Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley Central)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the impact of removing the upper age limit for Personal Independence Payment claimants on those with mobility issues who are over pension age.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Government support for mobility needs is focused on people who become disabled earlier in life; developing mobility needs in older life is a normal consequence of ageing for which people can plan and save for.
Individuals can claim Personal Independence Payment (PIP) for the first time up to the day before they reach State Pension age (SPa). Once someone is in receipt of PIP they can continue to do so beyond SPa, including the mobility component if they were in receipt of it on reaching SPa, for as long as they fulfil the entitlement conditions. There are limited circumstances where someone in receipt of the mobility component can move between rates once over SPa.
PIP claimants over SPa cannot establish a new entitlement to either rate of the mobility component in line with the general principle set out above.
The upper age limit for claiming PIP by new claimants for the first time was last reviewed prior to the most recent changes to SPa made by the Pensions Act 2014 and we have no plans to amend the upper age limit.
Where someone develops mobility difficulties when over SPa they can use any benefit they receive, including the daily living component of PIP, to meet those needs in a way that best suits them. Additional travel concessions and support may also be available by reference to age, whether or not there are mobility needs.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason people of retirement age are ineligible for the mobility component of personal independence payment.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Government mobility support is focused on people who are disabled earlier in life; developing mobility needs in older life is a normal consequence of ageing.
You can claim Personal Independence Payment (PIP) until you reach State pension age. Thereafter if you are receiving PIP you will continue to do so including the mobility component. If you have a change in circumstances where a health condition worsens after state pension age, you cannot claim the mobility component if you did not receive this previously.
A mobility component is also not provided to those who claim Attendance Allowance.
Asked by: Barbara Keeley (Labour - Worsley and Eccles South)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking taking to increase the supply of housing-with-care for older people.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The growth of this sector is important for meeting the needs of the ageing population and supporting our housing supply objectives. We are investing over £12 billion in affordable housing over 5 years, the largest investment in affordable housing in a decade. This includes the new £11.5 billion Affordable Homes Programme, where 10 per cent of delivery over the course of the programme will be used to increase the supply of much needed specialist or supported housing, including retirement housing. DHSC are also continuing to subsidise new supply of specialist housing for older and disabled people through the Care and Support Specialised Housing (CASSH) Fund.
We are continuing to work closely with the sector and across Government to look at how we can further support its growth. This includes considering the merits of different engagement and delivery models including the proposals for a taskforce.
Ministerial meetings with external organisations are published on Gov.uk.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Labour - Weaver Vale)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of a cross-departmental task force on increasing the supply of housing-with-care.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The growth of this sector is important for meeting the needs of the ageing population and supporting our housing supply objectives. We are investing over £12 billion in affordable housing over 5 years, the largest investment in affordable housing in a decade. This includes the new £11.5 billion Affordable Homes Programme, where 10 per cent of delivery over the course of the programme will be used to increase the supply of much needed specialist or supported housing, including retirement housing. DHSC are also continuing to subsidise new supply of specialist housing for older and disabled people through the Care and Support Specialised Housing (CASSH) Fund.
We are continuing to work closely with the sector and across Government to look at how we can further support its growth. This includes considering the merits of different engagement and delivery models including the proposals for a taskforce.
Ministerial meetings with external organisations are published on Gov.uk.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Labour - Weaver Vale)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to increase the supply of housing-with-care.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The growth of this sector is important for meeting the needs of the ageing population and supporting our housing supply objectives. We are investing over £12 billion in affordable housing over 5 years, the largest investment in affordable housing in a decade. This includes the new £11.5 billion Affordable Homes Programme, where 10 per cent of delivery over the course of the programme will be used to increase the supply of much needed specialist or supported housing, including retirement housing. DHSC are also continuing to subsidise new supply of specialist housing for older and disabled people through the Care and Support Specialised Housing (CASSH) Fund.
We are continuing to work closely with the sector and across Government to look at how we can further support its growth. This includes considering the merits of different engagement and delivery models including the proposals for a taskforce.
