Asked by: Colleen Fletcher (Labour - Coventry North East)
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 reduce the number of disabled people living in food poverty in (a) Coventry North East constituency, (b) Coventry, (c) the West Midlands and (d) England.
Answered by Chloe Smith
In 2021/22, we are spending £59 billion supporting disabled people and people with long-term health conditions, the highest ever level. The latest statistics for 2019/20 show rates of absolute poverty, both before and after housing costs, for individuals living in disabled families are down since 2009/10.
We are working to make sure that money spent on supporting disabled people and people with health conditions has a positive impact on their lives and we want to go further to support and empower disabled people and people with health conditions. Following the publication of Shaping Future Support: The Health and Disability Green Paper, published last year, we are actively considering changes that we could introduce to improve support for disabled people and people with health conditions. We will bring forward our proposals in a White Paper later this year
Asked by: Wes Streeting (Labour - Ilford North)
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 impact of the rate of inflation as of 21 October 2021 on child poverty.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
No such assessments have been made of the effect of the rate of inflation as of 21 October 2021 on child poverty.
However, DWP Secretary of State completes an annual review of most benefit rates for people below State Pension age to determine whether they have retained their value in relation to inflation. Where prices have increased relative to the value of those benefits, the Secretary of State will increase certain disability and carers’ benefits – such as Personal Independence Payments and Carer’s Allowance – at least in line with that increase. She may also decide to increase other benefits, such as the Universal Credit Standard Allowance. That decision is discretionary. The up-rating review is conducted in the Autumn of each year, with the outcome announced in November and the new rates implemented the following April.
We understand that with inflation rising, some people will be concerned about the cost of living. That is why this government is continuing to take action to support living standards by increasing the National Living Wage to £9.50 effective from April 1st 2022.
We have also announced a reduction in the taper rate in Universal Credit from 63% to 55% in the coming weeks, meaning Universal Credit claimants will be able to keep more of their earnings and announced that all work allowances will be increased by £500 per year, meaning many claimants will be able to earn over £550 each month before their benefits begin to be scaled down. These two measures mean 1.9m households will keep, on average, around an extra £1,000 a year.
Children living in workless households were around 5 times more likely to be in absolute poverty in 2019/20 than those where all adults work (before housing costs). That is why, through our Plan for Jobs, we are targeting tailored support schemes of people of all ages to help them prepare for, get into, and progress in work. Following the Chancellor’s extension and expansion announcement last month our Plan for Jobs interventions will support more than two million people.
In April this year we also increased the value of Healthy Start Food Vouchers from £3.10 to £4.25, helping eligible low-income households buy basic foods like milk, fruit and vitamins. We are also investing up to £221m in the Holiday Activities and Food programme, which has been expanded to every Local Authority across England. Participating children are benefitting from a range of support, including healthy and nutritious meals as well as fun and engaging activities covering the Easter, summer and Christmas holidays in 2021.
However, we recognise that some people may require extra support over the winter as we enter the final stages of recovery, which is why vulnerable households across the country will now be able to access a new £500 million support fund to help them with essentials. The Household Support Fund will provide £421 million to help vulnerable people in England. The Barnett Formula will apply in the usual way, with the devolved administrations receiving almost £80 million (£41m for the Scottish Government, £25m for the Welsh Government and £14m for the NI Executive), for a total of £500 million.
Asked by: Kirsten Oswald (Scottish National Party - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment she has made of the combined effect of (a) increased energy prices and (b) the end of the £20 uplift to universal credit on levels of child poverty.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
No such assessment has been made of the combined impact of increased energy prices and the ending of the £20 uplift on child poverty.
The latest poverty figures (2019/20) demonstrate that absolute poverty rates (both before and after housing costs) for children have fallen since 2009/10. In 2019/20, 17% of children were in absolute poverty (before housing costs), compared to 19% in 2009/10.
There have been significant positive developments in the public health situation since the uplift was first introduced. With the success of the vaccine rollout and record job vacancies, it is right that our focus is on helping people back into work. This approach is based on clear evidence about the importance of employment, particularly where it is full-time, in substantially reducing the risks of poverty.
This Government is wholly committed to supporting those on low incomes, and continues to do so through many measures, including by increasing the living wage, and by spending over £111 billion on welfare support for people of working age in 2021/22.
