Asked by: Baroness Burt of Solihull (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the Centre for the Study of Financial Innovation, The Dependency Trap—are we fit to face the future, published in January, in particular its proposal that working partners should be able to contribute to the pension funds of non-working partners in order to help tackle the gender pay gap in pensions.
Answered by Baroness Buscombe
The report by the Centre for the Study of Financial Innovation raises issues concerning differences in earnings between genders that cannot be tackled by the pensions system alone. The Government remains committed to minimising the gender pay gap.
Certain choices are available within an individualised UK tax and pensions system; subject to tax rules, households can plan for retirements by using household income to make payments to a personal pension for a non-working spouse.
In terms of pension savings, through automatic enrolment we are helping those who were historically underrepresented in workplace pension saving – including women and lower earners – build up retirement savings for their later life. Since the introduction of automatic enrolment the proportion of women employed full-time in the private sector who did not have a workplace pension has decreased from 65 per cent in 2012 to 31 per cent in 2016. It is also equalising workplace pension participation among eligible men and women. In 2016, 73 per cent of eligible men and women in the private sector were saving into a workplace pension compared with 43 per cent and 40 per cent of eligible men and women respectively in the private sector in 2012.
Our aim is to continue to normalise retirement saving for all groups. The recent review of automatic enrolment sets out our medium term vision for strengthening existing framework of workplace pension saving for lower paid workers (including women) alongside proposals to test interventions for the self-employed.
Asked by: Baroness Burt of Solihull (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential economic benefits of introducing reforms of the UK’s corporate insolvency framework.
Answered by Lord Henley
In May 2016 the Government published its Review of the Corporate Insolvency Framework consultation. The consultation contained a package of proposals to improve the rescue opportunities for financially-distressed companies in Great Britain.
A summary of responses to the consultation was published in September 2016.
Following the publication of the summary of responses, the Government has continued to engage with a range of interested parties to further discuss and explore issues raised in responses to the consultation. This further engagement will ensure that any reforms, if necessary, will be fit for purpose and best achieve the Government’s aims of rescuing distressed but viable businesses, therefore preserving both value and jobs.
The Government recognises the importance of the insolvency and restructuring regime to the wider UK economy and the important role it plays in, amongst other things, creating strong conditions for growth and access to credit. The consultation stage impact assessment is available from www.gov.uk.
A full response to the consultation will be published later this year.
Asked by: Baroness Burt of Solihull (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they intend to publish a full response to the feedback they received on their Review of the Corporate Insolvency Framework consultation, published in May 2016.
Answered by Lord Henley
In May 2016 the Government published its Review of the Corporate Insolvency Framework consultation. The consultation contained a package of proposals to improve the rescue opportunities for financially-distressed companies in Great Britain.
A summary of responses to the consultation was published in September 2016.
Following the publication of the summary of responses, the Government has continued to engage with a range of interested parties to further discuss and explore issues raised in responses to the consultation. This further engagement will ensure that any reforms, if necessary, will be fit for purpose and best achieve the Government’s aims of rescuing distressed but viable businesses, therefore preserving both value and jobs.
The Government recognises the importance of the insolvency and restructuring regime to the wider UK economy and the important role it plays in, amongst other things, creating strong conditions for growth and access to credit. The consultation stage impact assessment is available from www.gov.uk.
A full response to the consultation will be published later this year.
Asked by: Baroness Burt of Solihull (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to encourage employers to continue contributing to an individual’s automatic enrolment pension fund during maternity leave and carer's leave.
Answered by Baroness Buscombe
Automatic enrolment is helping millions of people save into a workplace pension so that they can look forward to greater security in retirement. So far almost 9.3 million people have been automatically enrolled and more than 1 million employers have met their duties. By 2019/20 an estimated extra £20 billion a year is estimated to go into workplace pensions as a result of our reforms.
Automatic enrolment is focussed on people in paid employment and employers must make contributions into a workplace pension for an eligible worker during any periods of paid absence from work, consistent with the requirements under the Pensions Act 2008. This includes, for example, statutory maternity or paternity leave or such other periods of paid absence specified under an individual’s employment contract.
Workers on paid contractual leave can opt in to workplace pensions if their earnings fall below the threshold and if they do so they are entitled, under the Pensions Act 2008, to an employer contribution provided they have a sufficient level of earnings. Employers may also provide additional contractual entitlement to pension contributions for their workers in these situations.
As part of its role, the Pensions Regulator has made available detailed guidance to employers and their advisers to help employers fulfil their automatic enrolment duties.
Asked by: Baroness Burt of Solihull (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how the number of women in receipt of working age disability benefits has been affected by the rise in the state pension age from 60 to 65 between 2010 and 2018.
