Local Housing Allowance Gerald Jones (Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney)
(Lab) 1. What assessment his Department has made of the potential
impact of real-term reductions in local housing allowance rates on
levels of poverty. (902572) Afzal Khan (Manchester, Gorton) (Lab)
2. What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact
of real-term reductions in local housing allowance rates on levels
of poverty. (902573) Dame Nia Griffith (Llanelli) (Lab)...Request free trial
Local Housing Allowance
(Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney)
(Lab)
1. What assessment his Department has made of the potential
impact of real-term reductions in local housing allowance rates
on levels of poverty. (902572)
(Manchester, Gorton) (Lab)
2. What assessment his Department has made of the potential
impact of real-term reductions in local housing allowance rates
on levels of poverty. (902573)
Dame (Llanelli) (Lab)
5. What assessment his Department has made of the potential
impact of real-term reductions in local housing allowance rates
on levels of poverty. (902576)
(Luton South) (Lab)
6. What assessment his Department has made of the potential
impact of real-term reductions in local housing allowance rates
on levels of poverty. (902577)
(Liverpool, Walton) (Lab)
13. What assessment his Department has made of the potential
impact of real-term reductions in local housing allowance rates
on levels of poverty. (902585)
The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions ()
First, on behalf of the whole House, may I welcome the hon.
Member for City of Chester () to this House, and wish
her every happiness and a productive time in the House?
The Government have maintained the uplift they provided in the
local housing allowance in 2020, at a cost of almost £1 billion,
targeting the 30th percentile of rents. Those who need assistance
with housing costs also have recourse to the discretionary
housing payments administered by local authorities.
I welcome the Secretary of State’s comments about my new
colleague, my hon. Friend the Member for City of Chester (), but that is as far as I
can go.
The local housing allowance is a lifeline for tenants to access
the private rented sector. The Government have accepted the need
to uprate most benefits in line with inflation, so why have they
chosen to freeze the local housing allowance, which will have a
disproportionate impact on constituents in my constituency of
Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney? Will he commit to reviewing that
situation urgently?
As the hon. Gentleman will know, annually I review all benefits,
including LHA—indeed, around this time next year, I will do
precisely that. It has to be borne in mind that we are currently
spending almost £30 billion a year on housing allowance and that
figure is expected to increase to around £50 billion by 2050, so
there are cost considerations.
The ongoing impact of the freeze on LHA is that more people are
effectively being priced out of the private rental sector, with
more and more housing becoming unaffordable. Research by Crisis
showed that just 4% of three-bedroom homes advertised in
Manchester were affordable on LHA rates. Tenants are forced to
use increasingly larger proportions of their income on rent, at
the height of a cost of living crisis. Will the Minister commit
to annually raising the local housing allowance in line with
inflation?
As I have just indicated, I will review that in just under a
year. There are of course the discretionary housing payments,
which are administered by local authorities for those who feel
that they need additional support, and I also point the hon.
Gentleman in the direction of the significant cost of living
payments that we are providing at the moment to support those in
most need.
Dame
As my hon. Friends have said, the very least the Government must
do is to raise the local housing allowance to keep pace with the
real rate of rent inflation. The Department has also cut the
funding of last resort, namely, that given to the Welsh
Government to provide discretionary housing payments—a cut of 18%
last year and a whopping 27% this financial year. Will the
Secretary of State now commit to reversing that latest cut, so
that local councils in Wales can at least offer some help to
those in most dire need and avoid further evictions?
I would just say to the hon Lady that there is the household
support fund as well, which she did not mention. That is there to
provide support in the circumstances that she described, along
with the discretionary housing payments that I set out and the
fact that, in 2020, we did indeed raise LHA to be in line with
the 30th percentile of local rents.
The reality is that a family in one of the cheapest three-bedroom
homes in Luton have faced a shortfall of about £2,300 over the
last year, and that gap increased by £650 from five months
earlier. That proves that the growing gap between housing benefit
and the cost of the cheapest private rents is forcing people into
poverty. When the Secretary of State chose to freeze local
housing allowance for another year, did he consider how that
might make more and more families across the country
homeless?
I did of course very carefully consider the points that the hon.
Lady has made, just as I very carefully considered the extent to
which there should be an uprating of benefits more generally;
they went up by 10.1%—the level of the consumer prices index at
that time. I also considered very carefully what the uplift in
pensions should be and, again, that was 10.1%, the level of CPI.
For pensioners, we also stood by the triple lock.
In Liverpool, the shortfall between housing benefit and the
cheapest rents has now risen to £1,360 over a year. Outside
London, private sector rents are rising across the country at an
average of 11.8%, yet no one from the Conservative party seems to
recognise that rent increases also cause inflation. Conservative
Members are frequently eager to call for pay restraint and for
benefits to be held down but never for landlords to heed the same
advice. My constituents now face homelessness. Does the Secretary
of State recognise that high housing costs and completely
inadequate housing benefit lie at the root of the cost of living
crisis and that the choice for the Government should be between
capping rents and raising support?
