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<p>The Government has announced a suite of measures that can be quickly and effectively
operationalised to benefit those facing the most financial disruption during the pandemic.
The Department was experiencing significantly increased demand and had to prioritise
the safety and stability of the benefits system overall. The IT system which supports
Universal Credit has more capacity to make the necessary changes than the systems
that support legacy benefits. It also uses different technology from other DWP systems
and these older systems have complex interactions and interdependencies. We estimate
that 2.5m households receiving Universal Credit will have benefited straight away
from the increase in the standard allowances which was announced on 20 March, and
which is additional to the planned annual uprating. New claimants who have either
become unemployed, or whose earnings or work hours have decreased because of the outbreak,
will benefit too; subject to their eligibility.</p><p><em> </em></p><p>We have also
made a number of changes to legacy and other working age benefits in response to the
COVID-19 outbreak, including increasing certain entitlements, such as Local Housing
Allowance. Up-to-date information about the employment and benefits support available,
including Employment and Support Allowance, can be found here: <a href="https://www.understandinguniversalcredit.gov.uk/employment-and-benefits-support/"
target="_blank">https://www.understandinguniversalcredit.gov.uk/employment-and-benefits-support/</a></p><p>
</p><p>Taken together, DWP’s pandemic measures represent an injection of over £6.5
billion into the welfare system and, along with the other job and business support
programmes announced by the Chancellor, represent one of the most comprehensive packages
of support introduced by an advanced economy in response to COVID19.</p>
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