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1148389

registered interest
date	04/10/2019
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Universal Credit
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether universal credit claimants who are eligible for (a) new style employment and support allowance and (b) new style jobseeker's allowance who would receive more money from one of those benefits than from universal credit are able to have their award backdated to when they made their claim.
tabling member constituency	Alyn and Deeside
tabling member printed	Mark Tami
uin	294681
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/10/2019 answer text <p>Universal Credit replaces six benefits with one, to simplify the system and make work pay. As a result, people claiming Universal Credit move into work faster, stay in work longer and spend more time looking to increase their earnings. Universal Credit also provides more help with childcare costs, a dedicated Work Coach and scraps the 16, 24 and 30 hour ‘cliff edges’.</p><p> </p><p>Under the legacy system £2.4 billion of welfare benefits did not get paid at all because claimants could not navigate the complexity of the system. Universal Credit is putting this right, ensuring this money goes to 700,000 claimants who need it.</p><p> </p><p>Claims may be backdated, by up to one calendar month, in limited circumstances for vulnerable claimants who may be delayed in claiming Universal Credit through no fault of their own. Claims may also be backdated in specific circumstances when a couple separates to ensure that there is no gap in entitlement between the couple claim and the new claim made by a single claimant.</p><p> </p><p>For new style Employment and Support Allowance, a claimant has three months following the qualifying date to claim.</p><p> </p><p>The Department provides benefit eligibility information to help people make decisions surrounding benefits to which they may be entitled, along with details about how to claim them. This is available through Jobcentre Plus offices and via the GOV.UK website.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 08/10/2019 10:48:11 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	1383 label Biography information for Mark Tami

1148206

registered interest
date	03/10/2019
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Universal Credit
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an estimate of the cost of increasing the child element of the universal credit payment by (a) £10 a week and (b) 70 per cent; and how many children would be taken out of poverty as a result of each.
tabling member constituency	Wirral South
tabling member printed	Alison McGovern
uin	294147
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/10/2019 answer text <p>The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 08/10/2019 09:38:38 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4083 label Biography information for Alison McGovern

1148208

registered interest
date	03/10/2019
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Universal Credit
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the most recent annual estimate is of the cost of ending the two child limit for universal credit between now and 2033/34.
tabling member constituency	Wirral South
tabling member printed	Alison McGovern
uin	294148
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/10/2019 answer text <p>No assessment has been made up to 2033/34, however we estimate that the cost of ending this policy to be around £5bn up to 23/24.</p><p> </p><p>The Government’s view is that providing support for a maximum of two children or qualifying young persons in Universal Credit and Child Tax Credit ensures fairness between claimants on the one hand and, on the other, those taxpayers who support themselves solely through work. Where they are able to, Individuals should consider whether they are financially prepared to support a new child without relying on benefits.</p><p> </p><p>We recognise that some claimants are not able to make the same choices about the number of children in their family, which is why exceptions have been put in place to protect certain groups. On migration to Universal Credit families’ existing entitlement will be protected, so long as they remain responsible for the same children and entitled to benefit.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 08/10/2019 10:16:30 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4083 label Biography information for Alison McGovern

1147772

registered interest
date	02/10/2019
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Universal Credit
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent estimate she has made of the number of (a) delays and (b) errors in universal credit awards as a result of (ii) inaccurate in Real Time Information and (iii) differences in the operating systems used by (A) her Department and (B) HMRC; and if she will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	East Ham
tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
uin	293422
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/10/2019 answer text <p>The Department has been working closely with HMRC since Universal Credit went live in 2013 to support and inform employers who report earnings to emphasise the importance of timely reporting via the Real Time Information (RTI) system.</p><p> </p><p>HMRC have updated their guidance to reiterate to employers the importance of reporting accurate dates and the impact on payment cycles; the Financial Secretary to the Treasury is also working closely with HMRC and employers to do this.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 08/10/2019 10:05:09 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

