS capacity, and is consistent with the approach taken by all four parts of the United Kingdom. This phased approach has been used in the effective implementation of previous immunisation programmes and whilst it may mean that some individuals may have to wait until the date that they would have originally been eligible, many others will receive the vaccines sooner and will benefit for longer.

Anyone unsure if they are eligible for the shingles vaccination should check online or should speak to their general practitioner. Further information on shingles vaccine eligibility is available at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/vaccinations/shingles-vaccine/

The government recognises that there are ongoing challenges with domestic recruitment in adult social care and that the sector has become overly reliant on international recruitment. While the adult social care workforce in England grew by 4.2% in 2023/24, the number of posts in adult social care filled by people with a British nationality has decreased.

The government recognises the scale of reforms needed to make the adult social care sector attractive, to support sustainable workforce growth and reduce the reliance on international recruitment.

We have seen unacceptable increases in unethical practices and exploitation of international recruits in the adult social care sector.  We are committed to improving the way international recruitment works in adult social care, to ensuring individuals work for legitimate providers, and to tackling the exploitation of workers.

This includes working closely with the Home Office to share concerns and intelligence. In addition, £16 million has been provided to regional partnerships this financial year which is focused on providing support to international workers affected by unethical employment practices to access appropriate services and provide pastoral support.

The Government recognises the scale of reforms needed to make the adult social care sector attractive, to support sustainable workforce growth and reduce the reliance on international recruitment. We want it to be regarded as a profession, and for the people who work in care to be respected as professionals.

Local authorities are best placed to understand and plan for the needs of their population, which is why under the Care Act 2014, local authorities are tasked with the duty to shape their care market to meet the diverse needs of all local people. This includes planning the balance of services which should be directly provided by the local authority, or commissioned from external care providers.

Our Plan to Make Work Pay sets out a significant and ambitious agenda to ensure workplace rights are fit for a modern economy, empower working people, and deliver economic growth.

Those working in social care have been ignored for too long, and so will be at the heart of our initial reforms. We will start by engaging with the sector to deliver a long overdue new deal for care workers, including establishing the first ever Fair Pay Agreement.

The wider employment protections we are putting in place will also enhance protections for those in the adult social care sector. The Employment Rights Bill will be introduced in the first 100 days in Government and will play a key role in delivering aspects of our Plan to Make Work Pay. This plan will support more people to stay in work, make work more family friendly, and improve living standards. This will put more money in working people’s pockets to spend, boosting economic growth, resilience, and conditions for innovation.

The UK is concerned by the Israel Defense Forces' (IDF) ongoing military operation in the occupied West Bank and attacks by Palestinian militants. We recognise Israel's need to defend itself against security threats, but we are worried by the methods Israel has employed and by reports of civilian casualties and the destruction of civilian infrastructure. The risk of instability is serious and the need for de-escalation urgent. As our statement on 30 August made clear, we continue to call on the Israeli authorities to exercise restraint, adhere to international law, and clamp down on the actions of those who seek to inflame tensions.

The UK Government welcomes the appointment of the Interim Government in Bangladesh, led by Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus. The Interim Government in Bangladesh has the UK's full support as it works to restore peace and order including investigating alleged human rights violations and ensuring accountability. The British High Commissioner in Dhaka met with the Chief Adviser and Adviser for Foreign Affairs of the Interim Government in August. The British High Commission continue to engage with the Interim Government in Bangladesh on key priorities.

I spoke to the Bangladesh High Commissioner on 19 and 23 July to reiterate my concerns about the events unfolding in Bangladesh. In July and August, the UK Government issued statements expressing concern about the situation in Bangladesh, calling for all sides to work together to end the violence and for internet access and communications services to be quickly restored. We were clear that a full and independent UN-led investigation into recent events is important. The Interim Government in Bangladesh has the UK's full support as it works to restore peace and order including investigating alleged human rights violations and ensuring accountability.

In our public statements about the situation in Bangladesh, we urged for an end to the violence and a de-escalation of the situation. We were clear that a full and independent UN-led investigation into recent events is important. The UK Government welcomed the appointment of the Interim Government in Bangladesh, and it has the UK's support as it works to restore peace and order, as well as ensure accountability and promote national reconciliation. The UK is committed to Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) for all, as guaranteed under international human rights law.

The UK has consistently voted in support of the annual United Nations General Assembly Resolution calling for an end to the US embargo against Cuba. The embargo impedes the economic development of the country. Titles III and IV of the Helms Burton Act prevent and restrict British companies (among others) from conducting legitimate and lawful business in Cuba.

HMT holds discussions with the Department for Work & Pensions and the Local Government Association on a wide range of issues.

The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has recently announced that the Government is providing half a billion pounds (including estimated Barnett impact) to extend the Household Support Fund (HSF) in England.

The HSF will run until the end of March 2025, and will enable Local Authorities to help vulnerable people and families receive emergency crisis support as we help people through the winter.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes the Gini coefficient for aggregate household wealth, which is a measure of wealth inequality, and this is released every few years using the Wealth and Assets survey. The ONS has published the Gini coefficient of wealth since July 2006.

The Energy Profits Levy (EPL) was introduced in May 2022 to tax the extraordinary profits of oil and gas companies operating in the UK and on the UK Continental Shelf. The levy is currently set at a rate of 35%, bringing the overall headline tax rate on upstream oil and gas activities to 75%.

In July, the government announced it would deliver on the commitment it made, whilst in opposition, to ensure the oil and gas industry contribute more towards our clean energy transition. This will be achieved by extending the EPL to March 2030, increasing its rate by three percentage points to 38%, and by removing unjustifiably generous investment allowances. Money raised from these changes will support accelerating the transition to clean energy, increasing security and independence while providing sustainable jobs for the future and helping to protect electricity bills against future price shocks.

The EPL changes will be implemented from 1 November, with further details to be announced at Budget.

The Government is committed to protecting access to cash forindividuals and businesses. The Financial Conduct Authority is the regulator responsible for access to cash further to the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023, with powers to seek to ensure the reasonable provision of cash withdrawal and deposit facilities for individuals and businesses, including free withdrawal services for

The FCA published its final rules on access to cash on 24 July. Under its rules, designated firms will be required to undertake assessments of a community’s cash access needs following the closure of a service or a community request, and to put in a new service if necessary. These rules come into force on 18 September.