Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the potential change has been in the number of (a) people, (b) children and (c) pensioners living in absolute poverty since 2010.
Answered by David Rutley
In 2020/21, there were 1.2m fewer people, 200,000 fewer children and 400,000 fewer pensioners in absolute poverty (before housing costs) in the UK than in 2009/10.
Latest statistics for the number of people, children and pensioners who are in absolute poverty in the UK can be found at: Households below average income: for financial years ending 1995 to 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
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 support young people on the Kickstart scheme to progress to apprenticeships and further education to up-skill them.
Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister (Women)
The Department for Work and Pensions’ (DWP) Kickstart Scheme was a job creation programme established to ensure that 16-24 year olds in receipt of Universal Credit would have access to fully-funded six-month job opportunities. Our work with employers has seen over 162,600 jobs having been started by young people, who were most at risk of suffering the scarring effects of long-term unemployment as a result of the pandemic.
Employers participating in the Kickstart Scheme are required to provide employability support to young people to allow them to build their skills in the workplace. This support is intended to improve their chances of progressing to find long-term sustainable work. DWP provided additional grant funding to employers of £1,500 for each young person to support with this.
Young people returning to Universal Credit following the end of a Kickstart job will be given bespoke support appropriate to their circumstances by their Jobcentre Plus Work Coach. This may include coaching or guidance towards other provision or support options if appropriate. Work coaches also promote apprenticeship opportunities to claimants of all ages as a first step in a career as part of their regular interventions. In addition to this, DWP secured an agreement with the Department for Education that Kickstart jobs would not count as previous employment with that employer for the purposes of the apprenticeship incentive. This was intended to encourage employers to actively consider transitioning on a young person into an apprenticeship after their Kickstart job.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when her Department reviewed the (a) thresholds for and (b) amount of pension tax credit in each of the last five years; and what changes were made to those (i) thresholds and (ii) amounts at each of those reviews.
Answered by Guy Opperman
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the difference in financial support provided from (a) universal credit and (b) legacy benefits for an average family with two children aged six and eight with one parent working full time on the minimum wage and one working 16 hours a week.
Answered by David Rutley
No estimate has been made of the difference between UC and legacy for an average family and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
We have not looked at all families with 2 children aged 6 and 8 with these earnings and established the difference. The average difference would be impacted by other UC elements that they might be eligible for, including for example if claiming housing costs or not.
This information is held across a number of data sets therefore would incur disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the amount of income tax relief that would fall on the 18 to 21 age group in the event that the auto-enrolment of pensions was extended to that age group.
Answered by Guy Opperman
The findings from the 2017 Review of Automatic Enrolment estimated preliminary analysis of the policy option and showed that a reduction of the lower age limit to 18 would have increased income tax relief for those aged 18-21 by £113m upon its full introduction. A full and published impact assessment on the policy options will be completed at a time when legislation is brought forward.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if her Department will make an assessment of the increase in tax relief for part-time workers that would result from auto enrolment being extended to those earning under £10,000 a year; and what proportion of that amount would benefit (a) women and (b) men.
Answered by Guy Opperman
Under the Pensions Act 2008, the Secretary of State is required to conduct an annual review of the automatic enrolment earnings trigger, as well as the upper and lower limits of the qualifying earnings band (the automatic enrolment thresholds).
The review for the 2022/23 thresholds was published on 8 February 2021, here Automatic enrolment: review of the earnings trigger and qualifying earnings band for 2022/23 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). The earnings trigger, by remaining at £10,000, will bring in an additional 17,000 savers into pension savings, striking a necessary balance between bringing in those most likely to benefit from pension saving with affordability for those individuals and employers.
The review estimates that a reduction in the earnings trigger to £6,396 (the National Insurance lower earnings limit) would bring in 214,000 additional workers and increase contributions by £124m in 2022/23, compared to increasing the trigger by average earnings growth. Of this, around £8m would be via increased income tax relief. Of the additional contributions; a) 78% would benefit women and (b) 22% would benefit men.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
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 increase in tax relief for people aged 18-21 that would result from auto-enrolment of pensions being extended to that age group.
Answered by Guy Opperman
A full and published impact assessment on the policy options will be completed at a time when legislation is brought forward.