The hon. Gentleman rightly raises inflation, which we are all
having to contend with at the moment. That is why my right hon.
Friend the Chancellor came before the House at the time of the
autumn statement and set out a clear plan as to how to bring
inflation down. The Office for Budget Responsibility forecasts
that it will be half its current level in a year’s time. A large
amount of support has been put forward, with the £650 cost of
living payment this year to those low-income households that he
describes, covering some 8 million people up and down the
country.
Mr Speaker
I call the shadow Minister.
(Westminster North) (Lab)
May I also warmly welcome my hon. Friend the Member for City of
Chester () to her place?
Fifty-nine per cent. of private renters on universal
credit—844,000 households—have rents above the maximum level that
local housing allowance will cover. That means that they have to
make up the difference, which, as we have heard, is often
substantial, either by reducing spending on other necessities
such as food and heating, or by getting into arrears, risking
homelessness. With homelessness already rising, local authorities
predicting how much more they will have to spend and the
Government only today announcing an extra £50 million having to
be spent on the homelessness prevention grant, does the Secretary
of State accept that what the Government are saving through the
freeze on housing allowance is merely popping up in additional
spending elsewhere and that it is time to get a grip?
As I set out, the amount being spent on housing and housing
support is almost £30 billion a year. That has grown strongly
over the last decade or so and is on a trajectory to reach £50
billion by 2050. The Government are therefore putting huge
support into that area. In addition to LHA, there are, as I have
said, discretionary housing payments. When it comes to the
homeless, we have brought forward a £2 billion package to help to
resolve those issues.
Universal Credit: Death of a Child
(Bath) (LD)
3. Whether his Department is taking steps to support parents in
receipt of universal credit with the financial transition when a
full-time caring role changes following the death of a child with
a life-limiting condition. (902574)
The Minister for Employment ()
The answer is yes. We want universal credit to provide support to
claimants even where they have suffered bereavement of a child.
Where a bereavement happens, we seek to ensure that the child
element, disabled child element, childcare, carer element and
housing element with the run-on provisions will all continue,
notwithstanding the loss.
I am not entirely certain whether the Minister just announced a
change in what the Government are doing, but may I press him on
the issue affecting my constituents? The loss of these benefits
places a heavy financial strain on parents who are already
suffering from overwhelming grief. One of my constituents knows
this. I have asked the Minister and his predecessor on several
occasions for a meeting to see how to mitigate that. If he has
just announced a change, I would be happy if he could explain
what has now changed. Will he please meet me to explain what the
changes are?
The hon. Lady may not know, but I lost twin boys and fully
understand the difficulties her constituent faces in terms of
bereavement. It is clearly the case that there are the run-on
provisions, but I would happy to sit down with her to explain the
run-on provisions and the extent to which there is ongoing
support for the bereaved.
Mr Speaker
Karl MᶜCartney is obviously not here. Can the Secretary of State
answer as though he is present?
Cost of Living: People on Low Incomes
Karl MᶜCartney (Lincoln) (Con)
4. What steps his Department is taking to support people on low
incomes with the cost of living. (902575)
(Carshalton and Wallington)
(Con)
17. What steps his Department is taking to help support people
with the cost of living. (902589)
(Hyndburn) (Con)
20. What steps his Department is taking to support people on low
incomes with the cost of living. (902592)
The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions ()
In 2022-23, the Government provided £37 billion in cost of living
support. We also uprated benefits, pensions and the benefit cap,
as I described in previous answers.
I welcome the steps my right hon. Friend has taken to support
Carshalton and Wallington residents. Will he join me in welcoming
the work of Wallington Jobcentre Plus in putting on advice events
with local charities, especially in St Helier and Roundshaw? Will
he commit the Department for Work and Pensions to supporting me
when I put on my cost of living advice fair, which I hope to host
very soon?
I thank my hon. Friend very much for his question and put on
record my support and thanks to Wallington Jobcentre for its
extraordinary work, which I know is encouraged by him. I will
certainly look at what the Department can do to support his job
fair.
I praise the Secretary of State for his work to help those on
benefits get the support they need this winter, but does he agree
that with inflation running high, a symptom of Putin’s barbaric
war in Ukraine, we need to ensure we get support to households on
low and middle incomes, too? Will he work with me to ensure we
protect constituents such as mine in Hyndburn and Haslingden?
My hon. Friend makes an important point. She is perhaps referring
to those who are not necessarily on benefits but are still
struggling. I would point to the £400 payment, which has gone out
through fuel bills; the increase in the personal allowance over
the years, taking many of the lowest paid out of tax; the recent
increase in the national living wage to historically high levels;
and the energy price guarantee, which has been rolled out to
support those struggling with their energy bills.
(Battersea) (Lab)
Given the cost of living crisis, or emergency, we are living in,
it is deeply worrying that the Government have still chosen not
to uprate local housing allowance, despite there being no change
since 2016. Even those on the lowest income will face challenges
in relation to being on housing benefit and universal credit.
