Baroness Stedman-Scott: The Equality Act 2010 (the Act) provides for protection of disabled people, including those needing assistance dogs, in employment and the supply of goods, services, public functions and in clubs and associations. It does not have universal application to the public, or in other settings, and general public education campaigns about it would not be proportionate. However, the Government runs...
Baroness Stedman-Scott: E-bikes provided by employers for use at work are classed as work equipment and employers should provide a charging unit recommended by the manufacturer; They should assess and manage the risks from e-bikes and chargers. Employers should make sure workers have the knowledge they need to use and maintain e-bikes safely, including giving them the information they need, e.g. manufacturer’s...
Baroness Stedman-Scott: The government understands the pressures people are facing with the cost of living this Winter and is taking action to support people with their energy bills. The government’s Energy Price Guarantee, running from October 2022- March 2023, will save a typical British household around £900 this winter, based on what energy price would have been under the current price cap – reducing bills...
Baroness Stedman-Scott: The Department’s formal consultation on the draft Occupational Pension Schemes (Funding and Investment Strategy and Amendment) Regulations 2023 closed on 17 October 2022 and we are currently analysing responses. These Regulations will come into force in due course along with the Pension Regulator's revised Defined Benefit Funding Code of Practice.
Baroness Stedman-Scott: The DWP benefit and expenditure tables show the outturn for winter fuel payments for the year 2020/21 to be £1,958 million in nominal terms. Further detail can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/benefit-expenditu re-and-caseload-tables-2022 The Winter Fuel Payment statistics for 2020/21 and 2021/22 have now been published and can be found here:...
Baroness Stedman-Scott: We do not collect this information.
Baroness Stedman-Scott: Following the consultation with a heath professional and receipt of the subsequent functional assessment report, DWP Case Managers are trained to make outbound calls to customers, where necessary, as part of the decision-making process to clarify any gaps in evidence or further clarify customers’ restrictions.
Baroness Stedman-Scott: The commitment to consult on disability workforce reporting was set out in the National Disability Strategy. In January 2022, the High Court declared that the strategy was unlawful because the UK Disability Survey, which informed it, was held to be a voluntary consultation that failed to comply with the legal requirements on public consultations. The Department aims to minimise the risk of...
Baroness Stedman-Scott: We currently aim to process claims within 35 days from receipt, although following the successful launch of our campaign to increase take up of Pension Credit, we have received an unprecedented number of claims, which has resulted in average processing increasing. We are processing claims as quickly as possible and streamlining our processes, as well as increasing our staffing resources,...
Draft Cessation of EU Law Relation to Prohibitions on Grounds of Nationality and Free Movement of Persons Regulations 2022 - motion to approve – Baroness Stedman-Scott.
Draft Biocidal Products (Health and Safety) (Amendment) Regulations 2022 - motion to approve – Baroness Stedman-Scott.
Baroness Stedman-Scott: The basic State Pension rate as a percentage of mean earnings is set out below. Date of Uprating Basic State Pension Rate as a percentage of mean earnings (%) April 2010 16.3 April 2011 16.9 April 2012 17.7 April 2013 17.8 April 2014 18.2 April 2015 18.5 April 2016 18.5 April 2017 18.5 April 2018 18.4 April 2019 18.4 April 2020 19.0 April 2021 18.9 ...
Baroness Stedman-Scott: The Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work is looking forward to an early meeting with Carers UK to discuss this and its recent report. Our main conclusion from that helpful report is that carers in financial need may wish to check whether they have applied for all the benefits that they are entitled to, including means-tested benefits. That can provide them with an extra weekly income...
Baroness Stedman-Scott: I accept that the requests in the paper are modest—I really do. I must pay tribute to the work that carers do; it is much valued and respected. With regard to a top-up or an extra payment, unpaid carers can already get a top-up through means-tested benefits. I re-emphasise that we must make sure that they claim everything they should. The earnings limit for those in receipt of carer’s...
Baroness Stedman-Scott: There are two things. We understand the pressures on carers facing the cost of living crisis, especially around energy costs. They will get support through the energy price guarantee, which is supporting millions of households with rising energy costs. I am just waiting for someone to ask me about uprating. We have nine minutes to go until the Chancellor’s Statement, and I stand here in hope.
Baroness Stedman-Scott: My very straightforward answer is that there are no plans for a review or working group on this. Knowing how vociferous the noble Baroness is about things that matter to her, I would have thought that a letter to the Secretary of State would not be a bad thing.
Baroness Stedman-Scott: We should wait and see what the Chancellor says, and I am hopeful about that. I re-emphasise that means-tested benefits can increase payments to carers quite significantly. I am sure that, when Carers UK meet the Minister for Disabled People and talk about the report, they will discuss in detail some plan to raise awareness of those benefits.
Baroness Stedman-Scott: I go back to my previous answer. We have done it for pension credit, and we have had quite some impact there. I cannot commit to doing the same for carer’s allowance, but I am sure that, when Carers UK meet the Minister for Disabled People, that should be if not number one then number two on the agenda. There are other ways people can know about those means-tested benefits, including GOV.UK...
Baroness Stedman-Scott: I ask my noble friend Lord Markham, “Shall we talk?”. I am very happy to talk to anybody to make life better for people. Maybe my noble friend can follow that through in the next Question.
Baroness Stedman-Scott: Those who are on carer’s allowance receive the £400. Those who are on carer’s allowance but who are entitled to the carer’s element of UC, where they are not required to look for work, can get another £2,000. The Government are helping, and we are four minutes away from finding out what more they might do around energy costs. The stories and case studies that the noble Baroness read...