Asked by: Lord Ouseley (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to making the provision of mental health first aid mandatory in the workplace.
Answered by Baroness Buscombe
The Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981 already allow for the consideration of mental health alongside physical health when undertaking a needs assessment. On the 21st November 2018 the Health and Safety Executive published guidance to clarify this point for employers.
Key evidence reviews of the impact of mental health-type training in a workplace environment show that there are a number of knowledge gaps which mean it is not possible to say whether the training is effective in improving the management of mental health in workplaces, or whether it is the only effective mechanism for support. The research also identifies additional prevention and management actions that employers should put in place to create a comprehensive approach.
In January 2017, the Prime Minister commissioned Lord Dennis Stevenson and Paul Farmer, the Chief Executive of Mind, to conduct an independent review into how employers can better support all employees, including those with mental ill health or wellbeing, to remain in and thrive at work. “Thriving at Work: The Stevenson / Farmer review of mental health and employers was published in October 2017.”
In November 2017, the joint DWP/DHSC Work and Health Unit (WHU) published “Improving Lives: the Future of Work, Health and Disability” setting out plans for three key settings: welfare system, workplace and health system, and also set out the Government’s response to “Thriving at Work”. This response welcomed a key recommendation from the ‘Thriving at Work’ review for employers to adopt a set of core mental health standards that will provide a comprehensive approach to transforming mental health in the workplace. Government is committed to working with the authors of the review and key stakeholders across the public, private and voluntary sectors to ensure that employers of all sizes act to implement the core and enhanced standards and help them, and their employees, realise the benefits of healthy, inclusive workplaces.
Therefore, the Government’s view is that the best way to secure employer action is to engage with employers on a voluntary basis to implement the comprehensive mental health core standards approach rather than legislate on a single issue.
Asked by: Lord Ouseley (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Statement on Visit to the United Kingdom, by Professor Philip Alston, United Nations Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, published on 16 November; whether they intend to make a formal response to the Statement; and if not, why not.
Answered by Baroness Buscombe
The Government will carefully consider the findings set out in the Special Rapporteur’s interim report published on 16 November. Professor Alston’s final report will be presented to the June 2019 session of the of the Human Rights’ Council. Any formal comments made by the Government in response will be published alongside the final report on the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights’ website.
Asked by: Lord Ouseley (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how they intend to respond to the report from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation Destitution in the UK 2018 published in June revealing that there are 1.5 million people living in destitution in the UK.
Answered by Baroness Buscombe
The Joseph Rowntree Trust’s report refers to people who were destitute “at some point” during 2017 not to the number of people living in destitution.
This Government will continue with its ambitious reforms to the welfare system so that it encourages people to move into and progress in work, and move towards financial independence. Compared with 2010, there are now around 880,000 fewer adults in workless households and 1 million fewer people in absolute poverty (on a before housing costing costs basis). Of those in the poorest fifth of the population in 2010/11, just over half had moved further up the income distribution 5 years later.
The Government is also continuing to help those who face the greatest employment barriers and who are most at-risk of being in severe and long-term low income, for example, through individualised, tailored support from Jobcentre Work Coaches. For people with health conditions or a disability, this support can include early access to the new Work and Health Programme and Specialist Employability Support. As a safeguard for people in urgent need, a well-established system of hardship payments, benefit advances and budgeting loans is in place.
We are also considering how we can develop and make greater use of the existing suite of official measures of poverty so that they better identify and track progress on helping those who are most in need of additional support.
Asked by: Lord Ouseley (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the research published by the TUC that estimated that the number of children growing up in poverty in working households will be one million higher in 2018 than in 2010; and how this compares to their own research.
Answered by Baroness Buscombe
The TUC figures estimate that an extra one million children in working families will be in relative low income in 2018/19 compared to 2009/10 on an after housing cost basis. During this period, there has been an increase in both the child population and the numbers of people in employment. The overall proportion of children in relative low income on an After Housing Cost basis was 30 per cent in both 2009/10 and 2016/17. This figure is not directly affected by both changes in the population and the increase in children in working families so provides a better assessment of what has happened since 2010.
In addition, absolute low income measures, which assess living standards for low income households against inflation, show the proportion of children in absolute low income on an After Housing Costs basis fell from 28 per cent to 26 per cent between 2009/10 and 2016/17. Furthermore, the latest national statistics show the proportion of children in material deprivation and low income has never been lower. Both of these suggest the living standards of children in low income households have been improving in real terms over this period.
Children in workless families are five times more likely to be in low income than those in working families demonstrating that work is the best route out of poverty. The number of people in employment has risen by three million since 2010. Increases in the National Living Wage and Tax Allowances have increased the incomes of working families. Around half of working people who are in low income are self- employed or work part time. Universal Credit has been designed to encourage people into work and to increase their earnings in order to improve their living standards.
