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1287080

	registered interest
	date	19/02/2021
	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: Housing
	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 the number of benefit claimants that face a shortfall between their actual rent and the amount for rent included in their universal credit payment; and what assessment she has made of the average size of that shortfall in each region.
	tabling member constituency	North Warwickshire
	tabling member printed	Craig Tracey
	uin	155250
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/03/2021 answer text <p>This is published in the supplementary tables available here:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/universal-credit-statistics-29-april-2013-to-14-january-2021" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/universal-credit-statistics-29-april-2013-to-14-january-2021</a>.</p><p> </p><p>For those that do experience a shortfall, Discretionary Housing Payments are available. Since 2011 we have provided over £1 billion in Discretionary Housing Payment funding, enabling local authorities to support households that need additional help by making financial awards to people experiencing financial difficulty with housing costs who qualify for Housing Benefit or the housing costs element of Universal Credit.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p><strong>Universal Credit household shortfalls November 2020</strong></p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>Average monthly shortfall</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>East Midlands</p></td><td><p>£126</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>East of England</p></td><td><p>£181</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>London</p></td><td><p>£259</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>North East</p></td><td><p>£92</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>North West</p></td><td><p>£116</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Scotland</p></td><td><p>£114</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>South East</p></td><td><p>£194</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>South West</p></td><td><p>£142</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Wales</p></td><td><p>£112</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>West Midlands</p></td><td><p>£130</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Yorkshire and The Humber</p></td><td><p>£107</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Great Britain</p></td><td><p>£154</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 03/03/2021 16:43:15 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4509 label Biography information for Craig Tracey

1287081

	registered interest
	date	19/02/2021
	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: Housing
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether renters that receive income for payment of rent from (a) Income Protection and (b) other insurance policies have that income amount deducted pound for pound from their universal credit housing allowance.
	tabling member constituency	North Warwickshire
	tabling member printed	Craig Tracey
	uin	155251
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/02/2021 answer text <p>Universal Credit is not paid to claimants who have sufficient income available from other sources to support themselves. Where claimants have income available to meet their everyday living costs, their entitlement to Universal Credit is adjusted accordingly.</p><p> </p><p>Regular income payments that are paid to meet living costs, including individual income protection insurance payments<strong>, </strong>result in reductions in the claimant’s Universal Credit entitlement pound for pound.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 26/02/2021 14:16:55 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4509 label Biography information for Craig Tracey

1287582

	registered interest
	date	19/02/2021
	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: Housing
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the conclusion of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries' report, entitled Building financial resilience for households in the private rented sector, published on published 1 July 2020, that it is not possible to insure against facing a rent shortfall in the event of a claim for universal credit.
	tabling member constituency	North Warwickshire
	tabling member printed	Craig Tracey
	uin	155252
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/02/2021 answer text <p>The criteria for accessing insurance products is a matter for the insurance industry, therefore no such assessment has been undertaken by the DWP.</p><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 26/02/2021 14:33:02 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4509 label Biography information for Craig Tracey

1171105

	registered interest
	date	15/01/2020
	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 amend the universal credit (a) application form and (b) online journal to enable applicants to consent to their data being used to automatically register eligible children in their household for free school meals.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow South West
	tabling member printed	Chris Stephens
	uin	3828
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/01/2020 answer text <p>The Universal Credit system is structured around an online personal account which contains all the information relevant to the claim. This includes claimant’s bank account details, savings, capital, medical history, family relationships and address information. We need to ensure a high level of security and protection is maintained to combat unscrupulous individuals and organisations who try to access the information we hold and seek to impersonate genuine advisers. We take all reasonable steps to protect the position of claimants and their data.</p><p> </p><p>Claimants may currently be entitled to a number of other benefits because they are in receipt of Universal Credit. These are known as passported benefits and include free school meals and free prescriptions. The eligibility criteria for each passported benefit remain the responsibility of the departments and devolved administrations that own them. In Scotland and Wales, eligibility criteria for free school meals is a matter for the devolved administrations.</p><p> </p><p>The Department for Education provides an electronic eligibility checking service to all local authorities in England, which is used to confirm eligibility for free school meals.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 23/01/2020 17:27:16 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4463 label Biography information for Chris Stephens