1147781

registered interest
date	02/10/2019
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Universal Credit
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 30 September to Question 290673 on Universal Credit, whether a reduction in the monthly repayments of a court fine from 40 per cent to a lower amount will return to the 40 per cent rate in the following month if a person has no other deductions attached to a universal credit claim.
tabling member constituency	Birkenhead
tabling member printed	Frank Field
uin	293470
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/10/2019 answer text <p>Our deductions policy strikes a fair balance between a claimant’s need to meet their obligations and a claimant’s ability to ensure they can meet their day-to-day needs. From October 2019, deductions will be capped at 30% of a claimant’s standard allowance down from 40% to better achieve this balance.</p><p> </p><p>In the scenario outlined, if a person has no other deductions, the most that would be deducted for a court fine in the following assessment period is £108.35. This is because the maximum deduction for court fines is based on a fixed figure in regulations rather than a percentage. If the £108.35 figure were more than 30% of the claimant’s standard allowance, the deduction would be reduced to 5% of the standard allowance, ensuring the 30% cap was not exceeded. The policy was designed to deduct either the minimum or maximum set out in regulations and avoid inconsistencies that may arise if discretion was to be exercised for each claimant’s deduction.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 08/10/2019 09:55:53 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	478 label Biography information for Lord Field of Birkenhead

1147857

registered interest
date	02/10/2019
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Universal Credit
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking with representatives of Paypoint UK to ensure that universal credit claimants without access to a bank account receive their entitlement without delay.
tabling member constituency	Stoke-on-Trent North
tabling member printed	Ruth Smeeth
uin	293665
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/10/2019 answer text <p>The Department’s standard method of payment for pensions and benefits is to pay into a bank account, building society account, credit union account, internet based account or a basic bank account of the customer’s choice. For claimants who cannot open or manage one of these accounts, or provide the details for their own account to access their payment, the Department can offer two payment exception methods: The Post Office Card Account (POca) and HM Government Payment Exception Service (HMG PES). These payment exception methods ensure that claimants can receive their entitlement on time via the Post Office network (POca) or PayPoint outlet.</p><p> </p><p>The HMG PES provider is I-movo Limited. I-movo subcontracts the delivery of its counter services to Paypoint UK which operates a contact centre and a complaints process. These provisions enable complaints to be logged and monitored should anyone have cause to complain about the service received at a PayPoint location. All complaints are recorded and monitored through to successful resolution.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 07/10/2019 16:34:57 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4508 label Biography information for Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent

1147904

registered interest
date	02/10/2019
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Universal Credit
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions her Department has had with social landlords on rent arrears caused by the time between a claimant’s universal credit being paid and the housing costs being sent to the landlord via APA on the next bulk payment run.
tabling member constituency	Slough
tabling member printed	Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi
uin	293707
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/10/2019 answer text <p>Initial analytical work we have carried out with a single housing provider suggests that many tenants are arriving on Universal Credit with pre-existing rent arrears, supporting research carried out by the National Federation of ALMOs which shows over three quarters of their tenants come onto Universal Credit with pre-existing rent arrears. It also shows that arrears tend to increase prior to making a claim for Universal Credit, and that Universal Credit actually appears to be helping to clear arrears over time. We are currently extending this analysis to include a number of housing providers. It will be published when completed.</p><p>The Department encourages all Universal Credit claimants to actively consider how best to manage their personal budget which includes making their own rent payments to landlords, with additional advice and support available from work coaches and case managers where needed. We regularly engage with a range of stakeholders, including landlords, to ensure we understand concerns which helps us to design improvements to Universal Credit.</p><p> </p><p>Alternative Payment Arrangements (APAs), such as a managed payment to landlord (MPTL), are available to enable the housing costs element to be paid directly to the landlord if the tenant is likely to have difficulty in managing their rent payments or is in rent arrears. APAs will only be considered where a lack of financial capability poses a risk to the claimant, or their family, and the decision to implement one is assessed on a case by case basis.</p><p> </p><p>The Department issues a schedule of payments to Social Rented Sector (SRS) landlords, and our Third Party Creditor system - currently used to pay SRS landlords - uses a 28-day payment cycle. We are currently working with a range of landlords to design, develop and test a better services with the intention of having a solution in place by the end of this year.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince grouped question UIN 293708 question first answered 08/10/2019 09:58:48 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4638 label Biography information for Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi

