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<p>The Government is committed to helping families through the unprecedented impact
of the Covid-19 outbreak. That is why at Budget 2020, and in the Chancellor’s announcement
on 20 March, we committed to a targeted, multi-billion-pound package of support for
families this year.</p><p> </p><p>We have announced measures that can be quickly and
effectively operationalised, and that benefit as many disadvantaged families as possible.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and HM Revenue and Customs are experiencing
significant increased demand and the Government must prioritise both implementing
the changes we have already announced and the safety and stability of the benefits
system overall.</p><p> </p><p>The measures announced on 20 March include a £20 per
week increase to the Universal Credit standard allowance and Working Tax Credit basic
element, a relaxation of earnings rules for self-employed Universal Credit claimants,
and an increase in the Local Housing Allowance rates for Universal Credit and Housing
Benefit claimants to the 30<sup>th</sup> percentile of market rents.</p><p> </p><p>This
is in addition to measures announced at Budget, which included widening the scope
of Statutory Sick Pay and making accessing benefits easier for those most affected
by Covid-19. The Budget also announced that the Government will provide Local Authorities
in England with £500 million of new grant funding to support economically vulnerable
people and households in their local area.</p><p> </p><p>Whilst we keep measures under
review as we analyse the impact of Covid-19 on vulnerable groups, we do not plan on
making any further changes as we must focus all our efforts on delivering this package.</p>
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