Ministerial meetings with external organisations are published on Gov.uk.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Labour - Weaver Vale)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what meetings he has had with representatives of the older people’s housing-with-care sector in the last six months.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The growth of this sector is important for meeting the needs of the ageing population and supporting our housing supply objectives. We are investing over £12 billion in affordable housing over 5 years, the largest investment in affordable housing in a decade. This includes the new £11.5 billion Affordable Homes Programme, where 10 per cent of delivery over the course of the programme will be used to increase the supply of much needed specialist or supported housing, including retirement housing. DHSC are also continuing to subsidise new supply of specialist housing for older and disabled people through the Care and Support Specialised Housing (CASSH) Fund.
We are continuing to work closely with the sector and across Government to look at how we can further support its growth. This includes considering the merits of different engagement and delivery models including the proposals for a taskforce.
Ministerial meetings with external organisations are published on Gov.uk.
Asked by: Barbara Keeley (Labour - Worsley and Eccles South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of current trends in the levels of demand for housing-with-care provision.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Housing-with-care has a vital role in enabling older people to live independently, with the necessary care and support available if required. Both the Department of Health and Social Care and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government provide capital funding subsidy to incentivise their supply. In the context of an ageing population, both Departments are committed to working closely together, and across government, to refine our understanding of the evidence base around specialist housing, adult social care and health. Both Departments are also committed to further improve the diversity of housing options available to older people, including housing-with-care, and are engaging closely both with the sector and a range of other stakeholders on this issue.
Asked by: Barbara Keeley (Labour - Worsley and Eccles South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on increasing housing-with-care provision.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Housing-with-care has a vital role in enabling older people to live independently, with the necessary care and support available if required. Both the Department of Health and Social Care and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government provide capital funding subsidy to incentivise their supply. In the context of an ageing population, both Departments are committed to working closely together, and across government, to refine our understanding of the evidence base around specialist housing, adult social care and health. Both Departments are also committed to further improve the diversity of housing options available to older people, including housing-with-care, and are engaging closely both with the sector and a range of other stakeholders on this issue.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Labour - Weaver Vale)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of extending eligibility to the Motability scheme for people in receipt of attendance allowance who have also been diagnosed with a terminal illness after state pension age.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Motability Scheme was designed to provide people entitled to mobility welfare payments with access to a vehicle. The Scheme is open to anyone who qualifies for the higher rate mobility component for Disability Living Allowance, the enhanced rate of the mobility component for Personal Independence Payment, the Armed Forces Independence Payment or War Pensioners Mobility Supplement.
Attendance Allowance is intended to help those with a severe disability who have long term care or supervision needs which arise after reaching State Pension age. It has never included a mobility component, and so cannot be used in payment for a leased Motability scheme vehicle. Government mobility support is focused on people who are disabled earlier in life; developing mobility needs in older life is a normal consequence of ageing, which non-disabled younger people have had opportunity to plan and save for.
Special rules apply to people considered to be terminally ill when applying for AA, DLA or PIP. However, there is no automatic entitlement to a mobility component of either DLA or PIP, and, while there would be no qualifying period, an eligible claimant would need to satisfy conditions for this entitlement.
Benefits such as DLA or PIP can continue beyond State Pension age for as long as the individual remains entitled. This would allow an individual with existing entitlement to retain their Motability vehicle.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the research published by Ageing Better as part of their Who is at risk of missing out? project in relation to the inequalities between older BAME and white communities.
Answered by Baroness Berridge
This Government is committed to tackle prejudice, racism and discrimination - and to improve the quality of data and evidence about the types of barriers faced by people from different backgrounds to help drive effective and lasting change. That is why we have established a new Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities. This cross-government commission will examine all aspects of continuing racial and ethnic inequalities in Britain.
In addition, following the publication of the report ‘COVID 19: Review of disparities in risks and outcomes’, Minister for Equalities, Kemi Badenoch was asked by the Prime Minister to act on its findings. As part of this the Cabinet Office’s Race Disparity Unit is working closely with academics, scientists and analysts, to establish emerging data patterns and trends in regards to the impact of COVID-19 on ethnic minority communities.
Factors that are being considered include age and sex, occupation, obesity, comorbidities, geography, and ethnicity.