The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ahmed on 2016-09-05.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have had discussions with local government organisations in Jammu and Kashmir about the unmarked graves in north Kashmir where civilians or combatants were buried between 2006 and 2009.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The UK has not had discussions with local government organisations about this issue.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ahmed on 2016-09-05.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have made representations to the government of India encouraging it to (1) ratify the UN Convention against Torture and its optional protocols; and (2) permit a visit to India, including Jammu and Kashmir, by the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The UK engages on human rights matters with India, both bilaterally and through the EU-India Human Rights dialogue. We continue to call on the Indian government to expedite the ratification of the UN Convention Against Torture and its Optional Protocol, and adopt robust domestic legislation to this effect. The UK made a specific recommendation on this issue during India’s Universal Periodic Review in May 2012. The EU Delegation in Delhi has also hosted a number of events on the importance of ratifying the Convention.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ahmed on 2016-09-05.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will make representations to the government of India about allowing a delegation of members of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Kashmir for a fact-finding visit to Jammu and Kashmir in the immediate future.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
Our missions across the globe have received many successful and worthwhile APPG visits by Parliamentarians with a strong record of interest in the relevant country. As with the British public, we encourage all Parliamentarians to study FCO travel advice when planning any travel. The FCO currently advises against all travel to certain parts of Kashmir.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Altmann on 2016-09-05.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the number of women who are in hardship as a result of the decision to change women’s state pension age.
Lord Freud
The welfare system provides a safety net for those of working age and there are a range of benefits tailored to individual circumstances. The system is designed to deal with the problems which affect those most in need and takes into account difficulty in finding work, disability and caring responsibilities. No figures are available as to why claimants apply for help to the benefits system.
Independent analysis by the Institute for Fiscal Studies has shown that the rise in women’s State Pension age since 2010 has been accompanied by increases in employment rates for the women affected.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Altmann on 2016-09-05.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many women born in the 1950s received Automated Pension Forecasts in the years 2003 to 2006, and of those, how many were also sent the official PM6 leaflet Pensions for Women – Your Guide.
Lord Freud
The information requested is not available
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Altmann on 2016-09-05.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the number of men now aged between 58 and 62 inclusive who are aware that they will not receive their state pension when they reach their 65th birthday.
Lord Freud
No estimate is held on the number of men that are currently aware of the increases to State Pension age. However, all men affected by the State Pension age increase in the Pensions Act 2011 were written to between January 2012 and November 2013 using the addresses held by HMRC at the time.
The Department does not hold a specific estimate on the number of women that are aware of their state pension age. We wrote to all women affected by the Pensions Act 2011 in the age range specified between January 2012 and November 2013 using the addresses held by HMRC at the time.
In 2004, a DWP survey found that 73 per cent of people aged 45 to 54 (so aged 57 to 66 in 2016) were aware of the future increase in Women’s State Pension age. In 2006, 86 per cent of women aged 55-64 (so aged 65 to 74 in 2016) and 90 per cent aged 45-54 (so aged 55 to 64 in 2016) were aware that the State Pension age will increase in future. In 2012, a similar survey found that only 6% of respondents thought their State Pension Age was 60.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Altmann on 2016-09-05.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimates they have made of the number of women now aged between 58 and 62 inclusive who are aware of their correct state pension age.
Lord Freud
No estimate is held on the number of men that are currently aware of the increases to State Pension age. However, all men affected by the State Pension age increase in the Pensions Act 2011 were written to between January 2012 and November 2013 using the addresses held by HMRC at the time.
The Department does not hold a specific estimate on the number of women that are aware of their state pension age. We wrote to all women affected by the Pensions Act 2011 in the age range specified between January 2012 and November 2013 using the addresses held by HMRC at the time.
In 2004, a DWP survey found that 73 per cent of people aged 45 to 54 (so aged 57 to 66 in 2016) were aware of the future increase in Women’s State Pension age. In 2006, 86 per cent of women aged 55-64 (so aged 65 to 74 in 2016) and 90 per cent aged 45-54 (so aged 55 to 64 in 2016) were aware that the State Pension age will increase in future. In 2012, a similar survey found that only 6% of respondents thought their State Pension Age was 60.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Altmann on 2016-09-05.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many letters they have written to (1) women, and (2) men, to inform them of changes to their state pension age; of those letters sent out, how many were returned undelivered; and when letters were returned undelivered, what efforts they then made to contact those individuals.
Lord Freud
Between April 2009 and March 2011, the Department mailed all women born between 6th April 1950 and 5th April 1953, informing them of their State Pension age under the 1995 Pensions Act. This involved sending 1.16 million letters to the affected females.
Following the 2011 changes DWP wrote to all individuals directly affected to inform them of the change to their State Pension age. This applied to women born between 6th April 1953 and the 5th of April 1960 and men born between 6th December 1953 and 5th April 1960. These letters were sent between January 2012 and November 2013. This involved sending 5.77 million letters to the affected males and females.
We do not have the total number of letters returned undelivered over the course of all the exercises. However, I can confirm we have a robust process in place to review all incorrect address returns and properly scrutinise and update customer account details when an address is confirmed. For State Pension customers, this process includes re-establishing contact through Local Authority Social Services or a DWP Visiting Officer.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Altmann on 2016-09-05.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimates they have made of the number of women who were unaware in (1) 2011, (2) 2012 and (3) 2013, that the Pensions Act 1995 had changed their state pension age from 60.
Lord Freud
The Department does not hold a specific estimate on the number of women that are unaware of their state pension age. We wrote to all women affected by the Pensions Act 1995 between April 2009 and March 2011 using the addresses held by HMRC at the time.
In 2004, a DWP survey found that 73 per cent of people aged 45 to 54 (so aged 57 to 66 in 2016) were aware of the future increase in Women’s State Pension age. In 2006, 86 per cent of women aged 55-64 (so aged 65 to 74 in 2016) and 90 per cent aged 45-54 (so aged 55 to 64 in 2016) were aware that the State Pension age will increase in future. In 2012, a similar survey found that only 6% of respondents thought their State Pension Age was 60.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Barker on 2016-09-05.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government on what basis they decided to open an office in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
North Carolina has been one of the fastest growing states in the US in recent years in terms of both GDP and population and hosts numerous multinational corporations. Raleigh is home to the Research Triangle, centred on North Carolina State University, Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and contains one of the biggest clusters of life science companies in the US as well as a growing number of high-tech companies.