Nov. 22 2023
Source Page: Benefit uprating: estimated number and type of families and individuals in families benefitting from the uprating of benefits in 2024 to 2025Found: Benefit uprating: estimated number and type of families and individuals in families benefitting from
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential implications of the state pension rise from April 2024 for the sustainability of pension funding.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The new State Pension was introduced in April 2016 with the aim of providing a clearer, sustainable foundation for State Pensions for decades to come.
Each year, the Government Actuary’s Department publishes a report showing the impact of uprating decisions on the National insurance Fund. The most recent report in January this year took into account the 8.5% increase in the basic and new State Pensions which will come into force from 8 April. The assessment was that the Fund would have enough money to self-finance for at least the next five years. HM Treasury has the ability to top up the National Fund from the Consolidated Fund when needed, even if receipts do not match expenditure. The report said that a Treasury Grant would not be needed in the next five years.
Found: Benefits uprating 2024/25
Oct. 20 2009
Source Page: Pension reform fact sheet: updating estimates of outcomes for individuals under pension reform, and projections of spending on pensioner benefits. Incl. annex. 28 p.Found: the future can expect; projections of total spending on pensioner benefits to 2050 under the current uprating
Mentions:
1: Christina Rees (LAB - Neath) In addition, the threshold needs to be raised and tied to the periodic uprating of any minimum or living - Speech Link
2: Stephen Timms (Lab - East Ham) Our report called on the Government to commit to uprating the earnings threshold for carer’s allowance - Speech Link
3: Beth Winter (Lab - Cynon Valley) I have also said that the uprating of the carer’s allowance needs to be synchronised with the real living - Speech Link
4: Mims Davies (Con - Mid Sussex) communications to remind them of the importance of telling us about any earnings, including through the annual uprating - Speech Link
5: Mims Davies (Con - Mid Sussex) They also get an annual uprating letter reminding them of any changes, and we use a text reminder. - Speech Link
Mentions:
1: Viscount Younger of Leckie (Con - Excepted Hereditary) noble Lords will be aware, these two schemes are not included in the main social security benefits uprating - Speech Link
2: Baroness Blower (Lab - Life peer) left to live at the time of their diagnosis.Many surviving partners, often women on modest wages or pensions - Speech Link
3: Baroness Donaghy (Lab - Life peer) oversight committee of the mesothelioma compensation fund on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions - Speech Link
4: Viscount Younger of Leckie (Con - Excepted Hereditary) The uprating regulations apply only in relation to any case in which a person first fulfils the conditions - Speech Link
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the release of data showing that the number of children living in absolute poverty has risen by the highest rate in 30 years, what steps they are taking to address the increase in child poverty rates.
Answered by Viscount Younger of Leckie - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
These statistics cover 2022/23, a year when war in Ukraine and global supply chain challenges led to unexpected and high rates on inflation, averaging 10% over the year. These factors are reflected in the statistics. In response to these pressures, the Government provided an unprecedented cost of living support package which helped to shield households from the impact of inflation. Analysis shows that the Government’s cost of living support prevented 1.3 million people from falling into absolute poverty after housing costs in 2022/23. That includes 300,000 children, 600,000 working-age adults and 400,000 pensioners.
Since the period covered by these statistics, the Government has taken firm action to support families on the lowest incomes. The Government has spent around £276bn through the welfare system in 2023/24, including around £125bn on people of working age and children. We took action to support those on the lowest incomes by uprating benefits and State Pensions by 10.1% from April 2023. We are continuing to support people in 2024/25 by uprating working age benefits by 6.7% and raising the Local Housing Allowance rates to the 30th percentile of local market rents, benefiting 1.6 million low-income households.
With over 900,000 vacancies across the UK, our focus remains firmly on supporting parents to move into and progress in work, an approach which is based on clear evidence about the importance of parental employment - particularly where it is full-time - in substantially reducing the risk of child poverty. The latest statistics show that in 2022/23, children living in workless households were over 6 times more likely to be in absolute poverty (after housing costs) than those where all adults work.
Report Mar. 21 2024
Committee: Work and Pensions Committee (Department: Department for Work and Pensions)Found: As we will discuss in Chapter 4, uprating decisions and rules compound over time, so looking at uprating
Asked by: Vicky Foxcroft (Labour - Lewisham, Deptford)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to Q102 of the oral evidence given by Lorraine Jackson to the Work and Pensions Select Committee on 31 January 2024, HC 148, when the constant review of statutory sick pay began; what steps his Department is taking to conduct this review; and what sources of information are included in this review.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
As with all government policy, Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) policy is kept under review. The department through the Joint work and Health directorate, monitors feedback from correspondence and reviews evidence from a range of organisations. The rate of SSP is also reviewed each year as part of the annual uprating exercise.
The government reviewed SSP as part of both the ‘Work, health and disability green paper: improving lives’ consultation (2017) and the ‘Health is Everyone’s Business consultation’ (2019, HiEB). In response to the HiEB consultation (2021) we maintained that SSP provides an important link between the employee and employer but Ministers confirmed it was not the right time to introduce changes to the sick pay system.
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of differential uprating levels for (a) the additional state pension under the old pension system and (b) other elements of the state pension on levels of pensioner poverty.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
There are no plans to make a formal assessment.
In 2022/23, there were 200,000 fewer pensioners in absolute poverty after housing costs than in 2009/10. Our sustained commitment to the triple lock demonstrates our determination to continue to combat pensioner poverty in future. As a result, the full yearly amount of the basic State Pension is now £3,700 higher, in cash terms, than in 2010.