Written question asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat) on Monday, 26 October 2020, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Monday, 9 November 2020. It was answered by Baroness Stedman-Scott (Conservative) on Monday, 9 November 2020 on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions.

Food: Prices

Question: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the extent of food price rises in the event of the UK and the EU not agreeing a deal on their future relationship; and what plans they have, if any, to increase pensions and other benefits to help people to cover these costs.

Answer: The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions is required by law to conduct an annual review of benefit and pension rates to determine whether they have retained their value in relation to the general level of prices or, in some cases, earnings. The measure used for prices is the Consumer Price Index, which measures the aggregate change in prices of a sample of items that represent the spending patterns of a typical household, including food items.

Secondary information