Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
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 the increased rate of inflation and cost of living on (a) the adequacy of the Local Housing Allowance and (b) private renters.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government recognises the financial pressures tenants are facing and is providing total support of over £94bn over 2022-23 and 2023-24 to help households and individuals with the rising cost of living. Individuals who need help to make their rent payments may be eligible for a range of financial support through the welfare system.
LHA determines the maximum amount of housing support for Housing Benefit and Universal Credit claimants renting in the private rented sector. LHA is not intended to meet all rents in all areas.
In April 2020 LHA rates were raised to the 30th percentile of local market rents, a significant investment of almost £1 billion. We have maintained the increase since then so that everyone who benefited continues to do so.
The Local Housing Allowance (LHA) policy is kept under regular review. We monitor average rents and housing support levels provided to claimants to assess the impact of the policy. Any assessment made is always within the context of the economic landscape at the time.
For those who face a shortfall in meeting their housing costs and need further support, Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) are available from local authorities. Since 2011 the Government has provided nearly £1.6 billion in DHP funding to local authorities
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to tackle benefit fraud.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
Our Fraud Plan, Fighting Fraud in the Welfare System, published on 19 May 2022, sets out our approach and explains how additional investment is allowing us to recruit 1,400 more staff into our counter-fraud teams and develop enhanced data analytics as a means of preventing and detecting fraud and error.
Additionally, we are creating a dedicated team to deliver Targeted Case Reviews of existing Universal Credit claims. This supports wider Government aims of strong oversight and control and efficiently managing the public purse. Over the next five years we expect to review over 2 million potentially high-risk claims, including suspicious cases which entered our system at the height of the pandemic.
More information on our Fraud Plan, which also explains our ambition to modernise and strengthen our legislative framework, can be found here:
Fighting Fraud in the Welfare System - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
Asked by: Amy Callaghan (Scottish National Party - East Dunbartonshire)
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 merits of reviewing the level at which Universal Credit is set with reference to the prices of essential items.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
There is no objective way of deciding what an adequate level of benefit should be as every person has different requirements. Income-related benefit rates are not made up of separate amounts for specific items of expenditure such as food or fuel charges, and beneficiaries are free to spend their benefit as they see fit, in the light of their individual commitments, needs and preferences.
The Government is increasing support for low income and vulnerable households with welfare expenditure forecast to rise from £275.6 billion in 2022/23 to £289.4 billion in 2023/24. The Spring Statement made clear, the focus is supporting workforce participation, helping people move into work and higher earnings.
Asked by: Amy Callaghan (Scottish National Party - East Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the level of Universal Credit to enable claimants to meet the cost of essential items.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
There is no objective way of deciding what an adequate level of benefit should be as every person has different requirements. Income-related benefit rates are not made up of separate amounts for specific items of expenditure such as food or fuel charges, and beneficiaries are free to spend their benefit as they see fit, in the light of their individual commitments, needs and preferences.
The Government is increasing support for low income and vulnerable households with welfare expenditure forecast to rise from £275.6 billion in 2022/23 to £289.4 billion in 2023/24. The Spring Statement made clear, the focus is supporting workforce participation, helping people move into work and higher earnings.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps the Government plans to take to support parent carers of disabled children with returning to work.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
Our Work Coaches already offer employment support to people claiming welfare benefits, who are carers of disabled children. Any work related requirements and support should be tailored to a claimant’s individual circumstances and capabilities, including their caring responsibilities.
Support could include access to skills provision, careers advice, job search support and volunteering opportunities, as well as access to the Flexible Support Fund to aid job entry, and help with childcare costs. Work Coaches can tailor the frequency of interviews and can contact claimants via phone or use the on-line journal to accommodate their caring responsibilities.
Full time carers of severely disabled children are not required to undertake any work-related activities, but can seek support on a voluntary basis if they wish.
Additionally, Universal Credit claimants who start work may be able to access the UC Work Allowance and Taper, enabling them to keep more of what they earn.
Asked by: Tonia Antoniazzi (Labour - Gower)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to end child poverty.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government is committed to reducing child poverty and supporting low-income families. We will spend around £276bn through the welfare system in Great Britain in 2023/24 including around £124bn on people of working age and children.
With 1.12 million job vacancies across the UK, our focus remains firmly on supporting individuals, including parents, to move into, and progress in work, an approach which is based on clear evidence about the importance of employment - particularly where it is full-time - in substantially reducing the risks of child poverty and in improving long-term outcomes for families and children. The latest statistics show that in 2021/22 children living in workless households were around 5 times more likely to be in absolute poverty after housing costs than those where all adults work.
At the Spring Budget, the Chancellor announced an ambitious package of measures designed to support people to enter work, increase their working hours and extend their working lives. The government’s employment package will focus on supporting inactive individuals aged 50+, disabled people, people with long-term health conditions, welfare claimants and parents. We are investing billions in additional childcare support for parents of toddlers, investing in wraparound childcare in schools, and increasing financial support for, and expectations of, parents claiming Universal Credit.
From April, we are uprating benefit rates and State Pensions by 10.1%. In order to increase the number of households who can benefit from these uprating decisions the benefit cap levels are also increasing by the same amount.