Could the Secretary of State say how much additional resource is
being given to local authorities to pay for additional housing
costs via the discretionary housing payment? Can he set out the
Government’s rationale, because I do not believe he has answered
why they are still freezing local housing allowance?
On the discretionary housing payments, I believe the figure is
about £1.5 billion over the last few years, but I will
get—[Interruption.] There was a recent announcement about further
moneys which are included in the figure I have just provided to
the hon. Lady. I will look to get a more precise answer, but it
is of the order of £1.5 billion.
Mrs (Birmingham, Erdington)
(Lab)
Research shows that nine in 10 disabled people are worried about
their energy bills this winter. People with disabilities have
been one of the hardest-hit groups during the cost of living
crisis, yet many are being denied crucial support. One of my
constituents is a disabled single mother who is currently
undergoing chemotherapy. She told me that the mobility element of
her personal independence payment has recently been removed and
that without it she is really struggling. With many disabled
people worrying about rising costs and unable to afford basic
essentials, do Ministers really think they have done enough to
support them through this cost of living crisis?
I am very sorry to hear the details of the hon. Lady’s
constituent; if she writes to me, I will be happy to look into
the matters that she raised. More generally, it is only fair to
say that the Government have done an extraordinary amount to
support those who are disabled, not least into work, beating all
the targets that we set to get 1 million more disabled people
into employment. As for the cost of living payments, along with
various other payments, there was a £150 payment to 6 million
disabled people up and down the country.
(Barnsley East) (Lab)
This Christmas, the £66 energy voucher will be the difference
between heating and eating for many of my constituents, but many
on prepayment meters are still waiting for their vouchers.
Ministers have been warned countless times about the gap in
payments, so what are the Government doing to ensure that those
on prepayment meters do not miss out?
The vouchers that are administered by the energy companies come
under the remit of the Department for Business, Energy and
Industrial Strategy, rather than the DWP. None the less, that is
a concern right across Government. We have been liaising with
BEIS, and I am satisfied that the Secretary of State there is
totally aware of the situation and has been in close contact with
the companies to see that things improve. My understanding is
that very much a minority of the payments are affected, but for
everybody who is affected, that is clearly a serious matter.
Mr Speaker
I call the shadow Minister.
(Wirral South) (Lab)
I am glad that the Secretary of State has expressed concern for
my hon. Friends’ constituents. He is keen to explain just how
much money the Government are spending, but let us look at what
the results of 12 years of Conservative Government mean for the
money in people’s pockets, especially those on low incomes. We
have double-digit inflation and 2.5 million working-age adults
out of work, and more than 2 million emergency food parcels were
handed out in this country last year. Could that be the reason
that the public in Chester looked at the Government’s record and
gave the Tories their worst result in that seat since 1832?
I am rather surprised that the hon. Lady raises unemployment, in
particular. Under Labour, we saw unemployment rise by nearly half
a million; female unemployment go up by a quarter; youth
unemployment rise by 44%; the number of households with no one
working in them double; and 1.4 million people spending most of
their last decade on out-of-work benefits. That is not a record
to be proud of.
Mr Speaker
I call the Scottish National party spokesperson.
(East Dunbartonshire)
(SNP)
A recent report for the Aberlour children’s charity found that
the DWP deducts an average of £80 a month from Scottish families
on universal credit to cover debts such as advance payments
caused by the five-week wait. Does the Secretary of State think
that it is acceptable that 56% of our constituents claiming
universal credit have been left with such tiny sums of money that
they have been forced to go without food or to eat just one meal
a day? Will he consider replacing the advance payment loans with
a non-repayable grant?
On deductions from universal credit, the hon. Lady will know
that, during the pandemic, when things were extremely difficult,
we paused that entire process. As a matter of principle, it is
important that, when claimants are in debt, arrangements are made
such that they can work their way through that and come out of
debt. That often means deductions—I say “often” because it does
not always mean that, and our debt management team are always
very aware of the circumstances of those with whom they are
dealing. We also reduced the maximum amount that can be
deducted—first, from 40% to 30%, and now to 25%—so I am satisfied
that the balance is broadly correct, but wherever there are
individual instances where somebody feels that they are not being
treated appropriately, they always have recourse to appeal.
Universal Credit Taper Rate
(Rugby) (Con)
7. What assessment he has made of the potential merits of
reducing the universal credit taper rate on the levels of
people’s incomes. (902578)
(Buckingham) (Con)
11. What assessment he has made of the potential merits of
reducing the universal credit taper rate on the levels of
people’s incomes. (902583)
The Minister for Employment ()
We reduced the earnings taper to 55% last December and we
increased the work allowance by £500 a year. As a consequence,
1.7 million households will benefit from these measures, which
mean that they keep, on average, around an extra £1,000 a year.
That encourages in-work progression as claimants are clearly
better off in work.
The claimant rate in Rugby is just 2.8%, and I hear regularly
from employers about the workforce challenges that they face. The
low rate in Rugby has arisen in part because of the cut to the
taper rate that the Minister referred to, which was extremely
welcome to working people on universal credit. Will he set out
what further steps his Department can take to encourage
claimants—those who can—to increase their income by taking on
more and better-paid work?
