Asked by: David Warburton (Independent - Somerton and Frome)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on raising the earnings limit for Carer’s Allowance ahead of the benefits uplift in April 2023.
Answered by Tom Pursglove
The Carer’s Allowance earnings limit is regularly reviewed and increased when it is warranted and affordable. It will increase to £139 a week net earnings from April 2023.
Asked by: David Warburton (Independent - Somerton and Frome)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make it his policy to maintain the pensions triple lock.
Answered by Laura Trott - Shadow Secretary of State for Education
The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions is currently conducting his statutory annual review of State Pension and benefit rates. We cannot pre-empt the outcome of that review, which will be announced shortly.
Asked by: David Warburton (Independent - Somerton and Frome)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she plans to take to grant Trusted Agent Status to Local Authority Welfare Officers in order to help them to assist universal credit claimants.
Answered by Lord Sharma
The pilot during which we will move legacy claimants without a change in circumstance to Universal Credit will start in Harrogate, where we will initially test an approach that is based on using existing relationships that DWP or partners have with claimants. Through these relationships we will establish whether someone is ready to move and how to prepare them. As we become confident that this approach works, we will consider how we can expand this ‘who knows me’ approach through trusted stakeholders, who may include Local Authority Welfare Officers. This approach differs from the ‘Trusted Partner’ status that some Landlords hold to support Universal Credit claimants with their rent verification.
Asked by: David Warburton (Independent - Somerton and Frome)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his Department's timetable is for publishing and implementing the secondary legislation required to implement the increase in the Pension Protection Fund compensation cap provided for under the Pensions Act 2014.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
On 15 September I tabled a written statement saying that I had begun the consultation on this secondary legislation with the intention that the increase in the compensation cap will be implemented from April 2017.