Asked by: Lord Ouseley (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the implications for future advances in social mobility of the finding by the Institute for Fiscal Studies that almost 37 per cent of children will fall below the relative poverty line by 2021.
Answered by Baroness Buscombe
Employment is key to helping people out of poverty and to make a real and lasting change to the lives of disadvantaged families and children. Our welfare and tax reforms are designed to incentivise employment and to support people to progress in work. Employment is now at near-record levels and the number of children living in a family where no one is working is 608,000 lower than it was in 2010. Improving Lives: Helping Workless Families, published on 4 April, set out a framework for a continued focus on improving children’s outcomes, now and in the future.
The Department does not forecast estimates of low income, but the next HBAI publication for 2016/17 data has been pre-announced and will be published by the end of March 2018. The government is committed to continue to publish this series on an annual basis.
Asked by: Lord Ouseley (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Buscombe on 28 November (HL3456), how they monitor the accumulated impact of welfare benefit changes on different groups; and what assessment they have made of that impact.
Answered by Baroness Buscombe
Her Majesty’s Treasury (HMT) undertake a distributional analysis, at each fiscal event, to assess the accumulated impact of tax, welfare and public spending changes on household incomes. The latest analysis was published to accompany Autumn Budget 2017.
In terms of monitoring the impacts on different groups, the Department publishes annual estimates of households living in low income in the Households Below Average Incomes (HBAI) publication. These statistics set out long run trends in the risks of different groups living in low income households. The latest estimates are to 2015/16 and 2016/17 results have been pre-announced to be published in March 2018.
Asked by: Lord Ouseley (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Buscombe on 28 November (HL3456), how they assess and evaluate (1) progress in tackling poverty, and (2) the impact of their fiscal and welfare policies on those vulnerable groups of people they have pledged to assist.
Answered by Baroness Buscombe
This Government is committed to action that tackles the root causes of poverty and disadvantage with policies that incentivise employment as the best route out of poverty. In Improving Lives: Helping Workless Families, we set out a framework for a continued focus on improving children’s long-term outcomes. This includes nine national indicators to track progress in tackling the disadvantages that affect families and children. Four of these measures are set out in Primary legislation which places a duty on the Government report annually to Parliament on the parental worklessness and educational attainment indicators. Data on the non-statutory indicators will also be published each year.
The Government carefully considers the equality impacts of individual policies on those with protected characteristics, including gender, race and disability - in line with both its legal obligations and with its strong commitment to equality issues.
Her Majesty’s Treasury (HMT) undertake distributional analysis, at each fiscal event, to assess the impact of tax, welfare and public spending changes on household incomes. The latest was published to accompany Autumn Budget 2017.
Asked by: Lord Ouseley (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how they intend to respond to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation's finding that 400,000 more children and 300,000 more pensioners have fallen into relative poverty since 2012–13; and what assessment they have made of (1) when, and (2) at what level, that trend will peak.
Answered by Baroness Buscombe
The figures quoted in the Joseph Rowntree Foundation’s report are taken directly from the Department’s Households Below Average Income (HBAI) series, which was published in March 2017. This publication also shows on an after housing costs basis over the same period 2012/13 to 2015/16, the number of people in absolute low income (where the poverty line moves with inflation), fell by 1.1m individuals, including 200,000 children and 100,000 pensioners. This shows that real incomes are increasing at the lower end of the distribution.
However we are not complacent. For children we are committed to action that tackles the root causes of child poverty and disadvantage, with policies that incentivise employment being the best route out of poverty and ultimately improving children’s long-term outcomes. Improving Lives: Helping Workless Families, includes nine national indicators to track progress in tackling the disadvantages that affect families and children. Four of these measures are set out in Primary legislation and place a duty on the Government to report annually to Parliament on the parental worklessness and educational attainment indicators. Data on the non-statutory indicators will also be published each year.
For pensioners, we are committed to protecting up to the full amounts of the basic and new State Pensions through the Triple Lock and to supporting vulnerable pensioner households with pension credit. Pensioners are also supported with Winter Fuel Payments, free TV licences for those aged 75 and over and the free bus pass.
The Department does not forecast estimates of low income, but the next HBAI publication for 2016/17 data has been pre-announced in line with National Statistics protocols and will be published by the end of March 2018. The government is committed to continue publishing this series on an annual basis.
Asked by: Lord Ouseley (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what equality impact analyses have been made following the introduction of each welfare benefit change during the past seven years; and what has been the impact on different groups of people, including the elderly, lone parents, disabled people and ethnic minorities.
Answered by Baroness Buscombe
The information requested could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Lord Ouseley (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what equality impact assessments were made before the introduction of each welfare benefits change during the past seven years; and what potential adverse impacts on different groups of people were identified.
Answered by Baroness Buscombe
The information requested could only be provided at disproportionate cost.