Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool West Derby)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to help pensioners in Liverpool, West Derby constituency to (a) have access to information about their eligibility for and (b) access Pension Credit.
Answered by Laura Trott - Shadow Secretary of State for Education
Estimates for Pension Credit take-up are only available at the Great Britain level. The latest statistics (2019/20) are in the publication:
Income-related benefits: estimates of take-up: financial year 2019 to 2020 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Pension Credit provides vital financial support to pensioners on a low income. In Liverpool, West Derby some 3,600 pensioners already receive Pension Credit, but we want all those who are eligible to claim it. That’s why the Department launched a £1.2m nationwide communications campaign in April to raise awareness of Pension Credit and increase take-up. The campaign included:
This month we undertook a further burst of communications activity, including press and radio advertising and social media to highlight to pensioners that if they applied for Pension Credit by 18 December, it would not be too late to qualify for a £324 Cost of Living Payment – subject to Pension Credit backdating rules.
On 7 December, around 40 MPs attended a Pension Credit event at Portcullis House which I hosted. I was pleased to hear about the work that a number of MPs are already doing to help their constituents make a claim and also that others pledged to help promote Pension Credit.
In the new year, DWP will again write to over 11 million pensioners as part of the annual uprating of State Pension. The accompanying leaflet has been updated to include this year’s campaign messaging promoting Pension Credit.
Further spend of £1.8m has been approved for marketing activity until the end of this financial year.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool West Derby)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of the number of pensioners in (a) Liverpool and (b) Liverpool, West Derby constituency who are entitled to Pension Credit and are not claiming it.
Answered by Laura Trott - Shadow Secretary of State for Education
Estimates for Pension Credit take-up are only available at the Great Britain level. The latest statistics (2019/20) are in the publication:
Income-related benefits: estimates of take-up: financial year 2019 to 2020 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Pension Credit provides vital financial support to pensioners on a low income. In Liverpool, West Derby some 3,600 pensioners already receive Pension Credit, but we want all those who are eligible to claim it. That’s why the Department launched a £1.2m nationwide communications campaign in April to raise awareness of Pension Credit and increase take-up. The campaign included:
This month we undertook a further burst of communications activity, including press and radio advertising and social media to highlight to pensioners that if they applied for Pension Credit by 18 December, it would not be too late to qualify for a £324 Cost of Living Payment – subject to Pension Credit backdating rules.
On 7 December, around 40 MPs attended a Pension Credit event at Portcullis House which I hosted. I was pleased to hear about the work that a number of MPs are already doing to help their constituents make a claim and also that others pledged to help promote Pension Credit.
In the new year, DWP will again write to over 11 million pensioners as part of the annual uprating of State Pension. The accompanying leaflet has been updated to include this year’s campaign messaging promoting Pension Credit.
Further spend of £1.8m has been approved for marketing activity until the end of this financial year.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool West Derby)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to increase public awareness on eligibility for and access to Pension Credit.
Answered by Laura Trott - Shadow Secretary of State for Education
Estimates for Pension Credit take-up are only available at the Great Britain level. The latest statistics (2019/20) are in the publication:
Income-related benefits: estimates of take-up: financial year 2019 to 2020 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Pension Credit provides vital financial support to pensioners on a low income. In Liverpool, West Derby some 3,600 pensioners already receive Pension Credit, but we want all those who are eligible to claim it. That’s why the Department launched a £1.2m nationwide communications campaign in April to raise awareness of Pension Credit and increase take-up. The campaign included:
This month we undertook a further burst of communications activity, including press and radio advertising and social media to highlight to pensioners that if they applied for Pension Credit by 18 December, it would not be too late to qualify for a £324 Cost of Living Payment – subject to Pension Credit backdating rules.
On 7 December, around 40 MPs attended a Pension Credit event at Portcullis House which I hosted. I was pleased to hear about the work that a number of MPs are already doing to help their constituents make a claim and also that others pledged to help promote Pension Credit.
In the new year, DWP will again write to over 11 million pensioners as part of the annual uprating of State Pension. The accompanying leaflet has been updated to include this year’s campaign messaging promoting Pension Credit.
Further spend of £1.8m has been approved for marketing activity until the end of this financial year.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool West Derby)
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 adequacy of Cost of Living payments at enabling people who use powered medical equipment at home to pay their energy costs.
Answered by Tom Pursglove
The government understands the pressures people are facing with the cost of living, including disabled people, and has taken further, decisive action to support people with their energy bills. The Energy Price Guarantee is supporting millions of households with rising energy costs, and will continue to do so through cost of living support announced earlier this year, which includes:
To ensure ongoing stability and certainty for households, in the Autumn Statement, we announced further support for next year designed to target the most vulnerable households. This cost of living support is worth £26 billion in 2023-24, in addition to uprating benefits for working age households and disabled people as well as the basic and new State Pensions by 10.1%. In order to increase the number of households who can benefit from these uprating decisions the benefit cap will also be increased by 10.1%. Alongside further Cost of Living Payments for the most vulnerable, the amended Energy Price Guarantee will save the average UK household £500 in 2023-24.