In April this year we increased the value of Healthy Start Food Vouchers from £3.10 to £4.25, helping eligible low income households buy basic foods like milk, fruit and vitamins. We are also investing up to £221m in the Holiday Activities and Food programme, which has been expanded to every Local Authority across England. Participating children are benefitting from a range of support, including healthy and nutritious meals as well as fun and engaging activities covering the Easter, summer and Christmas holidays in 2021.
We recognise that some people continue to require extra support, which is why we have introduced a £421 million Household Support Fund to help vulnerable people in England with essential household costs over the winter as the economy recovers. The Barnett Formula will apply in the usual way, with the devolved administrations receiving almost £80 million (£41m for the Scottish Government, £25m for the Welsh Government and £14m for the NI Executive), for a total of £500 million.
The Cold Weather Payment scheme also helps vulnerable people in receipt of certain in-come-related benefits to meet the additional costs of heating during periods of severe cold weather. Cold Weather Payments are targeted at those in receipt of eligible benefits with a pension element or disability component or where there is a child under five in the house-hold.
Asked by: Owen Thompson (Scottish National Party - Midlothian)
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 in response to Trussell Trust’s findings on the use of food banks by people who (a) met the Trussell Trust's definition of being destitute and (b) are disabled in its report entitled State of Hunger, published in May 2021.
Answered by Will Quince
This Government is wholly committed to tackling poverty. Throughout the pandemic, our priority has been to support the most vulnerable including through spending an additional £7.4 billion to strengthen the welfare system, taking our total expenditure on welfare support for people of working age to an estimated £111 billion in 2020/21.
We are spending over £57 billion during 2021/22 on benefits to support disabled people and people with health conditions, including but not limited to new style Employment and Support Allowance, Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment. Benefits to meet the additional costs of disability were excluded from the benefit freeze which was in place from 2016 to 2020 and during that period were uprated in line with prices.
There is clear evidence about the importance of employment, particularly where it is full-time, in substantially reducing the risks of poverty. The Government recognises the important economic contribution of disabled people in the labour market and in 2017 we set a goal to see one million more disabled people in work by 2027. DWP delivers a range of programmes to support disabled people, to stay in or move into work. These include the Work and Health Programme, Intensive Personalised Employment Support, Access to Work, Disability Confident and initiatives in partnership with the health system, including Employment Advice in NHS Improving Access to Psychological Therapy services and Individual Placement and Support.
Asked by: Gill Furniss (Labour - Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the finding in the report by the Trussell Trust entitled The State of Hunger, published in 2019, that 62 per cent of food bank users were disabled, what steps she is taking to reduce poverty among disabled people.
Answered by Will Quince
This Government is wholly committed to tackling poverty. Throughout the pandemic, our priority has been to support the most vulnerable including through spending an additional £7.4billion to strengthen the welfare system, taking our total expenditure on welfare support for people of working age to an estimated £112 billion in 2020/21. In December 2020 we introduced our Covid Winter Grant Scheme providing funding to Local Authorities in England to enable them to support people with food and essential utility bills during the coldest months. It will now run to the 20th June as the Covid Local Support Grant, with a total investment of £269m.
We will spend over £57 billion during 2021/22 on benefits to support disabled people and people with health conditions, including but not limited to new style Employment and Support Allowance, Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment. Benefits to meet the additional costs of disability were excluded from the benefit freeze which was in place from 2016 to 2020 and during that period were uprated in line with prices.
There is clear evidence about the importance of employment, particularly where it is full-time, in substantially reducing the risks of poverty. The Government recognises the important economic contribution of disabled people in the labour market and in 2017 we set a goal to see one million more disabled people in work by 2027. DWP delivers a range of programmes to support disabled people, to stay in or move into work. These include the Work and Health Programme, Intensive Personalised Employment Support, Access to Work, Disability Confident and initiatives in partnership with the health system, including Employment Advice in NHS Improving Access to Psychological Therapy services and Individual Placement and Support.
Asked by: Colleen Fletcher (Labour - Coventry North East)
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 reduce the number of disabled people living in food poverty.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
We spend over £55 billion a year on benefits to support disabled people and people with health conditions – up nearly £10 billion since 2010 and more than ever before.
The Department has announced it will be bringing forward a Green Paper on health and disability support, considering issues that disabled people have told us that they want to see addressed. This will explore a wide range of issues linked to health and disability benefits and the wider support that is provided.
