Tag: Baroness Lister of Burtersett

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Lister of Burtersett on 2015-11-03.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the impact on (1) the total number of households whose benefits would be capped under the new limits proposed in the Welfare Reform and Work Bill, (2) the number of children in households affected by the cap, and (3) the cost to the public purse, if (a) child benefit, and (b) child tax credits, were not included in the benefits cap.

Lord Freud

The Government set out its assessment of the impacts of the policies in the Welfare Reform and Work Bill on 20th July. These are available on the Parliament website.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Lister of Burtersett on 2016-02-09.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they have given to the comment made in the 2014–15 annual report of the Chief Schools Adjudicator, that the complex [admissions] arrangements of some schools do not serve local children well”.”

Lord Nash

I refer the Baroness Lister to the answer to parliamentary question HL5707 submitted to parliament on 12 February 2016.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Lister of Burtersett on 2016-04-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what actions the Social Justice Cabinet Committee is taking to monitor and support the implementation of the Family Test across government.

Baroness Altmann

The Social Justice Cabinet Committee is playing a crucial role by supporting cross government Family Policy priorities, and ensuring that the Family Test is applied consistently and appropriately on new policy.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Lister of Burtersett on 2015-11-03.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the median amount of (1) child benefit, and (2) child tax credit, received by working families with children whose family earnings are at least £23,000 in Greater London, or £20,000 outside Greater London.

Lord O’Neill of Gatley

The government is committed to achieving a higher wage, lower tax, lower welfare economy. That means more emphasis on support to working families on low incomes through reducing tax and increasing wages, than on topping up low wages through tax credits.

The Chancellor is listening to concerns raised by colleagues and will announce in his Autumn Statement how he plans to achieve the same goal of reforming tax credits and saving the money we need to secure our economy, while at the same time helping in the transition.

HM Revenue & Customs publish statistics about individuals and households claiming tax credits and child benefits, which are available on the gov.uk website.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Lister of Burtersett on 2016-02-09.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they propose to take, if any, to reduce the complexity of the admission arrangements employed by religiously selective schools, as highlighted in the report An Unholy Mess published by the Fair Admissions Campaign and the British Humanist Association last year, and the 2014–15 annual report of the Chief Schools Adjudicator, so that all parents are better able to understand what is required to gain admission to their local school.

Lord Nash

The Government will shortly consult on a package of changes to the School Admissions Code which will both respond to concerns from parents and to the findings in the Chief Adjudicator’s Annual Report. That package will include measures to improve fairness and transparency.

Admission authorities for all state-funded schools, including schools with a religious designation, are required to comply with the mandatory provisions of the School Admissions Code and other admissions law.

When constructing faith-based oversubscription criteria, including deciding how membership or practice of the faith will be determined, admission authorities must have regard to the guidance of their relevant religious authority, and their arrangements must comply with the statutory School Admissions Code. They must consult with their religious authority when proposing any changes to their admission arrangements.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Lister of Burtersett on 2016-04-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to respond to the recommendations in Implementing the Family Test, a review of progress one year on by Relate, the Relationships Foundation and the Family and Childcare Trust.

Baroness Altmann

DWP welcome the Family Test, a review of progress one year on by Relate, the Relationships Foundation and the Family and Childcare Trust. We will consider the findings of the report in the next phase of our Government wide strategy to improve the embedding and implementation of the family test.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Lister of Burtersett on 2015-11-03.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of working families earning at least £23,000 in Greater London, or at least £20,000 outside Greater London, receive (1) child benefit, and (2) child tax credit.

Lord O’Neill of Gatley

The government is committed to achieving a higher wage, lower tax, lower welfare economy. That means more emphasis on support to working families on low incomes through reducing tax and increasing wages, than on topping up low wages through tax credits.

The Chancellor is listening to concerns raised by colleagues and will announce in his Autumn Statement how he plans to achieve the same goal of reforming tax credits and saving the money we need to secure our economy, while at the same time helping in the transition.

HM Revenue & Customs publish statistics about individuals and households claiming tax credits and child benefits, which are available on the gov.uk website.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Lister of Burtersett on 2016-02-09.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what advice or guidance, if any, they propose to provide to schools, in particular to religiously selective schools, regarding compliance with the School Admissions Code, in the light of the findings of the report An Unholy Mess, published by the Fair Admissions Campaign and the British Humanist Association last year, that a significant number of schools are failing to comply with the Code in various ways.

Lord Nash

The Government will shortly consult on a package of changes to the School Admissions Code which will both respond to concerns from parents and to the findings in the Chief Adjudicator’s Annual Report. That package will include measures to improve fairness and transparency.

Admission authorities for all state-funded schools, including schools with a religious designation, are required to comply with the mandatory provisions of the School Admissions Code and other admissions law.

When constructing faith-based oversubscription criteria, including deciding how membership or practice of the faith will be determined, admission authorities must have regard to the guidance of their relevant religious authority, and their arrangements must comply with the statutory School Admissions Code. They must consult with their religious authority when proposing any changes to their admission arrangements.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Lister of Burtersett on 2016-04-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether final clearance for any Government policy has been denied due to a failure to complete a Family Test assessment.

Baroness Altmann

DWP takes the process of monitoring the application of the Family Test very seriously and we have and will challenge the clearance of policies that haven’t considered the Family Test.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Lister of Burtersett on 2015-11-03.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of tax credit recipients in paid work have incomes above the income tax threshold.

Lord O’Neill of Gatley

The government is committed to achieving a higher wage, lower tax, lower welfare economy. That means more emphasis on support to working families on low incomes through reducing tax and increasing wages, than on topping up low wages through tax credits.

The Chancellor is listening to concerns raised by colleagues and will announce in his Autumn Statement how he plans to achieve the same goal of reforming tax credits and saving the money we need to secure our economy, while at the same time helping in the transition.

HM Revenue & Customs publish statistics about individuals and households claiming tax credits and child benefits, which are available on the gov.uk website.