My hon. Friend will be aware that Rugby jobcentre is doing a
fantastic job locally; I look forward to visiting in 2023. Since
April 2022, we have been rolling out the new in-work progression
offer, which will support approximately 2.1 million working
universal credit claimants to progress into higher-paid work.
They will also be supported by progression champions, of whom we
have 37 across the country, including in Mercia.
Universal credit was always intended to ensure that work pays.
Reducing the taper rate is a critical part of that, but does my
hon. Friend agree that it is not the only critical element? To
keep unemployment as low as it is today or lower, things like
increasing access to work coaches are equally important.
A huge amount is being done to increase the time that individual
claimants spend with work coaches. More intensive support is
being provided. The additional earnings threshold, which my hon.
Friend will be fully aware of, is also being rolled out across
the country to ensure that we see claimants in better-paid jobs
on a longer-term basis.
Transfer from Universal Credit into Work: Cost of Childcare
(Weaver Vale) (Lab)
9. What assessment his Department has made of the potential
effect of the cost of childcare on incentives for people to
transfer from universal credit into work. (902581)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
()
The Government are providing generous, tailored support for
parents through universal credit, the free childcare entitlement
and skills support to help parents to get into work and to
progress. Eligible claimants can receive financial support for
up-front childcare costs as well as support for ongoing
costs.
Sandra in the Northwich part of my constituency—like many people
up and down the United Kingdom, predominantly women—faces a
significant barrier as a result of increased childcare costs. The
childcare element of universal credit has been frozen since 2016.
When does the Minister intend to do the right thing and unfreeze
that element of universal credit?
Universal credit-eligible claimants can claim up to 85% of their
registered childcare costs each month, regardless of the number
of hours they work; I would compare that favourably with 70% in
tax credits. What I would say to employers who may be overlooking
single parents is that they are not understanding the wide range
of childcare challenges. I am a single mum—I get it. Looking at
job design and flexibility is equally important.
Cost of Energy: People with Disabilities
(Blaydon) (Lab)
10. What assessment he has made with Cabinet colleagues of the
adequacy of levels of benefit payments to support people with
disabilities with the cost of energy. (902582)
(Oldham East and
Saddleworth) (Lab)
19. What assessment he has made with Cabinet colleagues of the
adequacy of levels of benefit payments to support people with
disabilities with the cost of energy. (902591)
The Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work ()
Ministers across Government, of course, discuss policy proposals.
The Government are spending £37 billion this year to support
people on low incomes and disabled people with rising costs of
living and energy prices. On top of that support, which includes
cost of living payments, we have committed to a further £26
billion in cost of living support in 2023-24.
Earlier this year, 300,000 disabled people were taken out of
eligibility for the warm home discount scheme, causing them huge
worry. What does the Minister say to those 300,000 worried
disabled people, who lost £150 because of his Government’s
decision to remove them from the warm home discount scheme?
I am happy to raise with Ministers across Government the hon.
Lady’s point about eligibility for the scheme, but I would make
the argument that this Government have put in place a
comprehensive package of support that is worth £37 billion this
year and £26 billion next year. It is comprehensive support,
meeting a number of needs. Of course, there is also discretionary
help to meet particular needs where they exist in particular
households.
We should not forget that since 2010, £34 billion of social
security support has been taken away from working-age people,
including disabled people. Back in April, the Equality and Human
Rights Commission identified requiring the Department for Work
and Pensions to enter into a section 23 agreement as one of its
areas of focus. Eight months on, that agreement has still not
been presented. At the Work and Pensions Committee last week, I
asked the Secretary of State when it would be agreed. I would
like some confirmation—here, today—of when exactly that will
happen.
The position is exactly as the Secretary of State described it to
the Select Committee last week. We, as Ministers, continue to
engage constructively on that section 23 issue, and will provide
further updates whenever we are able to do so.
Mr Speaker
I call the shadow Minister.
(Lewisham, Deptford)
(Lab)
Many disabled people are having to make unimaginable sacrifices
to keep life-saving equipment running in the face of huge energy
bills. For instance, Carolynne Hunter’s 12-year-old daughter
Freya requires oxygen for chronic breathing problems, and the
bills that she had to pay to keep her daughter alive rose to
£17,000. Thankfully, Kate Winslet stepped in and donated the full
amount after being “absolutely destroyed” by the family’s story,
but disabled people should not have to rely on celebrities to
swoop in and save the day. When will the Government finally
ensure that all disabled people are receiving the support they so
desperately need?
I thank the shadow Minister for raising the issue of Carolynne’s
situation. I am, of course, under no illusions about how
challenging many people are finding the current circumstances and
climate. We are providing the package of support that I have
already described—which is the right thing to do—in addition to
the discretionary help that is there to address particularly
pressing needs in individual cases. As the hon. Lady will know,
the Chancellor announced in the autumn statement that as part of
ongoing future work we would be considering, for instance, social
tariffs, and I also want to look into what more we can do in the
longer term to help families deal with continuing significant
costs.
