To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps jobcentres take to ensure that jobseeker's allowance claimants are aware that they can apply for hardship grants.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps jobcentres take to ensure that jobseeker's allowance claimants are aware that they can apply for hardship grants.

I. Letter dated 27/09/2011 from Lord Freud to Deposited Papers clerk regarding Welfare Reform Bill. 1 p. II. House of Lords information pack to accompany the Welfare Reform Bill as introduced into the House of Lords on 16 June 2011. 141 p. III. Welfare Reform Bill: regulation briefing notes. 172 p. IV. Universal credit: capital and income. 10 p. V. Universal credit: elements. 26 p. VI. Universal credit: housing costs element. 42 p.

I. Letter dated 27/09/2011 from Lord Freud to Deposited Papers clerk regarding Welfare Reform Bill. 1 p. II. House of Lords information pack to accompany the Welfare Reform Bill as introduced into the House of Lords on 16 June 2011. 141 p. III. Welfare Reform Bill: regulation briefing notes. 172...

The Secretary of State will be making changes to the discretionary Social Fund, with effect from 30 October 2009. The change introduces the requirement for most customers to be interviewed at a local Jobcentre Plus office when they make a third or subsequent application for a crisis loan to cover...

The Secretary of State will be making changes to the discretionary Social Fund, with effect from 30 October 2009. The change introduces the requirement for most customers to be interviewed at a local Jobcentre Plus office when they make a third or subsequent application for a crisis loan to cover...

I apologise for not dealing with that point directly. The reality is that there is a lot of work to be done before we arrive at the detail of how these proposals would operate going forward. Those matters are still under development. We will consult around that. I caution the...

I apologise for not dealing with that point directly. The reality is that there is a lot of work to be done before we arrive at the detail of how these proposals would operate going forward. Those matters are still under development. We will consult around that. I caution the...

I am not sure I necessarily accept the proposition that there is a higher risk of default for loans made by this route. One of the key points in going down this route is to seek to ensure that, when individuals avail themselves of these facilities, they are provided with...

I am not sure I necessarily accept the proposition that there is a higher risk of default for loans made by this route. One of the key points in going down this route is to seek to ensure that, when individuals avail themselves of these facilities, they are provided with...

I do not believe that anything in the provisions would prevent any provider—this is confirmed in a note from the Box, I am pleased to say—seeking to offer loan facilities to an individual. Part of what we are trying to achieve through financial inclusion and education is to help people...

I do not believe that anything in the provisions would prevent any provider—this is confirmed in a note from the Box, I am pleased to say—seeking to offer loan facilities to an individual. Part of what we are trying to achieve through financial inclusion and education is to help people...

This has been an interesting if concentrated debate about issues associated with the Social Fund and the Bill. The noble Baroness, Lady Thomas, referred to the consultation that took place in December last year. It was an informal and fairly short consultation, although we received more than 80 responses, which...

This has been an interesting if concentrated debate about issues associated with the Social Fund and the Bill. The noble Baroness, Lady Thomas, referred to the consultation that took place in December last year. It was an informal and fairly short consultation, although we received more than 80 responses, which...

I endorse what the noble Baroness has just said. Since then, thanks to the Department for Work and Pensions, jobcentre representation is now in the prisons, or some of them. Therefore the tools are there, which they were not in the old days.

I endorse what the noble Baroness has just said. Since then, thanks to the Department for Work and Pensions, jobcentre representation is now in the prisons, or some of them. Therefore the tools are there, which they were not in the old days.

Surely the problem that must be surmounted is whether fraud occurs at the application stage or when the application is granted as a result of the applicant misunderstanding the application criteria. If the money has actually flowed, I can understand that it is fraud, pure and simple. If it has...

Surely the problem that must be surmounted is whether fraud occurs at the application stage or when the application is granted as a result of the applicant misunderstanding the application criteria. If the money has actually flowed, I can understand that it is fraud, pure and simple. If it has...

I will also speak to Clause 16 as a whole. It gives the Secretary of State power to restrict crisis loans or budgeting loans from being provided by the Social Fund if external providers are available. Perhaps I should say a word about the clause at the beginning of my...

I will also speak to Clause 16 as a whole. It gives the Secretary of State power to restrict crisis loans or budgeting loans from being provided by the Social Fund if external providers are available. Perhaps I should say a word about the clause at the beginning of my...

I shall have a lot more to say on the Social Fund when we reach the next group of amendments; this one is by way of a starter. Those whose only income is derived from contribution-based benefits are at present not eligible to apply for help from the Social Fund....

I shall have a lot more to say on the Social Fund when we reach the next group of amendments; this one is by way of a starter. Those whose only income is derived from contribution-based benefits are at present not eligible to apply for help from the Social Fund....

I thank noble Lords for the amendments and the chance to explain the Government’s position. One of the amendments removes the provision to abolish new awards of the adult dependency increase with carer’s allowance from 6 April 2010, and to phase out existing awards by 5 April 2020. The other...

I thank noble Lords for the amendments and the chance to explain the Government’s position. One of the amendments removes the provision to abolish new awards of the adult dependency increase with carer’s allowance from 6 April 2010, and to phase out existing awards by 5 April 2020. The other...

Before the Minister answers that question, something which the noble Baroness, Lady Hollis, said triggered a question in my mind. Let us say that the external provider is credit union X and is cash-limited, either per month or per year—it does not particularly matter. Surely it would be in a...

Before the Minister answers that question, something which the noble Baroness, Lady Hollis, said triggered a question in my mind. Let us say that the external provider is credit union X and is cash-limited, either per month or per year—it does not particularly matter. Surely it would be in a...

I thank the Minister for that meticulous correction.

I thank the Minister for that meticulous correction.

Yes, I am very happy to do that. I ought to correct one thing that I said earlier. I said that the latest data that I had was from 2007-08. That is the latest annual report that I have, but I have a briefing note that gives more up-to-date outturn...

Yes, I am very happy to do that. I ought to correct one thing that I said earlier. I said that the latest data that I had was from 2007-08. That is the latest annual report that I have, but I have a briefing note that gives more up-to-date outturn...

My noble friend is being extremely helpful and I am very grateful. As regards the 46 per cent success rate for the community care loans and so on, was that primarily or exclusively because it was cash-limited or was it because of some more formal ineligibility? If it was cash-limited,...

My noble friend is being extremely helpful and I am very grateful. As regards the 46 per cent success rate for the community care loans and so on, was that primarily or exclusively because it was cash-limited or was it because of some more formal ineligibility? If it was cash-limited,...

Will the Minister explain the degree to which the decision-making on the eligibility of loans is a centralised operation, or is it made in the regions? If decision-making is in the regions, are they budget-limited or do they operate to common criteria which are laid down centrally? When the money...

Will the Minister explain the degree to which the decision-making on the eligibility of loans is a centralised operation, or is it made in the regions? If decision-making is in the regions, are they budget-limited or do they operate to common criteria which are laid down centrally? When the money...

It should be clear that the discretionary Social Fund—obviously there is a regulated part of the Social Fund that deals with winter fuel payments—is cash-limited. There is obviously a process by which centrally that budget is allocated to the districts. In terms of the process, crisis loans are made by...

It should be clear that the discretionary Social Fund—obviously there is a regulated part of the Social Fund that deals with winter fuel payments—is cash-limited. There is obviously a process by which centrally that budget is allocated to the districts. In terms of the process, crisis loans are made by...