1171106

	registered interest
	date	15/01/2020
	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 and what proportion of new claims for universal credit were paid in full and on time by (a) child element, (b) limited capability for work element, (c) childcare element and (d) housing element in the most recent 12 months for which figures are available.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow South West
	tabling member printed	Chris Stephens
	uin	3829
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/01/2020 answer text <p>Our latest data shows the proportion of new Universal Credit claims paid in full on time was 88.4%. In many cases where full payment is not made on time, it is due to unresolved issues such as: claimants not accepting their Claimant Commitment or passing identity checks, or having outstanding verification issues, such as housing costs and self-employed earnings.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The latest available information on payments made in full and on time to Universal Credit claimants is published and can be found at:</p><p><a href="https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/" target="_blank">https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/</a>.</p><p> </p><p>Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found at:</p><p><a href="https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html" target="_blank">https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html</a></p><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 20/01/2020 14:16:58 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4463 label Biography information for Chris Stephens

1172106

	registered interest
	date	20/01/2020
	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 children living in households where claimants have had deductions made to their monthly universal credit payments in the latest period for which figures are available.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow South West
	tabling member printed	Chris Stephens
	uin	5463
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/01/2020 answer text <p>The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 28/01/2020 11:17:12 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4463 label Biography information for Chris Stephens

1172107

	registered interest
	date	20/01/2020
	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 universal credit claimants who have had a (a) waiver and (b) reduction in deductions to their monthly payments on the grounds of hardship in the latest period for which figures are available.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow South West
	tabling member printed	Chris Stephens
	uin	5464
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/01/2020 answer text <p>The Department has an obligation to ensure that public funds are administered responsibly and to abide by the principles set out in Her Majesty’s Treasury’s guidance on Managing Public Money. Waiver applications have to be considered in line with this guidance. Debts can only be waived if recovery is causing substantial medical and/or financial hardship to a claimant or their immediate family.</p><p> </p><p>In 2019/20 (up to 31<sup>st</sup> December 2019), there were 10 Universal Credit claimants who had their debts waived.</p><p> </p><p>We understand the impact that debt can have on the wellbeing of claimants and we endeavour to ensure that the recovery of any overpayment is managed in a way that takes account of the claimant’s individual circumstances. Where a person says they cannot afford the proposed rate of recovery, a reduction in their rate of repayment may be agreed.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>In 2019/20 (up to 31<sup>st</sup> December 2019), 159,000 Universal Credit claimants had the rate at which they were repaying a benefit overpayment reduced.</p><p> </p><p><em>*The figures provided in this response have been sourced from internal management information and were not intended for public release. They should therefore not be compared to any other similar figures subsequently released by the Department. The figure relating to the number of debts waived has been rounded to the nearest 10, and the figure relating to reductions in repayment rates has been rounded to the nearest 1,000. It is important to note that debts waived may not all relate to Universal Credit.</em></p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 23/01/2020 16:30:45 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4463 label Biography information for Chris Stephens

