Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to provide longer-term support for local services via the Household Support Fund.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
This Government is committed to a sustainable, long-term approach to drive up opportunity and drive down poverty across the UK.
That is why we are providing £742 million in England to extend the Household Support Fund (HSF) by a further year, from 1 April 2025 until 31 March 2026. This will enable Local Authorities to continue to provide vulnerable households with immediate crisis support towards the cost of essentials, and develop their schemes to help prevent poverty locally and build local resilience.
To support Local Authorities, we have clarified what is meant by both crisis and preventative support, updating the schemes’ objectives to include both types of support, and providing definitions and examples of each eligible spend category in the guidance.
We encourage Local Authorities to consider how their provision of crisis support could have a longer-term, sustainable impact, and to offer some level of preventative support to stop vulnerable households from falling into, or falling further into, crisis.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she plans to amend local housing allowance rates to reflect actual rental market costs (a) on the Isle of Wight and (b) in other areas.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates are reviewed annually, usually at an Autumn fiscal event. Rates are set based on the area of the country a person lives and their bedroom entitlement
The Secretary of State’s decision at last year’s Autumn Budget to maintain LHA rates at current levels for 2025/26 considered a range of factors including: rental data in areas across the country, the impacts of LHA rates, the challenging fiscal environment and the rate increases the previous April which cost an additional £7bn over 5 years.
Any future decisions on the LHA policy will be taken in the context of the Government’s missions, goals on housing and the fiscal context.
Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) are available from local authorities to those who face a shortfall in meeting their housing costs.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what criteria her Department uses to assess the value for money of the Motability scheme's investments in electric vehicles.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Motability Foundation is independent of government, and regulated by the Charity Commission, so is wholly responsible for the terms and the administration of the Scheme, including assessing the value for money of its investments and charitable donations.
Questions about the operations of the Motability Foundation should be addressed to the Foundation.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason her Department funds electric vehicles through the Motability scheme.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department works closely with Motability Foundation and whilst we are responsible for the disability benefits that provide a passport to the Motability Scheme, we do not fund vehicles, be they electric or otherwise.
Motability Foundation is an independent charitable organisation that is wholly responsible for the terms and the administration of the Scheme, along with oversight of Motability Operations.
The Department does not hold data on the Motability fleet of cars.
Questions about the operations of the Motability Foundation should be addressed to the Foundation.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if his Department will conduct a value for money assessment of the funding provided as part of the Motability Scheme.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Motability Scheme is open to claimants who are in receipt of an eligible benefit. If a claimant elects to join the Scheme, the Department directly transfers the mobility allowance to Motability Operations on behalf of the eligible claimant. The Motability Scheme does not receive any direct funding from the Department for Work and Pensions.
A range of external bodies scrutinised the Scheme between 2018 and 2020, and the Government responded to each of the reports.
The Motability Foundation is independent of government, and regulated by the Charity Commission, so is wholly responsible for the terms and the administration of the Scheme. The department does however work closely with Motability and is responsible for the disability benefits that provide a passport to the Motability Scheme. Department officials have regular meetings with Motability and will continue to do so.
As the Minister for Social Security and Disability, I met with Motability Foundation in November 2024 to discuss the Scheme and its strategic objectives.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the total expenditure on electric vehicles through the Motability scheme was in the most recent year for which data is available.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department works closely with Motability Foundation and is responsible for the disability benefits that provide a passport to the Motability Scheme. Motability Foundation is an independent charitable organisation that is wholly responsible for the terms and the administration of the Scheme, along with oversight of Motability Operations.
The Department does not hold figures on the expenditure on electric vehicles provided through the Motability Scheme
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many staff in her have been permitted to undertake diversity-related network time during core working hours.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Currently 7 National Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Networks are given pro rata time allocation annually to support respective network activity. Each Committee has 2 Co-Chairs and up to 10 Committee members.
Two members of staff also have 5% pro-rata time allocation to lead a Civil Service staff Network.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has undertaken an impact assessment for the (a) Motability Scheme and (b) Motability Operations.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Motability Scheme was scrutinised by a range of external bodies between 2018 and 2020, and a series of reports were produced:
The government responded to each of these reports.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what funding her Department has provided to the Motability (a) Foundation, (b) Scheme and (c) Operations.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Motability Foundation charity, which is independent of government, oversees Motability Operations in its delivery of the Motability Scheme. The Motability Scheme does not receive any direct funding from the Department for Work and Pensions.
The Department for Work and Pensions facilitates a direct transfer to Motability of a claimant’s Disability Living Allowance, Personal Independence Payment or Armed Forces Independence Payment mobility allowance if they elect to join the Scheme.
The Motability Scheme allows eligible claimants to exchange their qualifying mobility benefit for a lease on a Motability car, powered wheelchair, scooter or Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when she plans to answer Questions (a) 31696 and (b) Question 31697 on Department for Work and Pensions: Muslim Council of Britain, tabled on 13 February 2025.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Questions 31696 and 31697 were answered on 27 February.