Contributions
1,127 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDState Pension AgeSince 1994-95, rates of female pensioners in poverty, by all measures, have fallen by a larger amount than rates of male pensioners in poverty over the same period. The proportion…18 Jan 2022HANSARDUnderpayment of Benefits: CompensationI am not aware of the facts of the underpayment of the widows’ and widowers’ pension, but as I always try to answer in full, I will go back to the department, find out if there is…18 Jan 2022HANSARDState Pension AgeI will not argue with logic; that would not get me anywhere. On the noble Lord’s point about the state pension age, I know that people are sceptical of government reviews, but I…18 Jan 2022HANSARDUnderpayment of Benefits: CompensationI thank my noble friend for that intervention. I have shared with the whole House the legal position on compensation when it is a LEAP scheme. The PHSO has let the department know…18 Jan 2022HANSARDUnderpayment of Benefits: CompensationThe noble Baroness makes a very fair point about overpayments. When letters arrive in the post saying, “You owe me X and you’ve got to pay it back”, they do cause distress. I do…18 Jan 2022HANSARDUnderpayment of Benefits: CompensationI can only tell the House the position of the department. I understand completely the situation and the depth of feeling about compensation for others, and I have to leave that to…18 Jan 2022HANSARDState Pension AgeThe department launched the second review on state pension age in December 2021. It must be published by May 2023, in accordance with Section 27 of the Pensions Act 2014. The…18 Jan 2022HANSARDState Pension AgeAs I have said many times, I cannot give any guarantees, but I am absolutely sure that the points my noble friend raises about flexibility and age will be included in the review.…18 Jan 2022HANSARDState Pension AgeI doubt I will be able to convince the noble Lord, but nobody wants pensioners to be in poverty and nobody wants to run a book on transferring wealth from one place to the other.…18 Jan 2022HANSARDState Pension AgeI hope that, during the review, the devolved Administrations will be consulted. I will certainly go back to the department and speak to the Secretary of State to make sure that…18 Jan 2022HANSARDState Pension AgeI imagine that, if things go as my noble friend has just said, that is a possibility, but I am not able to confirm it. Again, I urge my noble friend, who has a raft of experience…18 Jan 2022HANSARDState Pension AgeI can assure the House that my noble friend Lady Neville-Rolfe will pay due attention to the seriousness of the interaction between the points the noble Baroness has raised. I…18 Jan 2022HANSARDUnderpayment of Benefits: CompensationI really thought that I had confirmed the situation about Ms U. She has had an unreserved apology. We made a £7,500 compensation payment. We paid the benefit arrears of £19,832.55…18 Jan 2022HANSARDUnderpayment of Benefits: CompensationI will go back to the department and check the first point that the noble Baroness raised. This situation is appalling and awful, and I apologise to all those affected on behalf…18 Jan 2022HANSARDSick PayI completely agree with the noble Baroness that people should not be forced to go to work when they are sick, especially with Covid, given the danger of it spreading. I know it…17 Jan 2022HANSARDSick PayI can confirm to the noble Baroness that there is no intention on the Government’s part to penalise anybody for where they live. The noble Baroness has asked quite a detailed…17 Jan 2022HANSARDSick PayThe CIPD report makes a number of interesting points on SSP, many of which had been raised previously by other stakeholders and continue to be assessed by officials. Last year,…17 Jan 2022HANSARDSick PayThroughout the pandemic the Government have demonstrated that they can respond proportionately to the changing path of the virus, in particular through supporting jobs and…17 Jan 2022HANSARDSick PayI understand exactly the sentiment the noble Lord raises his question with. I can confirm again that work is ongoing to look at the role of SSP and all the CIPD recommendations.…17 Jan 2022HANSARDSick PayI am always happy to meet people to learn more and find out exactly the points they are making. I want to find out exactly who in the department is best to do that, and I will…17 Jan 2022