Viscount Younger of Leckie: I will not be drawn into answering questions on that, but I can say that it is important that the scrutiny of the Bill is done in an effective way and, of course, this House is very good at doing that. As I have mentioned before, it is very important that there is trust in AI solutions; this must be a prevalent issue among all users of AI.
Viscount Younger of Leckie: Yes, and I can outline that a lot of very good work has been done so far. As I said earlier, the work still has to include human judgment, but AI is being used to assist with improving on repetitive processes for staff. We are introducing conversational platforms for triaging, which will lead directly to having a human face. The whole point is to speed up the process and include more human...
Viscount Younger of Leckie: I am not aware of that, but I will most certainly look at it.
Viscount Younger of Leckie: I will need to write to the noble Lord with those specific figures.
Viscount Younger of Leckie: I can give the noble Lord some reassurance on the processes that we have in place. AI is an evolving, iterative process and it is important to highlight the fact that we have a test- and-learn approach. We must proceed with extreme caution in what we are doing. Test-and-learn means that we need to get to a point where we are assured that this will work and that nobody will be affected...
Viscount Younger of Leckie: Government recognises that understanding food security is important and this is why we added internationally used food security questions to the Family Resources Survey in 2019/20 and added further questions on foodbank use in 2021/22. These statistics help our understanding of the characteristics of people most in need and, alongside the broad suite of poverty data, help to shape future...
Viscount Younger of Leckie: Figures for the number of people currently claiming disability benefits – Personal Independence Payment (PIP), Disability Living Allowance (DLA), and Attendance Allowance (AA) due to mental health conditions. Table (a) – Claimants on the PIP caseload with mental health conditions Benefit Number of cases PIP 1,119,500 Table (b) – Claimants on the DLA caseload with mental...
Viscount Younger of Leckie: The UK State Pension is payable worldwide to those who meet the qualifying conditions, without regard to nationality, and the amount is based on an individual’s National Insurance record. UK State Pensions are up-rated overseas only where there is a legal requirement to do so. The Government has no plans to change this policy. People who live outside the UK will not receive an increase in...
Viscount Younger of Leckie: My Lords, I begin by expressing my own condolences at the loss of the noble Lord, Lord Darling. I was shocked and greatly saddened when I heard the news earlier today. He was a giant of a man, and he was extremely helpful, indeed instrumental, in helping the country through the financial crisis back in 2008 and onwards. It is a pleasure to close this important debate which, at its heart, is...
Viscount Younger of Leckie: I have asked about that figure. I will need to check whether I can give it to the noble Baroness, as it is not in the public domain. It is substantial. I will write to her to give her whatever answer I can. It is a very fair question, which was also raised by the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of London. However, that is as far as I am able to go.
Viscount Younger of Leckie: I will most certainly do that. I will conclude briefly, because time has run out. I have not had a chance to focus on safeguards, which the noble Baroness, Lady Sherlock, raised. I will write to her on that as there is quite a lot to say. I close by saying that our Back to Work plan is about putting fairness at the heart of our welfare system: fairness for claimants who play by the rules and...
Viscount Younger of Leckie: We will continue to work in close collaboration and partnership with other government departments and bodies to align with government’s AI approach, particularly the AI Safety Institute. DWP is exploring the use of AI and how it can support better digital services in a safe, transparent, ethical and considered way. We will work with HSE as and where it is appropriate to do so.
Viscount Younger of Leckie: The Government is committed to supporting individuals who are in low paid work to progress, helping them increase their earnings and move into better paid quality jobs. Universal Credit seeks to ensure that claimants are better off working more hours and earning more money, helping them ultimately to become financially independent. Universal Credit claimants who earn below the...
Viscount Younger of Leckie: Universal Support is a new, voluntary employment programme for inactive disabled people and those with health conditions who have additional barriers to employment. The main programme expected to launch in Autumn 2024, will offer individuals up to 12 months of ‘place and train’ support by a dedicated keyworker, helping them find a suitable role and catering to their needs. Universal...
Viscount Younger of Leckie: There are 1,500 employment advisors as of the end of October 2023 in England. Activity FTE (UCJC) Armed Forces Champion Lead. 10 (UCJC) Armed Forces Champion. 30 (UCJC) DWP Group Partnerships Mgmt. 30 (UCJC) DWP National Emp/Pship Teams. 70 (UCJC) DWP Partnerships LM/Skills Prov. 200 (UCJC) DWP Partnerships Relationship Mgmt. 180 (UCJC) Emp/Pship Admin Support. 40 ...
Viscount Younger of Leckie: The Department advised users on GOV.UK on 7 November 2023, that information on the age of youngest child for capped Housing Benefit households will be suspended from the next release of Benefit Cap statistics (due to be published on 12 December 2023). This is due to an issue with the quality of the HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) statistical Child Benefit data, which is currently being...
Viscount Younger of Leckie: Everyone in DWP has a role to play in stopping fraud and error. In recent Spending Rounds we secured additional funding enabling us to enhance our counter-fraud and error capabilities including a new Targeted Case Review (TCR) team to review millions of Universal Credit claims, as well as recruitment into our Counter Fraud & Compliance Directorate (CFCD). We are continuing to create a...
Viscount Younger of Leckie: The Government is committed to reducing poverty, including 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, and around £152 billion on pensioners. Of this, around £79 billion will be spent on benefits to support disabled people and people with...
Draft Pensions Act 2004 and the Equality Act 2010 (Amendment) (Equal Treatment by Occupational Pension Schemes) Regulations 2023 Draft Occupational Pension Schemes (Amendment) (Equal Treatment) (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2023; Draft Pensions Act 2004 (Amendment) (Pension Protection Fund Compensation) Regulations 2023 Draft Pensions (Pension Protection Fund Compensation) (Northern....
Draft Carer’s Assistance (Carer Support Payment) (Scotland) Regulations 2023 (Consequential Modifications) Order 2023 – Viscount Younger of Leckie.