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To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the estimation in Economic and Fiscal Outlook - March 2026 that health and disability benefits will increase to almost £110 billion by 2030.
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the estimation in Economic and Fiscal Outlook - March 2026 that health and disability benefits will increase to almost £110 billion by 2030.
The Department for Work and Pensions has slowed the increase in health and disability benefit caseloads, and in welfare spending as a proportion of GDP compared to the last Government.
The Timms Review, the first ever full review of PIP, was launched to ensure we have a system that supports disabled people to achieve better health, higher living standards and greater in-dependence, including through employment.
The steering group is now moving towards designing and testing its recommendations for change, which will be published in a final report in due course.
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of pensioners with income at or near the level of the state pension who are now liable for income tax as a result of the freeze in personal allowance thresholds.
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of pensioners with income at or near the level of the state pension who are now liable for income tax as a result of the freeze in personal allowance thresholds.
The number of individual income taxpayers over State Pension Age can be seen in the table below[1]:
Tax year | Number of individual Income Taxpayers over State Pension Age |
2023 to 2024 | 8,160 |
2024 to 2025* | 8,780 |
2025 to 2026* | 9,080 |
2026 to 2027* | 9,580 |
*Projected estimates based on the 2023 to 2024 Survey of Personal Incomes using economic assumptions consistent with the OBR’s March 2026 Economic and Fiscal Outlook for the forecast period. | |
The previous Conservative Government made the decision to maintain income tax thresholds at their current levels from April 2021 until April 2028 and this is reflected in the numbers.
The current Government has set out that individuals whose only income is the basic or new State Pension, without increments, will not pay income tax over this Parliament. Further details on this will follow.
[1] Income Tax liabilities statistics: tax year 2022 to 2023 to tax year 2025 to 2026 - GOV.UK
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of changing the rates of Capital Gains Tax to move in line with income tax rates; and what assessment they have made of how effective such a change would be.
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of changing the rates of Capital Gains Tax to move in line with income tax rates; and what assessment they have made of how effective such a change would be.
Decisions on tax policy are taken by the Chancellor at fiscal events.
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the taper rate of Universal Credit should be changed.
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the taper rate of Universal Credit should be changed.
The current taper rate of 55 per cent gradually withdraws Universal Credit as earnings increase, allowing customers to retain at least 45 pence of each additional £1 earned, striking the right balance between supporting work incentives and targeting support at those on the lowest incomes. This policy is kept under regular review to ensure it continues to provide the right incentives for people receiving Universal Credit to move into work and progress in employment.
My Lords, I have been a trade union member for just over 67 years. That is longer than my membership of the two political parties put together. For the past 13 years, while I have been in this House, at different times I have been the president
of the British...
My Lords, I have been a trade union member for just over 67 years. That is longer than my membership of the two political parties put together. For the past 13 years, while I have been in this House, at different times I have been the president
of the British...
My Lords, I declare an interest: I am a member of this scheme. Let no one say that the British became bad Europeans lately: in 1978, in a last-minute endeavour to put off direct elections, Jim Callaghan persuaded the Council of Ministers
that, instead of having a common European pension...
My Lords, I declare an interest: I am a member of this scheme. Let no one say that the British became bad Europeans lately: in 1978, in a last-minute endeavour to put off direct elections, Jim Callaghan persuaded the Council of Ministers
that, instead of having a common European pension...
Lords presentation and first reading. (HL Bill 28).
Lords presentation and first reading. (HL Bill 28).
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have received following the decision of the Northern Ireland Minister for the Economy to exempt businesses employing fewer than 10 workers from the provisions on trade union recognition in the 'Good Jobs' Employment Rights Bill; and what is their assessment of the...
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have received following the decision of the Northern Ireland Minister for the Economy to exempt businesses employing fewer than 10 workers from the provisions on trade union recognition in the 'Good Jobs' Employment Rights Bill; and what is their assessment of the...
Under Section 4, Paragraph 1 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, employment law and trade union matters are transferred to the Northern Ireland Executive. Any decisions regarding employment law are therefore the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Executive.
My Lords, 50 years ago I was working in the retail sector when the right honourable Baroness Williams, who was a Member of this House some time later, was the Minister for food prices. At the end of her term of office, she admitted that it was a hopeless task...
My Lords, 50 years ago I was working in the retail sector when the right honourable Baroness Williams, who was a Member of this House some time later, was the Minister for food prices. At the end of her term of office, she admitted that it was a hopeless task...
To ask His Majesty’s Government what plans they have to ease the repayment terms of Plan 2 student loans.
To ask His Majesty’s Government what plans they have to ease the repayment terms of Plan 2 student loans.
My Lords, before I answer the noble Lord’s Question, I thought it appropriate to start by mentioning the devastating news regarding the outbreak of meningitis in Kent at the weekend. Our thoughts are with the families, friends and loved ones of those who have died and with everyone who is currently unwell or affected by this terrible situation.
In response to the noble Lord’s Question, this is a complex system that remains open to review. The Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Education are looking at ways to make it fairer, and ranges of options will be considered, but we must consider how any change would be funded to be fiscally responsible. For graduates, we are working hard to tackle the cost of living by extending government-funded childcare, reducing energy bills, freezing rail fares and rolling out free breakfast clubs.
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that those in the criminal justice system benefit from the National Year of Reading.
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that those in the criminal justice system benefit from the National Year of Reading.
The National Year of Reading is a welcome opportunity to promote a wide range of activity to improve literacy and engagement with reading for people in custody and on probation.
As part of this work we have appointed the first ever Prison Reading Laureate, the author Lee Child. He will champion the transformative power of reading across the criminal justice system, continue expansion of his successful literacy pilot programme which has been running in a number of prisons since 2025 and will bring in more authors to work with prisons across the country, promoting the benefits of reading to rehabilitation.
