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1137865

	registered interest
	date	09/07/2019
	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 estimate she has made of the number of fraudulent universal credit loan claims since the roll-out of those loans.
	tabling member constituency	Vale of Clwyd
	tabling member printed	Chris Ruane
	uin	275123
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/07/2019 answer text <p>Advances are designed to ensure that the most vulnerable claimants receive the money they need to live on during their transition to Universal Credit (UC).</p><p>It is important to make clear that the vast majority of claims to UC Advances are legitimate.</p><p>As at the end of June 2019, potential fraudulent advance claims equate to less than 1 per cent of all Universal Credit claims.</p><p>The Department takes this issue very seriously and will investigate all claims where fraud may have been committed. Indeed, we have set up a dedicated team to investigate this specific type of fraud.</p><p> </p><p>We are also committed to the use of penalties such as prosecutions and tough financial penalties to discourage this fraudulent behaviour.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 17/07/2019 14:19:07 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	534 label Biography information for Chris Ruane

1139921

	registered interest
	date	17/07/2019
	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 proportion of claimants of universal credit that have taken an advance payment have seen payments reduced by (a) up to 20 percent (b) between 21 and 30 per cent, (c) 31 to 40 per cent and (d) over 40 percent of the initial amount in each of the last three years.
	tabling member constituency	Vale of Clwyd
	tabling member printed	Chris Ruane
	uin	278385
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/07/2019 answer text <p>Universal Credit (UC) new claim advances provide access to a payment for those in financial need, which can be accessed on the same day, until their first UC payment is due. Claimants can access up to 100% of the total expected monthly award, for which they can pay back over a period of up to 12 months.</p><p> </p><p>The Department has taken a number of steps to ensure that advances meet the needs of claimants and that recovery arrangements are personalised and reasonable. The maximum rate of deductions cannot normally exceed 40 per cent of the Universal Credit standard allowance and does not reduce other components of an award, such as money paid for children, housing or when someone is caring for a severely disabled person. From October 2019 this will be reduced to 30 per cent and from October 2021 we are increasing the maximum recovery period for advances from 12 to 16 months.</p><p> </p><p>However, the Government recognises the importance of safeguarding the welfare of claimants who have incurred debt, so last resort deductions can be applied to protect vulnerable claimants from eviction and/or having their fuel supply (gas/electricity) cut off, by providing a last resort repayment method for arrears of these essential services. In these cases, when it is considered to be in the best interests of the claimant and their family, deductions may be taken above the 40 per cent limit.</p><p> </p><p>If a claimant is in financial difficulty as a result of the level of deductions being made they can contact the Department to request that a reduction in deductions be considered.</p><p> </p><p>The latest available data for eligible claims to UC Full Service is provided in table 1:</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Table 1</p></td><td colspan="3"><p>Month Payment Due</p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>Feb-17</p></td><td><p>Feb-18</p></td><td><p>Feb-19</p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>%</p></td><td><p>%</p></td><td><p>%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>up to 20 percent of Standard Allowance</p></td><td><p>42%</p></td><td><p>49%</p></td><td><p>47%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>between 21 and 30 per cent of Standard Allowance</p></td><td><p>20%</p></td><td><p>19%</p></td><td><p>18%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>31 to 40 per cent of Standard Allowance</p></td><td><p>35%</p></td><td><p>31%</p></td><td><p>33%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>over 40 percent of Standard Allowance</p></td><td><p>3%</p></td><td><p>1%</p></td><td><p>2%</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> </p><p>Notes</p><p>1. The latest month for which data is available is February 2019.</p><p>2. When categorising claims into the groups above, the figures for the percentage of the Standard Allowance for individual claims have been rounded to the nearest percent.</p><p>3. Deductions include advance repayments and all other deductions, but exclude sanctions and fraud penalties which are reductions of benefit rather than deductions.</p><p>4. A claim can have more than one type of deduction applied to a given payment e.g. the total deduction could be the total of both an advance repayment and another deduction type.</p><p>5. Figures are for Universal Credit Full Service only; Universal Credit full service was fully rolled out by the end of 2018.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 22/07/2019 15:03:58 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	534 label Biography information for Chris Ruane