State Pension Age: Women Born on or after 6 April 1950
(North Shropshire) (LD)
14. If he will take steps to compensate women born on or after 6
April 1950 affected by changes to the state pension age.
(902586)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
()
State pension age equalisation and subsequent increases have been
the policy of successive Governments. The phasing in of state
pension age increases was agreed to by the hon. Lady’s party in
2011 and 2014.
Last July the pensions ombudsman concluded that the Government
had been too slow to inform many women that they would be
affected by the rising state pension age. Along with the cost of
living crisis, this means that many of the WASPI women—Women
Against State Pension Inequality—are struggling to get by, and it
is one of the concerns most frequently raised in my weekly
surgeries. I wonder whether the Secretary of State will commit
himself to an interim payment for the women affected by the
change in pension age while they wait for the release of the
ombudsman’s final report.
As the hon. Lady knows, the investigation is ongoing, so it would
not be appropriate to take any further steps at this stage.
Benefit Fraud
(Chelmsford) (Con)
15. What steps his Department is taking to reduce benefit fraud.
(902587)
The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions ()
Dealing with fraud is, of course, a key mission for the
Department. We have recently announced two tranches of additional
investment totalling £900 million to prevent more than £1
billion-worth of fraud by 2024-25.
At difficult economic times like this it is particularly
important for us to protect taxpayers’ money, so I welcome the
Government’s further investment to tackle fraud, but what efforts
are they making to address organised crime in the benefits
system?
My right hon. Friend has raised an extremely important matter.
Unfortunately, fraud does not happen just at the level of the
individual, but involves organised crime as well. Since July
2019, the Department has secured the removal of 1,500 social
media accounts, many of which were related to organised crime,
and since May 2020 it has suspended 170,000 claims.
Personal Independence Payments: Processing Times
(North Swindon) (Con)
16. What recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of
processing times for personal independence payments. (902588)
The Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work ()
We are committed to ensuring that people can access financial
support through PIP in a timely manner. By prioritising new
claims, increasing resources and using different assessment
channels, we reduced the average new claim process from 26 weeks
in August 2021 to 18 weeks in October 2022.
Capacity is key to assessment. What progress is being made to
extend the severe conditions criteria in the PIP system, learning
the lessons of the changes we have made to the special rules for
the terminally ill, which would potentially allow us to remove
300,000 unnecessary assessments from the system, benefiting
claimants and the taxpayer?
I am hugely grateful to my hon. Friend, who is of course a
distinguished former Minister for disabled people and whose views
on these matters I listen to incredibly carefully. We announced
in “Shaping future support: the health and disability green
paper” that we will test a new severe disability group, so that
those with severe and lifelong conditions can benefit from a
simplified process to access PIP, employment and support
allowance and universal credit without needing to go through a
face-to-face assessment or frequent reassessments. We will
consider the test results, once they are complete, to influence
thinking on the next stages of this work.
Cost of Living: Pensioners
(Lancaster and Fleetwood) (Lab)
18. What steps his Department is taking to support pensioners
with increases in the cost of living. (902590)
(Bexleyheath and Crayford)
(Con)
22. What steps his Department is taking to support pensioners
with increases in the cost of living. (902594)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
()
All pensioner households are in the process of receiving an extra
£300 to help them cover the rising cost of energy this winter.
For those in receipt of pension credit, the second cost of living
payment of £324 was issued in November.
Rural pensioners face additional challenges to the cost of living
crisis, and I have recently heard from constituents in the
villages of Forton and Winmarleigh who are still waiting for
information from the Government on the payment of the alternative
fuel payment scheme, as they are off grid. Additionally, the
removal of the Bay Plus Megarider bus ticket has increased the
price of bus tickets, which may not directly affect those
pensioners, but where they are supporting adult children and
school-age children in their households, it is impacting on their
family budgets. What steps are the Government taking to support
pensioners who live in rural parts?
I recognise a lot of the challenges that the hon. Lady mentions,
and this is why we are giving pensioners £850, and people on
pension credit £1,500, to get through this winter.
I welcome my hon. Friend to her position and I would like to
thank her for the answer she has just given us. I wish her well
in her job. The Government’s £300 boost to the winter fuel
payment will give pensioners vital support this winter, and I
know it is much appreciated by my constituents. However, will she
join me in encouraging pensioners on low incomes to look into
whether they are eligible for pension credit and to submit an
application for this additional support as soon as possible?
I thank my right hon. Friend for his question. He is, as always,
absolutely right. I know that he visited Age UK recently and
raised these issues. It is vital that any pensioners receiving
less than £182.60 a week look into whether they are eligible for
pension credit, and if they are, they should try to claim it
before 18 December, because the cost of living payment of £324
can be backdated.
Mr Speaker
I call the shadow Minister.
