Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make it her policy to increase social security benefits in line with inflation; and if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of increasing social security benefits by less than the rate of inflation on blind and partially sighted people.

The Secretary of State has a statutory duty to annually review benefits and State Pensions as outlined in the Social Security Administration Act 1992.

Following the publication of Average Weekly Earnings for May to July and the Consumer Prices Index for September by the Office for National Statistics, the Secretary of State will now commence his annual review of benefits. When undertaking his review the Secretary of State is required to have regard to the Equality Act 2010.

His decisions will be announced to Parliament shortly.