1489953

	registered interest
	date	18/07/2022
	answering body	Cabinet Office
	answering dept id	53
	answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
	answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
	hansard heading	Universal Credit
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, on what date the findings of the Prime Minister’s Implementation Unit's research into the experiences of potentially vulnerable people in receipt of Universal Credit was first presented to (a) the then Prime Minister, Rt Hon Theresa May MP and (b) the then Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Amber Rudd.
	tabling member constituency	Westminster North
	tabling member printed	Ms Karen Buck
	uin	38493
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/07/2022 answer text <p>We do not hold centrally those who were in receipt of the report (dated three years ago) but details about the report are available as a Deposited Paper in the Libraries of the House (Ref: <a href="https://depositedpapers.parliament.uk/depositedpaper/2283670/files" target="_blank">Dep2021-0836</a> Paper No. 7a).</p> answering member constituency Plymouth, Moor View answering member printed Johnny Mercer question first answered 27/07/2022 14:43:42 answering member 4485 label Biography information for Johnny Mercer
	tabling member	199 label Biography information for Ms Karen Buck

1361950

	registered interest
	date	20/10/2021
	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 it her policy to remove the escalation to a decision maker when awarding the allowance for the carer's element within universal credit, once a claimant has declared that they receive carer's allowance, in order to avoid the delay in the award of that payment.
	tabling member constituency	Warrington North
	tabling member printed	Charlotte Nichols
	uin	59985
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/11/2021 answer text <p>For the majority of cases a referral to a Decision Maker is not required once a claimant has declared that they have relevant caring responsibility. However, if more than one claimant is receiving Carer’s Allowance or Carer Element for the same person, the carers should decide between them who will receive the additional amount for caring. If they cannot decide, the decision is referred to a Decision Maker.</p><p /> answering member constituency Norwich North answering member printed Chloe Smith question first answered 02/11/2021 16:28:27 answering member 1609 label Biography information for Chloe Smith
	tabling member	4799 label Biography information for Charlotte Nichols

1366353

	registered interest
	date	05/11/2021
	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 assessment of the (a) impact and (b) financial impact on claimants of (i) the three month waiting period for the limited capability for work-related activity element of universal credit for people with severe health issues and (ii) the decision not to backdate payments for the three month waiting period.
	tabling member constituency	Knowsley
	tabling member printed	Sir George Howarth
	uin	70230
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/11/2021 answer text <p>Where the claimant is determined to have limited capability for work and work-related activity (LCWRA), an additional amount of Universal Credit (UC) may be awarded. However, before the additional amount is payable, a UC claimant must serve the ‘relevant’ period to establish that they have a long-term health condition. This approach replicates the 13-week assessment period which is applied in Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) claims.</p><p> </p><p>There are no plans to assess the impact of the relevant period or current backdating rules. Where an additional amount of UC is payable, this is backdated to the start of the assessment period following the assessment period in which the relevant period ends.</p><p> </p><p>Throughout the period before the award of the LCWRA addition, claimants will receive the applicable standard allowance plus any additions, reflecting the claimants’ personal circumstances, for example for children, housing costs, childcare costs. They may also be eligible for support through PIP.</p><p> </p><p>There are exceptions to serving the relevant period in UC, including where someone accesses benefits via the Special Rules for Terminal Illness. Where a claimant deemed to have LCWRA in ESA moves to UC, and those claims are continuous, the relevant period does not apply. An exception also applies in relation to claimants whose award ended in the previous six months as a result of their earnings exceeding their entitlement. Where that claimant’s previous award included the LCWRA addition, they do not, on reclaiming, have to serve the relevant period again.</p> answering member constituency Norwich North answering member printed Chloe Smith question first answered 30/11/2021 16:58:54 answering member 1609 label Biography information for Chloe Smith
	tabling member	481 label Biography information for Sir George Howarth

