Asked by: Angela Crawley (Scottish National Party - Lanark and Hamilton East)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether her Department has made an assessment of the effectiveness of the Equality Act 2010 at supporting working LGBT families accessing fertility treatment.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
It is crucial that we ensure everyone is treated fairly in the workplace, so that they can thrive and reach their full potential, including LGBT people undergoing - or seeking to undergo - fertility treatment.
While no specific assessment has been made, the Government has set out in the Women’s Health Strategy our commitment to remove the additional financial burdens of self-funding artificial insemination on female same-sex couples, so that they are able to access NHS-funded fertility services in a more equitable way. It is for Integrated Care Boards to implement the commitment to improve access to NHS-funded fertility treatment for female same sex couples, taking account of the relevant equality legislation. Media coverage of, and stakeholder interest in, these developments should help raise awareness, including amongst employers, about the importance of fertility treatment for LGBT family formation.
As part of our Inclusive Britain strategy, published in March 2022, we launched an Inclusion at Work Panel last year aimed at helping employers achieve fairness and inclusion in the workplace.
If an individual feels that they have been unlawfully discriminated against in the workplace, they may wish to contact the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas). They may also wish to contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service which provides free bespoke advice and in-depth support to individuals with discrimination or equality concerns.
Asked by: Angela Crawley (Scottish National Party - Lanark and Hamilton East)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of fertility treatment on workplace rights for LGBT families.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
It is crucial that we ensure everyone is treated fairly in the workplace, so that they can thrive and reach their full potential, including LGBT people undergoing - or seeking to undergo - fertility treatment.
While no specific assessment has been made, the Government has set out in the Women’s Health Strategy our commitment to remove the additional financial burdens of self-funding artificial insemination on female same-sex couples, so that they are able to access NHS-funded fertility services in a more equitable way. It is for Integrated Care Boards to implement the commitment to improve access to NHS-funded fertility treatment for female same sex couples, taking account of the relevant equality legislation. Media coverage of, and stakeholder interest in, these developments should help raise awareness, including amongst employers, about the importance of fertility treatment for LGBT family formation.
As part of our Inclusive Britain strategy, published in March 2022, we launched an Inclusion at Work Panel last year aimed at helping employers achieve fairness and inclusion in the workplace.
If an individual feels that they have been unlawfully discriminated against in the workplace, they may wish to contact the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas). They may also wish to contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service which provides free bespoke advice and in-depth support to individuals with discrimination or equality concerns.
Asked by: Angela Crawley (Scottish National Party - Lanark and Hamilton East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the adequacy of Universal Credit for meeting average (a) food and (b) fuel costs.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
In April 2023, State pensions and benefits were up rated by 10.1%, in line with the increase in the Consumer Prices Index in the year to September 2022.
With regard to the adequacy of Universal Credit, the current rates of income-related benefits such as Universal Credit do not represent a minimum requirement, and are not described as such in legislation or Government literature. The Government specifies the rates which are applicable to different benefits, and these may vary according to claimants' circumstances.
The Government understands the pressures people are facing with the cost of living and has announced support to households to help with higher bills worth £94 billion across 2022-23 and 2023-24, one of the largest household support packages in Europe.
Asked by: Angela Crawley (Scottish National Party - Lanark and Hamilton East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will take steps to ensure that Universal Credit is sufficient to cover average (a) food, (b) housing and (c) energy costs.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Benefit rates and the Local Housing Allowance are reviewed annually by the Secretary of State.
In April 2023, State pensions and benefits, including Universal Credit, were up rated by 10.1%, in line with the increase in the Consumer Prices Index in the year to September 2022.
Claimants in receipt of housing support living in the social rented sector have their eligible rent paid in full, unless the level of housing support is reduced because of their income or savings, contributions from non-dependants, or limited by the benefit cap or the removal of the spare room subsidy.
For private renters, the Local Housing Allowance determines the maximum housing support for tenants. Local Housing Allowance rates are not intended to cover all rents in all areas. However, in 2020 the Government spent almost £1 billion increasing Local Housing Allowance rates to the 30th percentile of market rents. This significant investment has been maintained, ensuring that everyone who benefited continues to do so.