1147906

registered interest
date	02/10/2019
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Universal Credit
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans her Department has to introduce any-day payment of housing costs via APA to avoid delays between the tenant’s universal credit payment date and the next bulk payment of housing costs to landlords.
tabling member constituency	Slough
tabling member printed	Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi
uin	293708
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/10/2019 answer text <p>Initial analytical work we have carried out with a single housing provider suggests that many tenants are arriving on Universal Credit with pre-existing rent arrears, supporting research carried out by the National Federation of ALMOs which shows over three quarters of their tenants come onto Universal Credit with pre-existing rent arrears. It also shows that arrears tend to increase prior to making a claim for Universal Credit, and that Universal Credit actually appears to be helping to clear arrears over time. We are currently extending this analysis to include a number of housing providers. It will be published when completed.</p><p>The Department encourages all Universal Credit claimants to actively consider how best to manage their personal budget which includes making their own rent payments to landlords, with additional advice and support available from work coaches and case managers where needed. We regularly engage with a range of stakeholders, including landlords, to ensure we understand concerns which helps us to design improvements to Universal Credit.</p><p> </p><p>Alternative Payment Arrangements (APAs), such as a managed payment to landlord (MPTL), are available to enable the housing costs element to be paid directly to the landlord if the tenant is likely to have difficulty in managing their rent payments or is in rent arrears. APAs will only be considered where a lack of financial capability poses a risk to the claimant, or their family, and the decision to implement one is assessed on a case by case basis.</p><p> </p><p>The Department issues a schedule of payments to Social Rented Sector (SRS) landlords, and our Third Party Creditor system - currently used to pay SRS landlords - uses a 28-day payment cycle. We are currently working with a range of landlords to design, develop and test a better services with the intention of having a solution in place by the end of this year.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince grouped question UIN 293707 question first answered 08/10/2019 09:58:48 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4638 label Biography information for Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi

1147920

registered interest
date	02/10/2019
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Universal Credit
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of October 1 to Question 290635 on universal credit, what evidence her Department used to reduce the repayment level from 40 per cent to 30 per cent of universal credit award.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
uin	293439
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/10/2019 answer text <p>The Department collects and analyses data on Universal Credit regularly, including on the rate of deductions. Alongside this, the Department is always building our understanding on the impact deductions can have on claimants, and has heard evidence from external organisations on this issue. We have to balance these impacts with the need for claimants to meet their obligations.</p><p> </p><p>We believe the reduction from 40 percent to 30 percent strikes a fair balance between a claimant’s need to make essential repayments and their ability to ensure they can meet their day-to-day needs. It maintains our policy to enforce social obligations such as the payment of fines and Child Maintenance, ensure Government debt is recovered and vitally to safeguard claimants from the potential impacts of not repaying priority debts, such as homelessness or the deduction of fuel.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 07/10/2019 13:16:52 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1147539

registered interest
date	01/10/2019
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Universal Credit
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to support (a) claimants with cancer and (b) other vulnerable claimants applying for universal credit.
tabling member constituency	East Ham
tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
uin	292792
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/10/2019 answer text <p>The Department takes seriously the need to support vulnerable claimants. The initial verification can include a home visit to support a claimant with making their claim and completing any other administrative tasks required to ensure that they receive the correct payment.</p><p> </p><p>We want the application process for Universal Credit to be as quick and easy as possible to ensure that claimants receive their money at the earliest opportunity.</p><p> </p><p>This is why Citizen’s Advice and Citizen’s Advice Scotland have been delivering the ‘Help to Claim’ service, supporting claimants with making a new claim to Universal Credit. The Citizens Advice Help to Claim service offers tailored, practical support to help people make a Universal Credit claim up to receiving their first full correct payment on time, and is available online, on the phone and face-to-face through local Citizen’s Advice services.</p><p> </p><p>Staff delivering Universal Credit undergo a comprehensive learning journey designed to equip them with the tools, skills and behaviours required to provide a high quality service to all claimants, including those who have cancer and other health conditions.</p><p> </p><p>As we continue to deliver Universal Credit, with its expanded claimant base, we are continuing to review and further develop the customer journey for claimants with complex needs, including how we support claimants with health conditions to engage in the process.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson grouped question UIN 292793 question first answered 07/10/2019 11:21:56 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms