Select Committee · Work and Pensions Committee

The cost of living

Status: Closed Opened: 13 Jan 2022 Closed: 17 Apr 2023 9 recommendations 2 conclusions 1 report

The Committee has held oral evidence sessions on the cost of living in February and March 2022. It is now seeking written evidence on how the Government can support people on Universal Credit, legacy benefits and the state pension through the next year. Read the call for evidence to learn more about the inquiry.

Reports

1 report

Title	HC No.	Published	Items	Response
Second Report - The Cost of Living	HC 129	27 Jul 2022	11	Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

2 items

2 Recommendation Second Report - The Cost of Living Accepted

We recommend that the Department for Work and Pensions engage with the organisations mentioned throughout...

We recommend that the Department for Work and Pensions engage with the organisations mentioned throughout this report to assess what further or more direct support needs to be provided to any of these groups as the cost of living continues to rise. We also urge the Government to simplify the …

Government response. The Department says it already works hard to ensure that people are in receipt of their full entitlement and communicates with the public about benefits through various channels, including paid advertising, stakeholder and employer engagement, and campaigns. They also say …

Department for Work and Pensions

6 Recommendation Second Report - The Cost of Living Accepted

Whilst £1.5 billion for the Household Support Fund is welcome, we are concerned that there...

Whilst £1.5 billion for the Household Support Fund is welcome, we are concerned that there is no information available to indicate where this funding is going, The cost of living 37 and whether or not it is supporting the most vulnerable households effectively. Discretionary funding should not replace core funding. …

Government response. The government states that they are clear that Local Authorities are best placed to decide how best to support local people in need, within the clear expectations set out in the Household Support Fund guidance and they have published the …

Department for Work and Pensions

Oral evidence sessions

2 sessions

Date	Witnesses
9 Mar 2022	Aveek Bhattacharya · Social Market Foundation, Jack Monroe, James Heywood · Centre for Policy Studies, Julian Jessop, Mike Brewer · Resolution Foundation, Morgan Vine · Independent Age, Peter Smith · National Energy Action	View ↗
9 Feb 2022	Morgan Wild · Citizens Advice, Peter Matejic · Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Robert Joyce · Institute for Fiscal Studies, Rory Weal · Trussell Trust, Rt Hon Thérèse Coffey MP · Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs	View ↗

Correspondence

3 letters

Date	Direction	Title
21 Sep 2022	—	Correspondence with the Secretary of State - 21.9.22
20 Jul 2022	—	Correspondence with Prime Minister and Minister for Welfare Delivery about the …
30 Mar 2022	—	Correspondence to the Pensions Minister about Pension Credit