1387280

	registered interest
	date	13/12/2021
	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 her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a transitional top up for claimants who had been in receipt of enhanced disability payments prior to a universal credit transition.
	tabling member constituency	Cardiff Central
	tabling member printed	Jo Stevens
	uin	91991
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/12/2021 answer text <p>There are no plans to introduce transitional payments in Universal Credit for those claimants who had been in receipt of the enhanced disability premium. A transitional payment may be awarded to claimants who were previously entitled to the severe disability premium. These payments are made in recognition of their very specific circumstances.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Norwich North answering member printed Chloe Smith question first answered 20/12/2021 17:08:18 answering member 1609 label Biography information for Chloe Smith
	tabling member	4425 label Biography information for Jo Stevens

1387281

	registered interest
	date	13/12/2021
	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 assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of support for universal credit claimants who had previously been in receipt of enhanced disability payments.
	tabling member constituency	Cardiff Central
	tabling member printed	Jo Stevens
	uin	91992
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/12/2021 answer text <p>When designing Universal Credit the Government chose to concentrate financial support on the most severely disabled people to create a simpler and more streamlined system.</p><p>The Universal Credit rate for the most severely disabled people, the limited capability for work and work- related activity addition, is more than double the equivalent rate for the Employment and Support Allowance support group. This means claimants who were previously in the Employment and Support Allowance support group and only receiving the enhanced disability premium, are better off on Universal Credit.</p><p>Additional support is available through the National Disability Strategy and the Government’s Health and Disability green paper aims to continue to improve the support available.</p><p /> answering member constituency Norwich North answering member printed Chloe Smith question first answered 21/12/2021 11:49:07 answering member 1609 label Biography information for Chloe Smith
	tabling member	4425 label Biography information for Jo Stevens

1459929

	registered interest
	date	25/04/2022
	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, how many people have been waiting for more than (a) three, (b) four, (c) five, (d) six and (e) 12 months from the time they applied for additional help from universal credit for limited capability for work to the time they (i) were offered an assessment appointment and (ii) received a decision as of 25 April 2022; and what the average time is that people are waiting to (A) be offered an assessment appointment and (B) receive a decision.
	tabling member constituency	York Central
	tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
	uin	158999
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/04/2022 answer text <p>Information on wait times for Universal Credit Work Capability Assessments is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.</p> answering member constituency Norwich North answering member printed Chloe Smith question first answered 28/04/2022 09:06:08 answering member 1609 label Biography information for Chloe Smith
	tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1465045

	registered interest
	date	23/05/2022
	answering body	Cabinet Office
	answering dept id	53
	answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
	answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
	hansard heading	Universal Credit
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Answer of 27 April 2022 to Question 156354 on Universal Credit: Vulnerable Adults, for what reason he has provided a link to the membership of the Universal Credit Programme Board; and if he will publish the full circulation list.
	tabling member constituency	Westminster North
	tabling member printed	Ms Karen Buck
	uin	6678
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/05/2022 answer text <p>We would not centrally hold a list of all the civil servants who would have been in receipt of the report, three years ago. We have already deposited the Universal Credit Programme Board documentation which lists the senior officials in attendance at such meetings.</p> answering member constituency Northampton North answering member printed Michael Ellis question first answered 26/05/2022 11:32:17 answering member 4116 label Biography information for Sir Michael Ellis
	tabling member	199 label Biography information for Ms Karen Buck

1458874

	registered interest
	date	20/04/2022
	answering body	Cabinet Office
	answering dept id	53
	answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
	answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
	hansard heading	Universal Credit
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which (a) ministers and (b) officials were on the circulation list for the Prime Minister’s Implementation Unit report in 2019 on the experiences of vulnerable people claiming Universal Credit.
	tabling member constituency	Westminster North
	tabling member printed	Ms Karen Buck
	uin	156354
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/04/2022 answer text <p>Information about the report is available as a Deposited Paper in the Libraries of the House (Ref: <a href="https://depositedpapers.parliament.uk/depositedpaper/2283670/details" target="_blank">Dep2021-0836</a> Paper No. 7a)</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Northampton North answering member printed Michael Ellis grouped question UIN 156353 question first answered 27/04/2022 10:50:02 answering member 4116 label Biography information for Sir Michael Ellis
	tabling member	199 label Biography information for Ms Karen Buck