Answered by Baroness Buscombe
The number of women in receipt of the main working age disability benefits, Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and Personal Independence Payment (PIP), has not been affected by the rise in state pension age.
New claims for DLA are currently only available for children under the age of 16 since the introduction of PIP on 8 April 2013. However, before the introduction of PIP, DLA had an upper age limit for making a new claim set at the day before a claimant’s 65th birthday. This is also the upper age limit to make a new claim for PIP and will rise in line with increases in state pension age.
Asked by: Baroness Burt of Solihull (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how much of the additional £2.8 billion resource funding announced for the NHS in the Budget will go to mental health.
Answered by Lord O'Shaughnessy
The Government is already committed to backing the National Health Service with an additional £8 billion, in real terms, by 2020/21. As part of the Budget announcement on 22 November, we have now committed to backing the NHS in England further so that by 2019/20 it will have received an additional £2.8 billion of revenue funding for frontline services than previously planned over the period. This includes £335 million this winter to help trusts to increase capacity. We have also committed £3.5 billion of new capital investment by 2022/23 to transform its estate and drive further efficiency savings.
The use of this funding allocation is a matter for NHS England. Decisions on funding have yet to be made, but the Mental Health Investment Standard makes clear that mental health investment must increase as a proportion of each clinical commissioning group’s spend each year.
The Government is committed to parity of esteem between mental health and physical health and delivering the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health. We have backed this with a significant increase in funding – spending on mental health has increased to a record £11.6 billion, with a further £1 billion on top of this by 2020/21. We are also investing an additional £1.4 billion in mental health services for children and young people.
Asked by: Baroness Burt of Solihull (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they remain committed to meeting the targets set out in the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health.
Answered by Lord O'Shaughnessy
Delivering parity of esteem for mental health remains a priority for this Government and we are committed to achieving the vision set out in the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health in 2016 in full. We published the Government’s response to the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health in January 2017 and alongside this the Prime Minister set out a wide range of mental health reforms. We are working across Government, its agencies and with stakeholders to implement this ambitious agenda to transform mental health services.
Since the publication of the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health, NHS England has been working across the National Health Service and its arm’s length bodies to implement the NHS recommendations. NHS England published Implementing the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health earlier this year to show progress one year on. NHS England monitors progress on implementing these recommendations through the national Mental Health and Dementia Programme Board, which regularly reports progress to Ministers. We hold NHS England to account for delivery through the NHS Mandate.
The Government’s Inter-Ministerial Group for Mental Health, led by the Department, oversees delivery of the Government’s ambitious agenda on mental health across Government Departments.
Asked by: Baroness Burt of Solihull (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when the next Adult Improving Access to Psychological Therapies Workforce Census Report will be published.
Answered by Lord O'Shaughnessy
Health Education England is due to publish its 2016 Adult Improving Access to Psychological Therapies Workforce Census Report in spring 2018.
Asked by: Baroness Burt of Solihull (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment have they made of the links between nutrition and mental health.
Answered by Lord O'Shaughnessy
The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition has made no assessment of the link between nutrition and mental health and currently has no plans to do so.
Asked by: Baroness Burt of Solihull (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many armed service personnel in (1) the army, (2) the Royal Navy, (3) the Royal Marines, (4) the Royal Air Force, and (5) the reserves in each of those forces, are recorded as being members of (a) the Church of England, Anglican, or Episcopal churches, (b) the Roman Catholic Church, (c) the Presbyterian Church, (d) the Church of Scotland, (e) the Baptist Church, (f) the Salvation Army, (g) Free Churches, (h) the Methodist Church, (i) the United Reformed Church, (j) the Free Presbyterian Church, (k) the Greek Orthodox Church, and (l) other Christian churches.
Answered by Earl Howe - Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
The Ministry of Defence publishes Biannual Diversity Statistics, the latest of which provides information as at 1 April 2017 and can be found on the Government website at the following address: https://www.gov.uk/government/ statistics/uk-armed-forces-biannual-diversity-statistics-2017. These statistics include a breakdown, by Service, of the numbers of Armed Forces personnel by self-declared religion. Tables 4 and 17 provide a detailed breakdown for, respectively, UK Regulars and the Future Reserves 2020 population.
