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1147627

	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	Social Security Benefits: Polygamy
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many polygamous households received income-related state benefits in the latest annual period for which figures are available.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Flather
	uin	HL17953
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/10/2019 answer text <p><strong> </strong></p><p>There is no estimate of the number of legally recognised polygamous marriages in the United Kingdom. The Government believe the numbers of legally recognised polygamous marriages to be very low and declining. This is because, since the Immigration Act 1988, it has not been possible for people polygamously married overseas to bring second spouses to the United Kingdom.</p><p> </p><p>No one can contract a polygamous marriage in the UK, but marriage legislation recognises the validity of polygamous marriages entered into in a country where polygamy was legal when the parties concerned were domiciled there. Social security legislation adopts a similar approach to avoid anomalous results (such as treating polygamous households more favourably than monogamous ones).</p><p> </p><p>Information concerning: a) the volume of polygamous households estimated to be affected by the move to Universal Credit, and b) how many polygamous households receiving income-related state benefits is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.</p><p> </p><p>In Universal Credit, the process is that the one spouse will claim for the other in the same way as an unmarried couple, and any other adults living in the household will have to claim as single people on the basis of their own circumstances. This process already happens where a polygamous marriage is not recognised in law.</p><p> </p><p>Legacy income-related benefits provide for polygamous marriages only where the marriage was contracted in a country where polygamy was legal when the parties concerned were domiciled there. Provision is at the lowest level consistent with our human rights obligations. These rules have been in place since the introduction of Income Support in 1988.</p><p> </p><p>Income-related benefits are not payable for spouses who do not reside in Great Britain.</p> answering member printed Baroness Stedman-Scott grouped question UIN HL17954 HL17955 question first answered 08/10/2019 14:38:40 answering member 4174 label Biography information for Baroness Stedman-Scott
	tabling member	2769 label Biography information for Baroness Flather

1147629

	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: Polygamy
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many polygamous households they estimate to be affected by the move to Universal Credit; and what estimate they have made of the total cost of such households’ Universal Credit claims.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Flather
	uin	HL17955
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/10/2019 answer text <p><strong> </strong></p><p>There is no estimate of the number of legally recognised polygamous marriages in the United Kingdom. The Government believe the numbers of legally recognised polygamous marriages to be very low and declining. This is because, since the Immigration Act 1988, it has not been possible for people polygamously married overseas to bring second spouses to the United Kingdom.</p><p> </p><p>No one can contract a polygamous marriage in the UK, but marriage legislation recognises the validity of polygamous marriages entered into in a country where polygamy was legal when the parties concerned were domiciled there. Social security legislation adopts a similar approach to avoid anomalous results (such as treating polygamous households more favourably than monogamous ones).</p><p> </p><p>Information concerning: a) the volume of polygamous households estimated to be affected by the move to Universal Credit, and b) how many polygamous households receiving income-related state benefits is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.</p><p> </p><p>In Universal Credit, the process is that the one spouse will claim for the other in the same way as an unmarried couple, and any other adults living in the household will have to claim as single people on the basis of their own circumstances. This process already happens where a polygamous marriage is not recognised in law.</p><p> </p><p>Legacy income-related benefits provide for polygamous marriages only where the marriage was contracted in a country where polygamy was legal when the parties concerned were domiciled there. Provision is at the lowest level consistent with our human rights obligations. These rules have been in place since the introduction of Income Support in 1988.</p><p> </p><p>Income-related benefits are not payable for spouses who do not reside in Great Britain.</p> answering member printed Baroness Stedman-Scott grouped question UIN HL17953 HL17954 question first answered 08/10/2019 14:38:40 answering member 4174 label Biography information for Baroness Stedman-Scott
	tabling member	2769 label Biography information for Baroness Flather

1147628

	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	Social Security Benefits: Polygamy
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether second and subsequent partners in polygamous relationships are treated as separate claimants under the current rules for benefits and tax credits.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Flather
	uin	HL17954
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/10/2019 answer text <p><strong> </strong></p><p>There is no estimate of the number of legally recognised polygamous marriages in the United Kingdom. The Government believe the numbers of legally recognised polygamous marriages to be very low and declining. This is because, since the Immigration Act 1988, it has not been possible for people polygamously married overseas to bring second spouses to the United Kingdom.</p><p> </p><p>No one can contract a polygamous marriage in the UK, but marriage legislation recognises the validity of polygamous marriages entered into in a country where polygamy was legal when the parties concerned were domiciled there. Social security legislation adopts a similar approach to avoid anomalous results (such as treating polygamous households more favourably than monogamous ones).</p><p> </p><p>Information concerning: a) the volume of polygamous households estimated to be affected by the move to Universal Credit, and b) how many polygamous households receiving income-related state benefits is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.</p><p> </p><p>In Universal Credit, the process is that the one spouse will claim for the other in the same way as an unmarried couple, and any other adults living in the household will have to claim as single people on the basis of their own circumstances. This process already happens where a polygamous marriage is not recognised in law.</p><p> </p><p>Legacy income-related benefits provide for polygamous marriages only where the marriage was contracted in a country where polygamy was legal when the parties concerned were domiciled there. Provision is at the lowest level consistent with our human rights obligations. These rules have been in place since the introduction of Income Support in 1988.</p><p> </p><p>Income-related benefits are not payable for spouses who do not reside in Great Britain.</p> answering member printed Baroness Stedman-Scott grouped question UIN HL17953 HL17955 question first answered 08/10/2019 14:38:40 answering member 4174 label Biography information for Baroness Stedman-Scott
	tabling member	2769 label Biography information for Baroness Flather