(Reading East) (Lab)
Pensioners who have worked hard and saved all their lives face an
unprecedented cost of living crisis. Meanwhile, the Government
dithered and delayed, but after considerable pressure from the
Opposition side of the House, they eventually agreed to increase
the state pension to offer some help with fuel bills. However,
these delays have left pensioners angry, confused and, as we
heard earlier, frustrated. Can the Minister please tell the House
how many pensioners will be left freezing and cold with no
heating on this winter?
I am grateful to the hon. Member for highlighting the record rise
in state pension brought forward by this Government. We are, as
ever, on the side of pensioners as we go through this winter, and
I would point out that the state pension has doubled from the
level we were left by Labour in 2010.
Helping People into Work
(Grantham and Stamford)
(Con)
21. What progress his Department has made on increasing the
number of people with disabilities in work. (902593)
(Orpington) (Con)
24. What assessment he has made of the effectiveness of his
Department's policies in helping people into work. (902596)
The Minister for Employment ()
I have visited around 50 jobcentres, and this is an opportunity
for me to thank the many disability employment advisers who do a
fantastic job ensuring that we get disabled people into work.
That figure is up 2 million since 2013, with nearly 5 million
disabled people in work at the moment.
One of the great accomplishments of the Down Syndrome Act 2022,
brought in by my right hon. Friend the Member for North Somerset
(), was to affirm the great potential of people with Down’s
syndrome if they just have the right support. So can my hon.
Friend outline what steps the Department is taking to support
those with Down’s syndrome into work, to ensure that everyone who
wants to work has the opportunity to do so?
My hon. Friend is right that this is a landmark piece of
legislation, and I praise him for raising it today. I pay similar
tribute to my right hon. Friend the Member for North Somerset
().
A range of Government initiatives are supporting those with
Down’s syndrome to start, stay and succeed in work, including
through increased work coach support. Disability employment
advisers across the country have been tasked with tackling this
precise problem, to enable people with Down’s syndrome to
progress in work.
Twenty-one per cent. of those aged between 16 and 64 are
currently not in work or seeking work, at a time when the British
Chambers of Commerce estimates there are 1.2 million unfilled
jobs in the economy. What steps is the Department taking to
ensure that those who are not in full-time education, and who
might be a bit shy about coming back into the workplace, take
steps to do so?
There is far too much for me to outline at the Dispatch Box, but
I will write to my hon. Friend. I will also visit him in
Orpington to set out in more detail the various things we are
doing to tackle the vacancy list on many levels. He will be aware
that the labour market has recovered strongly since 2020, with
payroll employment up on pre-pandemic levels, but we accept there
is more to do.
Topical Questions
(Birmingham, Northfield)
(Con)
T1. If he will make a statement on his departmental
responsibilities.(902597)
The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions ()
Since my last appearance at Question Time, there has been the
benefits uprating we have been discussing this afternoon. I am
very pleased to have had a 10.1% increase across the board,
including for pensions as we stood by the triple lock.
I also had the great pleasure of appearing before the Select
Committee on Work and Pensions, which was particularly looking at
the issue of economic inactivity. I urge all Members to read the
transcript of those exchanges. I thank the right hon. Member for
East Ham (Sir ) for giving me almost two and
a half hours of the Committee’s attention.
I was kindly asked in April to open the new jobcentre in Kings
Norton, which has since enabled 973 people to get back into work.
Will the Secretary of State set out how we can help jobcentres
such as those in Kings Norton and Longbridge in my constituency
do even more to get even more people into work? Will he visit
Kings Norton so we can both thank the jobcentre’s fantastic teams
that have got so many people back into work?
My hon. Friend is absolutely right. The talented and hard-working
people at Kings Norton jobcentre do an extraordinary job, and I
know he has personally done a great deal to encourage them. This
is why overall unemployment is as low as it is. I will certainly
consider his request for a ministerial visit.
Mr Speaker
I call the shadow Secretary of State.
(Leicester South)
(Lab/Co-op)
The Secretary of State will know that employment is lower than
before the pandemic, that 2.5 million people are out of work for
reasons of sickness—a record high—and that half a million young
people are not in education, employment or training. There is a
£1 billion underspend on Restart and other schemes, so why not
use that money to help the economically inactive get back to
work?
As the right hon. Gentleman will know, we look at our budgets on
an ongoing basis. Where we have an underspend, such as on the
Restart scheme, it is largely because the Government have been so
successful in lowering the level of unemployment. Compared with
2010, youth unemployment is down by almost 60%. It is 29,000 down
on the last quarter, and 77,000 down on the year.
The Secretary of State will have seen the Office for Budget
Responsibility’s projection that we are likely to spend more than
£8 billion extra on health and disability benefits. We are
getting sicker as a society, yet only one in 10 unemployed
disabled people or older people are getting any employment
support. Does he think that is acceptable? How will he fix
it?
On assisting the disabled into employment, this Government have
an excellent record through Disability Confident. Our work
coaches do a huge amount of work to ensure that those with
disabilities are in work. The right hon. Gentleman will know the
Department is currently undertaking a large amount of work on
economic inactivity. I heard his recent comments, which were very
interesting, and my door is always open to conversations about
working together.
