Baroness Thomas of Winchester – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Thomas of Winchester on 2016-10-13.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of inflation on those who rely on benefits.

Lord Freud

Central to the Government’s long term economic plan is the creation of jobs and making work pay. We know that work is the best route out of poverty so our welfare reforms are focussed on supporting those people who can work to find and keep work rather than rely on benefits, ensuring fairness and affordability for the tax payer. We are committed to balancing incentivising work with protecting pensioners and those who cannot work, and help with the costs of additional needs. That is why benefits for the additional costs of disability, and for carers, are up-rated each year in line with prices, and the basic and new State Pensions are up-rated with our triple lock guarantee.