Asked by: Jim Cunningham (Labour - Coventry 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 reduce the number of disabled people in food poverty.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
We will spend over £55 billion this year (2019/20) on benefits to support disabled people and people with health conditions. This is around 2.5% of GDP, and over 6% of government spending, and as a share of GDP, the UK’s public spending is second highest in the G7, bar Germany [OECD 2015 data]. This year spending on the main disability benefits (PIP, DLA and Attendance Allowance) will be over £6bn higher in real terms than it was in 2010.
Alongside this, we want to build a better understanding of household food needs so that future support reaches those who need it most. The new questions that we are including on the Family Resources Survey starting from April 2019 will enable us to better understand the drivers of food insecurity and identify which groups are most at risk.
We are committed to helping people with health conditions and disabilities move nearer to the labour market and, when ready, into work, by building more personalised tailored employment and health support, such as:
Asked by: Jeff Smith (Labour - Manchester, Withington)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the report published by the Trussell Trust on 5 October 2018 entitled The next stages of Universal Credit, what steps the Government plans to take to ensure that people switching to universal credit do not fall into food poverty.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
We work closely with The Trussell Trust and welcome their feedback. It is worth noting that much of their analysis was carried out before the improvements we announced at Autumn Budget 2017, and which were introduced earlier this year. The comprehensive and wide-ranging package worth £1.5 billion to help people in their first assessment period included, the abolition of waiting days, the introduction of advances up to 100% of a claimant’s indicative award (repayable over a period of up to 12 months), and a two week transitional payment for those previously claiming Housing Benefit.
The Trust welcomed our changes in the Budget saying they would “ease the pressure on thousands of households on very low incomes” and “shows that Government is listening”.
Earlier this month, we announced a new partnership with Citizens Advice and Citizens Advice Scotland to deliver Universal Support. We want to make sure that the most vulnerable people get the best possible support when claiming Universal Credit. Citizens Advice will help deliver a high-quality and consistent service to people claiming Universal Credit, to assist them manage their claim, get paid on time and budget effectively. This was welcomed by the Trussell Trust.
As part of the managed migration regulations which will come before Parliament in the autumn, we have proposed transitional protection for the 500,000 individuals currently receiving the Severe Disability Premium. It should also be noted that in the legacy benefits system there are £2.4bn of unclaimed benefits not taken up by people who need them, because they do not know about them. These regulations will ensure that 700,000 more households will get paid their full entitlement under Universal Credit.
We do not underestimate the challenge that managed migration represents and we are working closely with stakeholders to design the best solution. Our focus will be on safeguarding claimants and ensuring a smooth transition with uninterrupted support. The draft regulations have been out for consultation with the Social Security Advisory Committee and will be subject to scrutiny and approval by Parliament. During 2019 we will test and refine our processes on a small scale to ensure they are working well before we take on larger volumes from 2020 onwards, and complete the process in 2023.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to tackle leprosy in (a) Africa and (b) Bangladesh.
Answered by Alistair Burt
DFID supports the Livelihoods and Food Security in Leprosy-Affected Communities programme in Cabo Delgado Province, Mozambique, through the Leprosy Mission England and Wales. The programme seeks to improve the livelihoods and food security of thousands of people living below the poverty line, with a particular focus on people affected by leprosy, other neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) and disabilities. DFID also supports Reaching the Unreached: A participatory approach empowering women to prevent disability as a result of leprosy and lymphatic filariasis programme in rural Bangladesh, through LEPRA.
At a global level DFID funds the WHO to achieve progress towards their WHO 2020 targets on leprosy. DFID is also helping countries so that they are better able to detect and treat all causes of ill health, including leprosy.
Asked by: Lord Hain (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Neville-Rolfe on 19 April (HL Deb, col 614), whether they will write to the Welsh Government Minister for Public Services setting out in full their argument that those sections of the Trade Union Bill applying only to devolved public services in Wales are nevertheless reserved matters, and if so, whether they will place a copy of that letter in the Library of the House.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
Ministers have engaged with the Devolved Administrations on the Trade Union Act.
As part of our engagement, Nick Boles, the policy Minister for the Trade Union Act, has received four letters from Leighton Andrews, Minister for Public Services in the Welsh Government. These letters related to specific aspects of the Act and the Welsh Government position on their applicability in Wales. On 5th February 2016 Nick Boles had a telephone conversation with Leighton Andrews on the Act; and on 4 March, he replied to the letters and has placed a copy of the correspondence in the Library.
As set out throughout its parliamentary passage, the Act is about employment and industrial relations law, which are reserved matters. It will apply consistently across Great Britain, including to public services in Wales.