Reading is a priority for HMPPS who work with many voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations such as the Reading Agency and National Literacy Trust. A programme of work is planned throughout this year to improve national access to books and facilitate workshops with authors. The Youth Custody Service is also launching its first ever Literacy Festival to inspire reading amongst some of the most complex children in our society.
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to promote literary enrichment in the criminal justice system as part of the National Year of Reading.
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to promote literary enrichment in the criminal justice system as part of the National Year of Reading.
The National Year of Reading is a welcome opportunity to promote a wide range of activity to improve literacy and engagement with reading for people in custody and on probation.
As part of this work we have appointed the first ever Prison Reading Laureate, the author Lee Child. He will champion the transformative power of reading across the criminal justice system, continue expansion of his successful literacy pilot programme which has been running in a number of prisons since 2025 and will bring in more authors to work with prisons across the country, promoting the benefits of reading to rehabilitation.
Reading is a priority for HMPPS who work with many voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations such as the Reading Agency and National Literacy Trust. A programme of work is planned throughout this year to improve national access to books and facilitate workshops with authors. The Youth Custody Service is also launching its first ever Literacy Festival to inspire reading amongst some of the most complex children in our society.
My Lords, I will start with the one uncontroversial thing I am going say, which is to welcome the noble Lord, Lord Barrow. I look forward to his contribution, particularly in view of his past career.
I am speaker number 28. With the exception of my good and noble friend Lord...
My Lords, I will start with the one uncontroversial thing I am going say, which is to welcome the noble Lord, Lord Barrow. I look forward to his contribution, particularly in view of his past career.
I am speaker number 28. With the exception of my good and noble friend Lord...
My Lords, I am told that the programme for drug testing on drivers is in serious disarray, with many people’s samples not being tested. Has the Minister considered using breath as well as blood tests, and can he look at sorting it out? I am told that there are now thousands of tests outstanding, which have not moved towards prosecution.
My Lords, I am told that the programme for drug testing on drivers is in serious disarray, with many people’s samples not being tested. Has the Minister considered using breath as well as blood tests, and can he look at sorting it out? I am told that there are now thousands of tests outstanding, which have not moved towards prosecution.
I am not an expert in how you test those things, but I am disturbed to hear something that I had not heard previously: the suggestion that the programme is in disarray. I will find out whether the Government believe that it is in disarray and, if it is, what can and will be done about it, and write to the noble Lord.
My Lords, I remind the Minister of the old Foreign Office dictum that we have no permanent friends or permanent enemies, only permanent interests. It is in our permanent interest not to fall out disastrously with the biggest country in the world. We have to live with the Chinese and...
My Lords, I remind the Minister of the old Foreign Office dictum that we have no permanent friends or permanent enemies, only permanent interests. It is in our permanent interest not to fall out disastrously with the biggest country in the world. We have to live with the Chinese and...
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to reinstate in-person interviews for all applicants for sickness benefits.
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to reinstate in-person interviews for all applicants for sickness benefits.
We already undertake a number of face-to-face health assessments for people applying for sickness benefits. However, as announced in Pathways to Work Green Paper, we are planning to increase the number of face-to-face assessments. We will preserve alternative health assessment channels to meet the specific needs of people who require a different channel, for example as a reasonable adjustment.
I thank the Minister for her Answer. This problem goes back a long time. I saw in the Times on 28 June that assessors in the department are apparently paid a bonus on interview numbers—the higher the number, the higher their bonus. This may or may not be reasonable but, at a time when there is a need to reduce expenditure on benefits and we know that in-person interviews tend to lead to a stricter application of the rules, would the Minister consider reintroducing in-person interviews before new benefits are awarded or existing benefits are confirmed?
I thank the Minister for her Answer. This problem goes back a long time. I saw in the Times on 28 June that assessors in the department are apparently paid a bonus on interview numbers—the higher the number, the higher their bonus. This may or may not be reasonable but, at a time when there is a need to reduce expenditure on benefits and we know that in-person interviews tend to lead to a stricter application of the rules, would the Minister consider reintroducing in-person interviews before new benefits are awarded or existing benefits are confirmed?
My Lords, face-to-face assessments were stopped during Covid, as they clearly could not happen on public health grounds. They resumed in mid-2021, but the fact is that the levels have been left far too low. In the middle of last year, just 7% of assessments were face to face across PIP and the work capability assessment. That said, the assumption that the benefit bill will automatically come down if we change everything to face to face is not straightforward, based on the available evidence. I assure the noble Lord that, as he may know, in our Pathways to Work Green Paper, we committed to doing more face-to-face assessments while preserving alternative health assessment channels, because those who will not be able to do that will need a reasonable adjustment and another alternative. We will increase them as fast as possible and do it in the right way in order to make sure that we can recruit enough people and provide a good service. I am pleased to tell the noble Lord that that is our plan.
To ask His Majesty’s Government whether they plan to reinstate in-person interviews for all applicants for sickness benefits.
To ask His Majesty’s Government whether they plan to reinstate in-person interviews for all applicants for sickness benefits.
My Lords, we already undertake a number of face-to-face health assessments for people applying for sickness benefits. However, as announced in the Pathways to Work
Green Paper, we are planning to increase the number of face-to-face assessments while preserving alternative health assessment channels in order to meet the specific needs of people who require a different channel, for example, as a reasonable adjustment.
My Lords, I will probably not find a lot of favour on this side with what I am about to say. I remind the House that I am the honorary president of BALPA, the pilots’ union, a union that does not go on strike and does not regard militant industrial...
My Lords, I will probably not find a lot of favour on this side with what I am about to say. I remind the House that I am the honorary president of BALPA, the pilots’ union, a union that does not go on strike and does not regard militant industrial...