Baroness Stedman-Scott: Of those claimants in receipt of Disability Living Allowance (DLA) in England and Wales in May 2022 (the most recent data available), 220 were not eligible for a Disability Cost of Living Payment (DCoLP), as they had claimed the benefit after the 25th May 2022 deadline. A further 3,020 may not have been eligible as they had their DLA suspended in May. Some of these claimants may have been...
Baroness Stedman-Scott: There are currently no plans to increase payment of the Cold Weather Payment scheme. The current Cold Weather Payment scheme represents a contribution towards additional heating costs, paid at the time of need. Pensioner households are in the process of receiving an extra £300 on top of their winter fuel payment to help them cover the rising cost of energy this winter. For those in receipt...
Baroness Stedman-Scott: In addition to the Government supporting those in receipt of public fund benefits with cost-of-living payments, the package also includes a range of measures that those with no recourse to public funds could also benefit from, if they meet the eligibility criteria. This would include an increase to the National Living Wage (NLW) by 9.7% to £10.42 an hour for workers aged 23 and over, from...
Baroness Stedman-Scott: DWP does not maintain data for the longest time taken to process Pension Credit applications. This information is only available at disproportionate cost to the Department for Work & Pensions as the Department does not have a business requirement for this information to be retained. We are processing claims as quickly as possible and streamlining our processes, as well as increasing our...
Baroness Stedman-Scott: Details of the plan for the publication of ethnicity data for Universal Credit claimants can be found under the heading of ‘Ethnicity for Universal Credit claimants’ in the background information section of the ‘Universal Credit Statistics Background Information & Methodology’ document on the GOV.UK website which can be accessed in the Library of the House. For reporting on and...
Baroness Stedman-Scott: The taxpayer funded Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS) has been operational since 2005. It was set up to award financial assistance to members of eligible defined benefit pension schemes which started to wind up underfunded between 1 January 1997 and 5 April 2005. Since it was established, the FAS has been extended and improved several times, making the financial help more generous and...
Baroness Stedman-Scott: Movement of legacy benefit recipients to Universal Credit (UC) started in May 2022, with the first 500 notices taking place in Bolton and Medway. Since then, the Discovery Phase of Move to UC issued over 1500 Migration Notices across 5 geographical areas including Truro & Falmouth, Harrow, Northumberland, and Cornwall. By the end of 2024 we estimate nearly 90% of households claiming working...
Baroness Stedman-Scott: The Department for Work and Pensions’ Youth Offer is providing individually tailored work coach support to young people aged 16-24 who are in the Universal Credit Intensive Work Search group. This includes intensive support during the first 13 weeks of a claim through the Youth Employment Programme and a network of Youth Hubs across Great Britain that provide place-based support in...
Baroness Stedman-Scott: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost. As of February 2019, the estimated cost of uprating State Pension in frozen rate countries was around £0.6 billion for 2022 to 2023. This information is published at Estimated costs of uprating State Pension in frozen rate countries - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). The total number of people in...
Baroness Stedman-Scott: Work Coaches are not required to hold qualifications that are specific to the work they do with young people seeking employment. They undergo a comprehensive learning journey designed to equip them with the tools, skills and behaviours required to provide a high quality, efficient service to all claimants. Work Coaches receive on-going learning in their roles and access to guidance which is...
Baroness Stedman-Scott: The Household Support Fund is a discretionary scheme delivered by Local Authorities in England and administered by the Department for Work and Pensions. The scheme is intended to support those in the most need with the cost of essentials. The Household Support Fund is not designed to increase the wages of low-paid workers but is rather intended to support households in the most need to help...
Baroness Stedman-Scott: For the benefits listed there are many different rates. The tables in the spreadsheet attached show a selection of illustrative examples for each benefit in both cash and real terms. Child Tax Credits are administered by HMRC and are not a DWP responsibility. Rates are therefore not provided here. HL3573 attachment (xlsx, 39.2KB)
Baroness Stedman-Scott: The Government recognises and values the vital contribution made by carers every day in providing significant care and continuity of support to family and friends, including pensioners and those with disabilities. Depending on personal circumstances, carers may be eligible for means-tested benefits, including Universal Credit and Pension Credit. Means-tested benefits can be paid to carers...
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.