1172108

	registered interest
	date	20/01/2020
	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 value of deductions to universal credit payments under each reason for deduction in the latest period for which figures are available.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow South West
	tabling member printed	Chris Stephens
	uin	5465
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/01/2020 answer text <p>The Department’s deductions policy strikes a fair balance between a claimant’s need to meet their obligations and their ability to ensure they can meet their day-to-day needs. From October 2019, Universal Credit deductions have been reduced to 30% of a claimant’s standard allowance down from 40% to better achieve these objectives.</p><p> </p><p>In the latest period for which figures are available (August 2019), £1.3 billion of Universal Credit was paid, of which £94 million (7%) was deducted. The table below provides a breakdown of the deductions by reason.</p><p> </p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Deduction reason</p></td><td><p>Value of Deductions (£)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>UC advance repayments</p></td><td><p>50,252,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Tax Credit overpayments</p></td><td><p>14,295,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>DWP overpayments</p></td><td><p>8,042,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Social fund loans</p></td><td><p>5,466,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Arrears of rent and/or service charges</p></td><td><p>5,001,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Fines</p></td><td><p>4,931,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>HB overpayments</p></td><td><p>1,771,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Arrears of Community Charge or Council Tax</p></td><td><p>1,285,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>UC Recoverable Hardship payments</p></td><td><p>843,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>DWP Fraud overpayments</p></td><td><p>742,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Fuel and Water Ongoing consumption</p></td><td><p>615,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Child maintenance</p></td><td><p>527,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Arrears of water charges</p></td><td><p>273,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>HB and DWP Civil Penalties</p></td><td><p>121,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>HB Fraud overpayments</p></td><td><p>113,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>HB and DWP Administrative Penalties</p></td><td><p>76,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Arrears of fuel (electric and gas)</p></td><td><p>67,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Arrears of Eligible loans</p></td><td><p>51,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Arrears of Integration loans</p></td><td><p>44,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Tax Credit Fraud overpayments</p></td><td><p>1,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Mortgage interest</p></td><td><p>less than 500</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> </p><p><strong>Notes:</strong></p><p>1. Values of deductions in the table are rounded to the nearest thousand. The total value of all deductions and the amount of universal credit paid is rounded to the nearest £1,000,000.</p><p>2. Deductions include advance repayments, third party deductions and all other deductions, but exclude sanctions and fraud penalties which are reductions of benefit rather than deductions.</p><p>3. Amount of Universal Credit paid reflects the amount of money paid to claimants and their landlords as part of their award, including the amount which they would have been entitled to had it not been deducted. It does not include other payments such as advances and hardship payments.</p><p>4. Figures are provisional and are subject to retrospective change as later data becomes available.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 27/01/2020 18:05:44 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince previous answer version 2667 answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4463 label Biography information for Chris Stephens

1172110

	registered interest
	date	20/01/2020
	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 place in the Library the (a) code of practice and (b) decision-making process governing universal credit deductions.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow South West
	tabling member printed	Chris Stephens
	uin	5467
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/01/2020 answer text <p>The Department’s deductions policy strikes a fair balance between a claimant’s need to meet their obligations and their ability to ensure they can meet their day-to-day needs. From October 2019, Universal Credit deductions have been reduced to 30% of a claimant’s standard allowance down from 40% to better achieve these objectives.</p><p> </p><p>Deductions are made following the priority order, which determines the order in which items should be deducted. ‘Last resort’ deductions, such as rent or fuel costs, are at the top of the priority order, ensuring that claimant welfare is prioritised, followed by social obligation deductions, such as child maintenance, and finally benefit debt, such as Social Fund loans and benefit overpayments.</p><p> </p><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>The Code of Practice ‘What happens if you are overpaid Universal Credit, Jobseeker’s Allowance or Employment and Support Allowance?’ was deposited in the Library 6 May 2014. Deposit reference ‘DEP2014-0790’ refers.</p><p> </p><p><a href="http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/business-papers/commons/deposited-papers/" target="_blank">http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/business-papers/commons/deposited-papers/</a></p><p /><p> </p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 23/01/2020 16:48:27 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4463 label Biography information for Chris Stephens

1172111

	registered interest
	date	20/01/2020
	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 and what proportion of universal credit deductions were made to repay over-payments made in error in the latest period for which figures are available.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow South West
	tabling member printed	Chris Stephens
	uin	5468
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/01/2020 answer text <p>The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 23/01/2020 17:56:24 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4463 label Biography information for Chris Stephens