asked Her Majesty's Government:

In what circumstances is the power to incur expenditure under Section 82 of the Welfare Reform and Pensions Act 1999 likely to be used by the Department for Work and Pensions in future. [HL3218]

Section 82 is only likely to be used in exceptional circumstances where there is a proven need to incur expenditure ahead of Royal Assent, where it is clearly not possible to utilise paving legislation, where there is sufficient time to complete the whole process ahead of the date on which it is hoped to incur expenditure and where there is absolute confidence in the quality of the financial and other evidence to be put before the Select Committees.