The requested information for the Royal Navy (RN) and Royal Marines (RM), the Army and the RAF, as at 1 April 2017, is provided below:
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| RN and RM | Army | RAF | Total |
Buddhist | 40 | 690 | 50 | 780 |
Christian | 22,320 | 62,820 | 23,630 | 108,770 |
Christian Tradition | 60 | 90 | 50 | 210 |
Hindu | 20 | 1,080 | 40 | 1,140 |
Judaism | 10 | 50 | 10 | 80 |
Muslim | 40 | 440 | 50 | 530 |
Sikh | 10 | 140 | 20 | 170 |
Other Religions | 190 | 500 | 170 | 870 |
No Religion | 9,820 | 17,740 | 8,980 | 36,530 |
Unknown | 20 | 10 | 260 | 290 |
Reserve Service Personnel by Religion | ||||
| RN and RM | Army | RAF | Total |
Buddhist | 10 | 80 | 10 | 90 |
Christian | 2,430 | 22,290 | 1,530 | 26,240 |
Christian Tradition | 10 | 60 | 10 | 80 |
Hindu | 10 | 170 | 10 | 180 |
Judaism | ~ | 30 | ~ | 40 |
Muslim | 10 | 160 | 10 | 170 |
Sikh | ~ | 50 | ~ | 60 |
Other Religions | 50 | 170 | 30 | 240 |
No Religion | 810 | 6,800 | 490 | 8,110 |
Unknown | 230 | 140 | 640 | 1,010 |
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| Regular Service Personnel of Christian and Christian Tradition faith split by denomination |
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| RN | RM | Army | RAF | Total |
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| Church of England Scottish Episcopal Church | 10,490 | 2,870 | 36,590 | 15,240 | 65,200 |
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| 10 | ~ | 30 | 10 | 50 |
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| Roman Catholic | 2,610 | 670 | 9,140 | 3,150 | 15,570 |
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| Presbyterian | 90 | 20 | 200 | 110 | 420 |
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| Church of Scotland | 930 | 160 | 3,370 | 1,290 | 5,760 |
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| Baptist | 80 | 20 | 360 | 150 | 600 |
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| Salvation Army | 10 | 10 | 60 | 20 | 90 |
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| Free Church of Scotland United Free Church of Scotland | 10 | ~ | 10 | 10 | 30 |
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| Methodist | 420 | 70 | 1,760 | 620 | 2,870 |
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| United Reformed Church | 20 | ~ | 50 | 40 | 100 |
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| Free Presbyterian | 10 | 10 | 790 | 10 | 800 |
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| Greek Orthodox | ~ | ~ | 10 | ~ | 20 |
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| Other Christian churches | 2,750 | 1,120 | 10,550 | 3,040 | 17,460 |
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| Reserve Service Personnel of Christian and Christian Tradition faith split by denomination |
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| RN | RM | Army | RAF | Total |
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| Church of England | 1,100 | 270 | 12,130 | 990 | 14,490 |
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| Scottish Episcopal Church | ~ | ~ | 30 | ~ | 30 |
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| Roman Catholic | 260 | 100 | 3,500 | 190 | 4,050 |
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| Presbyterian | 20 | ~ | 120 | 10 | 150 |
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| Church of Scotland | 130 | 30 | 1,600 | 100 | 1,850 |
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| Baptist | 10 | ~ | 170 | 10 | 190 |
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| Salvation Army | ~ | ~ | 20 | ~ | 20 |
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| Free Church of Scotland | 10 | ~ | 10 | ~ | 20 |
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| United Free Church of Scotland | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ |
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| Methodist | 60 | 10 | 530 | 40 | 630 |
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| United Reformed Church | ~ | ~ | 20 | ~ | 30 |
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| Free Presbyterian | ~ | ~ | 510 | ~ | 510 |
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| Greek Orthodox | ~ | ~ | 10 | ~ | 10 |
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| Other Christian churches | 320 | 130 | 3,690 | 200 | 4,340 |
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Note: ‘Christian’ includes personnel declaring the following on Joint Personnel Administration (JPA): Christian Tradition, Christian Scientist, Church of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints (Mormon), Jehovah's Witness, Unitarian and Other Christian Tradition. |
‘Other Religions’ includes personnel declaring the following on Joint Personnel Administration (JPA): Druid, Pagan, Rastafarian, Spiritualist, Zoroastrian (Parsee), Wicca, Baha'i and Other Religions. |
‘Unknown’ includes those with an unrecorded religion and those who choose not to declare. |
Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10, although numbers ending in a 5 have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent the systematic bias caused by always rounding numbers upwards. For example; a value of 25 would be rounded down to 20 and a value of 15 would be rounded up to 20.
Totals and sub-totals have been rounded separately and so may not equal the sums of their rounded parts.
Declaration of religion is not mandatory for Armed Forces personnel. These statistics only relate to personnel who have made a declaration. At 1 April 2017, the proportion of personnel who had made a declaration was 99.8 per cent of UK Regular Forces, and 97.2 per cent of Future Reserves 2020.