(Buckingham) (Con)
T2. Research by Macmillan shows that 83% of people with a cancer
diagnosis experience a financial impact from that, with the
average figure being £891 a month on top of their usual
expenditure, which sometimes means they cannot afford to get to
their medical appointments. What more can be done to ensure that
those with a cancer diagnosis get rapid access to everything to
which they are entitled?(902598)
The Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work ()
I thank my hon. Friend for raising this point. The experience he
describes illustrates the troubling and worrying times for
families when a diagnosis of cancer comes through. We are
committed to ensuring that people can access financial support,
through the personal independence payment and other benefits for
which they are eligible, in a timely manner. We are seeing a
gradual improvement on PIP claims, with the latest statistics
showing that the average end-to-end journey has steadily reduced
from 26 weeks in August 2021 to 18 weeks at the end of July 2022.
However, I am not complacent on this; digitisation clearly plays
an important part and we are going to go further.
Mr Speaker
We come to the SNP spokesperson.
(East Dunbartonshire)
(SNP)
Recent figures from the Department for Work and Pensions,
acquired from an answer to a written question from my hon. Friend
the Member for Glasgow South West (), show that the Department
took £2.3 million from claimants in Scotland, at an average of
£250 per sanctioned household. Sanctions against young people in
Scotland have almost doubled since 2019, undermining the
significant investment the Scottish Government are making in
tackling child poverty. Does the Secretary of State stand by the
practice of sanctioning the most vulnerable and leaving them
hungry?
As we focused on in our earlier exchange, the most important
thing is that there is a proportionate response to those who are
in debt, for whatever reason. It is appropriate that we help
people out of debt, and reductions—or deductions—are part of that
process. As I explained to the hon. Lady, the maximum that can be
taken from the universal credit standard payment is now 25%—it
used to be 40%. We are very careful to assess every case on its
individual merits, to take into account the circumstances of
those impacted.
Duncan Baker (North Norfolk) (Con)
T3. One of my constituents has motor neurone disease. She
became disabled after she reached pensionable age and the only
support she can now claim is attendance allowance, which, as we
know, has no additional mobility element of payment. Others who
have the same condition but are under pensionable age can claim
and receive the mobility addition. Does my right hon. Friend
agree that people on benefits who end up with these health issues
should be able to claim for their disability based on a
disability and not their age?(902599)
Nearly 1.5 million pensioners are receiving attendance allowance,
at a cost of about £5.5 billion this year. It is normal for
social security schemes to contain different provisions for
people at different stages of their lives, which reflect varying
priorities and circumstances. People who become disabled or
develop mobility needs after reaching state pension age will have
had no disadvantage on grounds of their disability during their
working lives. I understand that that position is long standing,
having been in place since the 1970s, under successive
Governments.
(Ealing, Southall)
(Lab)
T5. Unemployment in my constituency is still significantly
higher than it was before the pandemic and it is twice the
national average. Ministers keep saying that times are tough and
that we need to make difficult decisions. Will the Minister
commit to raising payments in line with inflation to prevent
misery for thousands in Ealing, Southall? Will he work with his
colleagues to help the economy, not hinder it?(902602)
The Minister for Employment ()
I am slightly puzzled by the hon. Gentleman’s question. Clearly,
we did raise a significant proportion of benefits in line with
inflation at the autumn statement. He will also be aware of the
taper that was reduced to 55%, and the work on increased work
allowances, additional earnings thresholds and the in-work
progression—I could go on. All of those things are designed to
assist and progress people in work.
(Harrow East) (Con)
T4. My right hon. Friend will be aware that my private Member’s
Bill on supported housing exempt accommodation is making its way
through Parliament. He will also have seen the Inside Housing
exposé that demonstrates that more than £1 billion is going out
in housing benefit to providers. Many of them are providing an
important service for vulnerable people, but a large number of
rogue landlords are ripping off the system. Will he undertake a
review to make sure that people who are claiming this benefit are
properly assessed and provided with the support they
need?(902600)
I recognise the extraordinary work that my hon. Friend has done
over many years to campaign for those in social housing, private
housing and also, indeed, those who are homeless. I fully support
his Bill. It is absolutely right that we clamp down on these
rogue landlords. I think I recall him saying in this House how he
had examples of those who were supposed to be supporting people
living in their accommodation simply knocking on the door,
calling up the stairs to say, “Are you alright?” and then
leaving. That is completely and utterly unacceptable. I look
forward to the progress of his Bill.
(Ogmore) (Lab)
T7. My constituent, Mr Hudson, has raised with me that the DWP
has not been paying any of his national insurance contributions
for his state pension for the past three-and-a-half years, and
that the Department has been unable to advise him on when he will
receive the update to his records, because he is in receipt of
class 3 benefit contributions. Will the Secretary of State or his
Ministers explain when this will be undertaken, so that my
constituent can get the much-needed contributions re-established,
enabling him to claim his state pension when the time
comes?(902604)
I thank the hon. Gentleman for raising Mr Hudson’s situation. If
he would care to write to me, or have Mr Hudson write to me, I
will be very happy to make sure that it is thoroughly looked
into.