To further support those who are in work, including parents, from 1 April 2023, the National Living Wage (NLW) will increase by 9.7% to £10.42 an hour for workers aged 23 and over - the largest ever cash increase for the NLW.
For 2023/24, we have also announced further cost of living support. Households on eligible means-tested benefits will get up to £900 in Cost of Living Payments. This will be split into three payments of around £300 each across the 2023/24 financial year. A separate £300 payment will be made to pensioner households on top of their Winter Fuel Payments and individuals in receipt of eligible disability benefits will receive a £150 payment. Also, the government is maintaining the Energy Price Guarantee at £2,500 for a further three months, from April 2023.
Asked by: Paul Maynard (Conservative - Blackpool North and Cleveleys)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he plans to take to help low-income households afford essential appliances; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of using the Household Support Fund to provide funding for these appliances.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department for Work & Pensions will spend £245 billion through the welfare system in 2022/23. This includes £111 billion on people of working age and around £134 billion on pensioners.
Budgeting Advances are available to help finance intermittent or unforeseen expenses (for example, essential items like furniture or household equipment) or expenses related to maternity, obtaining or retaining employment. These advances ensure that low-income families that have an emergency financial need and do not have access to adequate savings or affordable loans can access funding to meet the emergency. Budgeting Advances are available to Universal Credit claimants who have been in receipt of Universal Credit continuously for at least six months or in receipt of a combination of existing benefits and Universal Credit continuously for at least six months.
For claimants currently in receipt of Income Support, income-based Jobseekers Allowance, Income-Related Employment and Support Allowance and Pension Credit, Social Fund Budgeting Loans are available, which mirror the rules for Universal Credit Budgeting Advances.
The Household Support Fund is a discretionary scheme run by Upper Tier Local Authorities in England to provide support to those most in need. The Household Support Fund should primarily be used to provide support vulnerable households with energy, food, and water costs, but may also provide support with essentials linked to these items and wider essentials. The guidance specifically states that this can include white goods such as fridges, freezers, ovens and slow cookers. Local Authorities have the ties and local knowledge to best determine how the Household Support Fund should be provided to their local communities. They have the discretion to design their own local schemes, within the parameters of the grant determination and guidance for the fund.
Asked by: Paul Maynard (Conservative - Blackpool North and Cleveleys)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to ensure that the financial support offered to people for buying furniture is equitable across regions.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department for Work & Pensions will spend £245 billion through the welfare system in 2022/23. This includes £111 billion on people of working age and around £134 billion on pensioners.
Budgeting Advances are available to help finance intermittent or unforeseen expenses (for example, essential items like furniture or household equipment) or expenses related to maternity, obtaining or retaining employment. These advances ensure that low-income families that have an emergency financial need and do not have access to adequate savings or affordable loans can access funding to meet the emergency. Budgeting Advances are available to Universal Credit claimants who have been in receipt of Universal Credit continuously for at least six months or in receipt of a combination of existing benefits and Universal Credit continuously for at least six months.
For claimants currently in receipt of Income Support, income-based Jobseekers Allowance, Income-Related Employment and Support Allowance and Pension Credit, Social Fund Budgeting Loans are available, which mirror the rules for Universal Credit Budgeting Advances.
The Household Support Fund is a discretionary scheme run by Upper Tier Local Authorities in England to provide support to those most in need. The Household Support Fund should primarily be used to provide support vulnerable households with energy, food, and water costs, but may also provide support with essentials linked to these items and wider essentials. The guidance specifically states that this can include white goods such as fridges, freezers, ovens and slow cookers. Local Authorities have the ties and local knowledge to best determine how the Household Support Fund should be provided to their local communities. They have the discretion to design their own local schemes, within the parameters of the grant determination and guidance for the fund.
Asked by: Karen Buck (Labour - Westminster North)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will publish the review of the Benefit Cap carried out under S96A of the Welfare Reform Act 2012.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Secretary of State’s decision was set out in both the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement on 17 November 2022 and the Written Ministerial Statement following a statutory review of the benefit cap levels.
Following the review, affirmative regulations are required to amend the Welfare Reform Act 2012 and consequential amendments made to the Housing Benefit Regulations and the Universal Credit Regulations. The changes are grouped together in a single statutory instrument, which was laid before Parliament and is currently undergoing Parliamentary approval.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many instances of benefit overpayment that were not attributable to a fault made by the claimant were (a) requested to be waived by claimants and (b) waived by his Department in each year since 2018.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
The Department for Work and Pensions only started to categorise waiver requests in 2020/21. Information from 2020/21 onwards can be found in the table below.
| Waivers requested relating to Official Error | O/E Waived |
20/21 | 12 | 3 |
21/22 | 97 | 5 |
22/23 (to date) | 104 | 25 |
Section 105 of The Welfare Reform Act 2012 states that any overpayment of Universal Credit, new style JSA or ESA, in excess of entitlement, is recoverable. The department therefore seeks to recover benefit overpayments accordingly, but remains committed to doing so without causing undue financial hardship.
Any claimants struggling with the proposed rate of deductions are encouraged to contact DWP Debt Management to discuss a temporary reduction in their rate of repayment.