The Government understands the pressures people are facing with the cost of living and has announced support to households to help with higher bills worth £94 billion across 2022-23 and 2023-24, one of the largest household support packages in Europe.
Asked by: Angela Crawley (Scottish National Party - Lanark and Hamilton East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 8 September 2023 to Question 195180 on asylum applications, what assessment her Department has made of the potential implications of (a) conducting shorter asylum interviews and (b) removing asylum interviews on the accuracy of decision making.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Once a claimant has been interviewed, asylum decision-makers carefully consider their protection needs by assessing all the evidence provided, in light of published country information guidance.
We have taken immediate action to speed up asylum processing whilst maintaining the integrity of the system. This includes simplifying guidance and streamlining processes. We have also introduced shorter, focussed interviews, making the interview process more efficient.
Asked by: Angela Crawley (Scottish National Party - Lanark and Hamilton East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 8 September 2023 to Question 195180 on Asylum: Applications, what recent progress her Department has made on establishing an online portal for (a) document exchange and (b) providing updates on the status of asylum claims.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
An early version of a portal has been tested.
The initial release focusses on the download element of document exchange, with future releases allowing for document upload. In time the portal will enable asylum seekers to access real time updates on their case.
Asked by: Angela Crawley (Scottish National Party - Lanark and Hamilton East)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps her Department is taking to help support people who use prepayment meters with increases in the cost of living.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
On 25 August, Ofgem announced that from 1 October the prepayment meter (PPM) level of the price cap will decrease by £128 from £2,077 to £1,949 for average dual fuel consumption.
In addition, the Energy Price Guarantee currently aligns costs for comparable PPM and direct debit customers, ensuring that those on PPMs are not paying a premium for their costs.
Ofgem has launched a consultation on levelling the cost of standing charges on prepayment meters which closes on 22 September.
Asked by: Angela Crawley (Scottish National Party - Lanark and Hamilton East)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps her Department is taking to prevent the forced installation of pre-payment meters.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Ofgem, the energy regulator, has developed a Code of Practice to strengthen protections and support for consumers who may be moved onto a prepayment meter involuntarily. This has been agreed with energy suppliers who will be required to demonstrate readiness to implement the Code of Practice.
Ofgem intends for these new protections to be in licence conditions ahead of this winter. Customers remain protected by the current pause on involuntary installations of prepayment meters in the meantime.
Asked by: Angela Crawley (Scottish National Party - Lanark and Hamilton East)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps her Department are taking to support consumers who have accumulated energy debt as a result of using pre-payment meters.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Ofgem rules require energy suppliers to provide extra support where appropriate, including an obligation to make emergency and friendly-hours credit available to all pre-payment meter customers. When assessing how a customer will repay any credit offered, suppliers must also consider their ability to pay.
The Government introduced the ‘Breathing Space’ scheme, which aims to address consumers’ ability to tackle debt and offers legal protections from creditors for 60 days. A standard breathing space is available for anyone with problem debt, administered by debt advice providers and local authorities who provide debt advice to residents.
Customers may also be eligible for cost-of-living payments from the Department for Work and Pensions.
Asked by: Angela Crawley (Scottish National Party - Lanark and Hamilton East)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the rise in cost of living on the affordability of internet access for households.
Answered by John Whittingdale
In April 2023, Ofcom’s Affordability Report showed 6% of UK households were experiencing affordability issues with their fixed broadband services, and 8% with their mobile connectivity. For those on benefits these numbers rose to 11% in broadband and 17% in mobile.
To support low-income households, the Government has worked with telecoms providers to ensure market provision of low-cost broadband and mobile tariffs. Social tariffs are available from 27 providers (including BT, Sky, Virgin Media, and Vodafone), across 99% of the UK and start from £10 per month.
In June 2022, following Government negotiations, broadband and mobile operators agreed a set of public commitments to support their customers through the rise in the cost of living, including allowing those struggling with their bills to enter into affordable payment plans or switch to cheaper deals without penalty.