For those who require extra support, the Government is providing an additional £1 billion of funding, including Barnett impact, to enable the extension of the Household Support Fund in England in the next financial year. This is on top of what we have already provided since October 2021, bringing total funding to £2.5 billion. In England, this will be delivered through an extension to the Household Support Fund backed by £842 million, running from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024, which local authorities use to help households with the cost of essentials. It will be for the devolved administrations to decide how to allocate their additional Barnett funding.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool West Derby)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will introduce additional Cost of Living payments for those using powered medical equipment at home.
Answered by Tom Pursglove
The government understands the pressures people are facing with the cost of living, including disabled people, and has taken further, decisive action to support people with their energy bills. The Energy Price Guarantee is supporting millions of households with rising energy costs, and will continue to do so through cost of living support announced earlier this year, which includes:
To ensure ongoing stability and certainty for households, in the Autumn Statement, we announced further support for next year designed to target the most vulnerable households. This cost of living support is worth £26 billion in 2023-24, in addition to uprating benefits for working age households and disabled people as well as the basic and new State Pensions by 10.1%. In order to increase the number of households who can benefit from these uprating decisions the benefit cap will also be increased by 10.1%. Alongside further Cost of Living Payments for the most vulnerable, the amended Energy Price Guarantee will save the average UK household £500 in 2023-24.
For those who require extra support, the Government is providing an additional £1 billion of funding, including Barnett impact, to enable the extension of the Household Support Fund in England in the next financial year. This is on top of what we have already provided since October 2021, bringing total funding to £2.5 billion. In England, this will be delivered through an extension to the Household Support Fund backed by £842 million, running from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024, which local authorities use to help households with the cost of essentials. It will be for the devolved administrations to decide how to allocate their additional Barnett funding.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool West Derby)
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 impact for (a) employers and (b) employees of women needing to reduce their working hours due to the menopause; and the affect this may have on the gender pay gap.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
The Department does not collect data on the impact of the menopause on employees leaving the workforce or reducing their hours.
The former Minister for Employment commissioned the roundtable on older workers to look at the menopause and employment as an issue, emphasising the importance of the support and understanding by employers. An independent menopause and the workplace report was published and the Government’s response was outlined in July.
Alongside this, and separately, The Women’s Health Strategy sets out a range of commitments including encouraging employers to implement evidence-based workplace support and introduce workplace menopause policies.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool West Derby)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Government is taking steps to help ensure that employers are aware of the reasonable adjustments they could introduce in the workplace to help support menopausal employees.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Shadow Minister (Equalities)
The Government’s response to the Health is Everyone’s Business (HiEB) consultation was published in July 2021 and sets out some of the measures we will take to protect and maintain progress made to reduce ill-health related job loss.
The measures Government is taking forward: provide greater clarity around employer and employee rights and responsibilities; address the need for employers to have access to clear and compelling information and advice that is easy to understand, trustworthy and accessible; and encourage more employers to provide access to expert support services such as Occupational Health (OH).
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool West Derby)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Government is taking steps to help reduce the number of people leaving the workforce as a result of the menopause.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
With women over 50 representing the fastest growing segment of the workforce, there are few workplaces where the menopause is not being experienced by staff.
The Minister for Employment commissioned the roundtable on older workers to look at the menopause and employment as an issue, emphasising the importance of the support and understanding by employers. An independent menopause and the workplace report was published and the Government’s response was outlined in July.
The Department does not collect such data on the impact of the menopause on employees leaving the workforce or reducing their hours.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool West Derby)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has made an assessment of the adequacy of currently levels of support in the workplace for menopausal employees whose first language is not English.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
The Minister for Employment commissioned the roundtable on older workers to look at the menopause and employment as an issue, emphasising the importance of the support and understanding by employers. An independent menopause and the workplace report was published and the Government’s response was outlined in July.
A key recommendation will be the appointment of a Menopause Employment Champion who will work with employers on disseminating best practice and encouraging them to implement workplace menopause policies and other forms of support such as flexible working.
Alongside this, and separately, The Women’s Health Strategy sets out a range of commitments including encouraging employers to implement evidence-based workplace support and introduce workplace menopause policies.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool West Derby)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps the Government is taking to tackle stigma of menopause in the workplace.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
The Minister for Employment commissioned the roundtable on older workers to look at the menopause and employment. An independent menopause and the workplace report was published and the Government’s response was outlined in July.
The Women’s Health Strategy sets out a range of commitments including encouraging employers to implement evidence-based workplace support and introduce workplace menopause policies.