Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a compensation scheme for people who paid national insurance contributions when they were aged between 14 and 15 between 1947 and 1957 who have fallen short of the qualifying years for the full state pension by two years or less.
Answered by Laura Trott - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
There are currently no plans to assess the merits of introducing a compensation scheme. Following the fundamental reforms of the National Insurance scheme in 1975 the law provided that only paid contributions and credits from the year in which a person reached age 16 to the year before the one in which they reached state pension age should count for the purposes of entitlement to the state pension. The Government has no plans to review the position reached by Parliament and which has been in place for over 40 years.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if his Department will make an assessment on the potential merits of removing the freeze on the local housing allowance rates in the context of the level of inflation and affordability of renting in city areas.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Local Housing Allowance policy is kept under regular review. We monitor average rents and housing support levels provided to claimants to assess the impact of the policy and the merits of any potential changes prior to a fiscal event. Any assessment made is always within the context of the economic landscape at the time and considers demographic groups or areas which may be particularly impacted.
In April 2020 Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates were raised to the 30th percentile of local market rents, a significant investment of almost £1 billion. Since then, we have maintained the increase so that everyone who benefited from the increase continues to do so.
LHA rates are not intended to cover all rents in all areas.
For those who require additional support, Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) are available from local authorities. DHPs can be paid to those in receipt of qualifying housing support who face a shortfall in meeting their rental housing costs.
These payments are entirely at the discretion of the Local Authority and since 2011 the Government has provided nearly £1.6 billion to local authorities for households who need additional support with their housing costs.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the paper by Joseph Rowntree Fund and the Trussell Trust entitled Guarantee our Essentials, published on 27 February 2023, what recent assessment he had made of the potential merits of uplifting Universal Credit in the context of his upcoming Spring Budget.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
In April, we are uprating benefit rates (including Universal Credit) and State Pensions by 10.1%. In order to increase the number of households who can benefit from these uprating decisions, the benefit cap levels are also increasing by the same amount. We will also work closely with officials so corresponding provisions can be made in Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the cost of living crisis, if he will make it his policy to review the decision on frozen overseas pensions.
Answered by Laura Trott - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
UK State Pensions are up-rated overseas where there is a legal requirement to do so – for example where there is a reciprocal agreement in place that allows for up-rating. The policy on up-rating is longstanding and has been supported by successive Governments for over 70 years. The Government has no plans to change this policy.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of increasing the 2.5 per cent cap on inflationary increases on compensation payments from the Pension Protection Fund for payments after 6 April 1997.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
While all legislation is kept under review as a matter of course, there are currently no plans to review the PPF indexation rules, or indeed the wider legislation to which they relate. The Secretary of State has therefore made no such assessment and does not intend to do so at this time.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing inflationary increases on compensation payments for the period before 6 April 1997 from the Pension Protection Fund.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
While all legislation is kept under review as a matter of course, there are currently no plans to review the PPF indexation rules, or indeed the wider legislation to which they relate. The Secretary of State has therefore made no such assessment and does not intend to do so at this time.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether it is her policy to uprate all social security benefits in line with inflation in the next financial year.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
The Secretary of State has a statutory annual obligation to review state pensions and benefits. Her review will commence shortly, and her decisions will be announced to Parliament shortly.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of the decision taken that Universal Credit claimants will not be eligible for the cost of living payment if they had their Universal Credit award reduced to zero by the minimum income floor and did not receive a Universal Credit payment during the qualifying month; and if her Department will publish statistics to show how many claimants will be affected by that policy.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
No assessment has been made,
We have deliberately kept the rules for these payments as simple as possible. This is the only way we can ensure that we can develop the systems and processes required to make these payments. The cost-of-living payment is being made in two payments which have different qualifying periods, this will mean that some people may not receive the first payment but may receive the second payment.
Information showing the number of claimants that may be affected by this Policy is not readily available, and this would only be possible at a disproportionate cost.
Should people find that they need further support, they may wish to approach their Local Authority to ask about support under the Household Support Fund. For further information please see Cost of Living Payment - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
The following PQ regarding the MIF and Universal Credit may be of interest Written questions and answers- Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department made before introducing the Social Security (Additional Payments) Bill of the potential impact on Universal Credit claimants, including those working in the performing arts and entertainment industries who have fluctuating earnings, of the policy that Universal Credit claimants would not be eligible for the cost of living payment if they had their Universal Credit award reduced to zero by the minimum income floor and did not receive a Universal Credit payment during the qualifying month.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
No assessment has been made.
We have deliberately kept the rules for these payments as simple as possible. This is the only way we can ensure that we can develop the systems and processes required to make these payments. The cost-of-living payment is being made in two payments which have different qualifying periods, this will mean that some people may not receive the first payment but may receive the second payment.
Should people find that they need further support, they may wish to approach their Local Authority to ask about support under the Household Support Fund. For further information please see Cost of Living Payment - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
The following PQ regarding the MIF and Universal Credit may be of interest Written questions and answers - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 19 July 2022 to Question 36137 on Cost of Living Payments: Self-employed, how many gainfully self-employed claimants who (a) were in a start-up period and (b) were otherwise exempt from the minimum income floor.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
During the qualifying period for the first Cost of Living Payment there were 219,340 gainfully self-employed Universal Credit claimants in a start-up period.
It is not possible to provide the number of claimants who were otherwise exempt from the minimum income floor, as to do so would incur disproportionate cost.
This figure is from internal Management Information subject to retrospective changes and is rounded to the nearest 10.