Guy Opperman: ...with housing costs, council tax, heating bills and a free TV licence for those over 75. Around 70 per cent of eligible pensioners already receive the main Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit but we want all eligible pensioners to claim it. That’s why on 16 June as part of a media day of action on Pension Credit, DWP joined forces with Age UK as well as the BBC to help reach, via...
Guy Opperman: ...increased the headline growth rate in earnings above the underlying rate. There is no single accepted approach to assessing underlying growth. ONS have published a range of possible growth rates, but acknowledge these should be treated with caution. Therefore, it would not be appropriate to use estimated underlying levels of wage growth as it would not be a robust basis by which to...
Guy Opperman: ...growth figure of 8 to 8.5%. The Social Security (Up-rating of Benefits) Bill will ensure pensioners’ spending power is preserved and that they are protected from higher costs of living. But it will also ensure that as we are having to make difficult decisions elsewhere across public spending, pensioners are not unfairly benefitting from a statistical anomaly. Annual growth in average...
Guy Opperman: ...26 years ago, and that policy was continued by successive Governments, including during the 13 years of the Labour Government. In respect of all matters on an ongoing basis, we consider the PHSO, but clearly, it is a three-stage process and we are only at stage 1.
Guy Opperman: ...pension schemes”, and I would encourage everyone to get involved with that. That will genuinely transform the supply chain, access to finance and investment in all parts of the world, but particularly in respect of Africa.
Guy Opperman: No assessment has been made, but the Pension Protection Fund continue to provide statutory compensation where a sponsoring employer becomes insolvent.
Guy Opperman: ...have access to cash. Vouchers will be uploaded to a card or sent electronically via SMS text or email. Customers will need to cash the full amount of the voucher (vouchers are maximum £100) but do not have to cash all of their vouchers at the same time. This is a similar process to when customers used to be issued with Order Books and Girocheques. PayPoint retailers and the Post Office...
Guy Opperman: ...and where appropriate, of the devolved administrations. The wearing of face coverings remains a legal requirement in both Scotland and Wales In England there is no such legal requirement but the latest BEIS guidance “encourage(s) the use of face coverings by workers or customers in enclosed and crowded spaces” https://www.gov.uk/guidance/working-safely-during-covid-19/o...
Guy Opperman: ...death, an immediate family member (parent or child), a close relative or a close friend may be considered for help through the scheme. Where the surviving partner of the deceased was not estranged but is unable to act on their own behalf, a person, or a body of people, may apply to act on their behalf as an appointee. If a surviving partner is able to act on their own behalf and but is not...
Guy Opperman: I will get the Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work to write to the hon. Gentleman, but he will be aware that we spend £57 billion on benefits to support disabled people and people with health conditions. At the same time, we have reformed employment and support allowance in the light of covid and brought in supportive changes to statutory sick pay, local housing allowance and the...
Guy Opperman: I will get the Disability Minister, my hon. Friend the Member for North Swindon (Justin Tomlinson), to write to the hon. Lady with a specific answer to her specific questions, but I can assure her that yes, when the consultation is responded to, it will be in full detail and will address the points that she raised.
Guy Opperman: ...that it was the Labour party that set up the Pensions Regulator with operational independence to deal with these matters. He may have forgotten the basis on which the Pensions Regulator was set up, but I have not. It is a matter between the Pensions Regulator and the individual company, but I am sure that he will take that up when he meets the Pensions Regulator.
Guy Opperman: ...by five-year age bands of how qualifying years were built up for the tax years 2011/12 and 2018/19. The line ‘No Full Qualifying Year’ refers to those individuals who may have had some contributions or credits recorded, but did not build a qualifying year in the respective years. The line ‘NI Contributions and Credits’ indicates where a qualifying year includes some periods of...
Guy Opperman: That is a very fair question that I shall attempt to answer while I am on my feet, but I believe that it is not required. Section 22 of the 2015 Act excludes impact from the definition of regulatory provision, so I believe that it is an exclusion rather than a requirement. If I am wrong in any way, I shall write to the hon. Gentleman and correct myself. I may be corrected while I am on my...
Guy Opperman: Nothing from me, but thank you very much, Ms Ghani.
Guy Opperman: Q This relates to amendment 6, which will be moved later, but does the annual report include an assessment of the operation of the Fraud Compensation Fund?
Guy Opperman: You are very kind, Chair, but I do not.
Guy Opperman: The Department aims to respond to correspondence from hon. Members and their constituents within 20 working days wherever possible. Where the matters raised are complex it may take longer, but we aim to keep any delay to a minimum. The Cabinet Office publishes information about individual Department’s performance in responding to hon. Members; the most recent information will be published...
John Glen: It is a great honour to speak in this debate and to have worked with the pensions Minister—the Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, my hon. Friend the Member for Hexham (Guy Opperman)—to bring forward this legislation. Many Members of this House, if not all, will have constituents who have been affected by the issues that we have dealt with and discussed this afternoon. I am...
Guy Opperman: ...are world-leading and will embed the recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures into UK law. Climate change is an existential challenge to our environment, but not only that, it poses a systematic financial risk and threat to the long-term sustainability of UK pensions. With almost £2 trillion in assets under management, all occupational pension schemes are...