(Bexleyheath and Crayford)
(Con)
Can my right hon. Friend give the House an update on the new
disability action plan that the Government are preparing at the
moment?
I am grateful to my right hon. Friend for asking about that. It
is right that we work across Government to identify priority
areas where we can deliver meaningful change and progress for
disabled people to improve their lives. That is what that action
plan will do. We will be drawing up ideas, consulting on them,
and then getting on delivering them. I look forward to hearing
his views as we take that work forward.
(Middlesbrough) (Lab)
T8. My constituent, Brandon, was medically discharged from the
armed forces in 2020 after serving six years. He sustained a
number of physical injuries and mental health consequences, but
the DWP is failing to adhere to the armed forces covenant and to
recognise the Ministry of Defence’s medical assessment for
universal credit purposes, or to recognise the assessment of
Combat Stress for personal independence payment purposes. Will
the Minister consider his case and take the appropriate action to
address those deficits?(902605)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
()
I thank the hon. Gentleman for raising that matter and it is a
concern. There are 11 armed forces leaders and 50 champions
across the DWP. I would be very happy to look at this particular
case, if he were able to raise it directly with me.
Sir (East Ham) (Lab)
We were grateful for the answers that the Secretary of State gave
at the Work and Pensions Committee meeting last week, and we are
looking forward to him returning on 11 January. He has been
pressed this afternoon, repeatedly and rightly, about local
housing allowance, and I have heard his answers to those
questions. Next year will be the fourth year that the local
housing allowance has been frozen at its current level, during a
period when rents have risen sharply. Does he recognise that the
case for rebasing local housing allowance, so that it reflects
actual local rents, is becoming a very pressing one?
Once again, I thank the right hon. Gentleman for the opportunity
to appear before his Committee last week. He raises again the
LHA. In 2020, it was, of course, raised to be in line with the
local 30th percentile of rents at a cost of approaching £1
billion. He is absolutely right that, clearly, the higher the
rate of inflation, and house rental inflation in particular, the
more pressure that is put on that particular allowance. All I can
undertake to do is to look at this matter very closely the next
time I review these particular benefits, which will be in about a
year’s time.
(Barnsley Central) (Lab)
I raised 11-year-old Harry Sanders’s disability living allowance
appeal at the last DWP questions, but despite a letter from the
Minister, for which I am grateful, his parents are still waiting
for a tribunal date. Will the Minister look again at Harry’s
case, understand why the long wait is causing such anxiety and
work with me to resolve this matter as soon as possible?
Again, I thank the hon. Gentleman for raising this issue so
constructively. He is right to say that I responded to his
earlier question in a letter last week. This matter is sitting
with the HM Courts and Tribunals Service, which of course relates
to the work of the Ministry of Justice and is independent as part
of the judiciary. I will take his point away and flag it with
Justice Ministers so that they can see whether there is anything
that they can do to raise it.
Dame (Llanelli) (Lab)
The Secretary of State mentioned the reduction to 25% of the
deductions to universal credit to claw back overpayments or
advances, but deducting 25% of money that barely covers the
essentials is far too much. A report by Lloyds Bank Foundation
says that even at 25% the deductions are pushing people into
other debt and leaving them without enough to live on. The
Secretary of State will also know that the Work and Pensions
Committee has recommended pausing debt recovery during the cost
of living crisis. Will the Secretary of State now pause that debt
collection and, when it resumes, resume it at a lower level?
The hon. Lady will know that the level of 25% she refers to has
been decreasing through time; it was 40% not that long ago, then
30% and now it is 25%. It was paused altogether during the
pandemic, and the experience then was that debt started to
increase among claimants, in many cases in a way that was not
helpful to the claimant. It is an important principle that, where
people are in debt, we work with them to make sure we get them
out of debt through time, but I accept that we need to do that
with great care, hence the various elements of the process that I
described earlier.
(Lancaster and Fleetwood) (Lab)
What measures are the Government taking to speed up repayments to
the 200,000 pensioners who have yet to be compensated for the
historical underpayments in the state pension?
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
()
We have hired more than 1,000 people to look at that. It was a
mistake and we are working as hard as we can to rectify it as
quickly as possible.
(Meriden) (Con)
A number of constituents have written to me about the build-up of
childcare vouchers that they were not able to use over the
pandemic. It has been suggested to me that we could reduce
restrictions on getting a refund and allow parents to take
advantage of that during the cost of living crisis. Is there
something the Minister can suggest we should do about that?
I thank my hon. Friend for raising the issue. This is the first I
have heard of it and I would be keen to meet him and hear more
about it.
(Barnsley East) (Lab)
Many Barnsley pensioners would be better off if they were on
pension credit. Why will the Government not automatically enrol
all pensioners on pension credit to help to lift them out of
poverty?
Pension credit is a complicated system that also involves
people’s savings, so it is not possible with the information the
Government have to award it automatically. That said, we are
looking at what we can do, working with local authorities and
others, to try to speed up delivery of the payments.
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