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1123538

	registered interest
	date	29/04/2019
	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: Lone Parents
	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 universal credit claimants are lone parents (a) under 25 and (b) 25 and over.
	tabling member constituency	Newport East
	tabling member printed	Jessica Morden
	uin	248625
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/05/2019 answer text <p>The Department has a range of support on offer through Universal Credit (UC) to help claimants, including lone parents, prepare for and move into work. For example, from April 2019 we increased work allowance rates by £1,000 and they will be uprated in line with inflation in the future. This measure provides additional support in a package announced in Autumn Budget 2018, worth £1.7 billion by 2023/24, to some of the most vulnerable low paid working households.</p><p> </p><p>The table below has an estimate based on households claiming UC by matching the UC household dataset (which contains information about family type), with the people on UC dataset (which contains information about age). The table gives the estimated total number of households on UC and those occupied by single parents in November 2018, split by age groups. The information in the table should be read in conjunction with the notes.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td colspan="2"><p>Estimated number of total households on Universal Credit and those occupied by single parents, by age, in Great Britain, November 2018</p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>Number of households</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Total</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>1,262,000</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Single Parents aged 25 or over</p></td><td><p>273,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Single Parents aged under 25</p></td><td><p>55,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Single Parents age unknown</p></td><td><p>12,000</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p><strong>Source:</strong> Universal Credit household dataset <strong>and</strong> people on Universal Credit dataset</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong>Notes:</strong></p><ol><li>The figures are estimates derived from unpublished information and have not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard.</li><li>Figures have been rounded to the nearest thousand. Individual figures may not add up to the total due to rounding.</li><li>A count date of the second Thursday of the month is used when calculating the statistics for the people and households on Universal Credit.</li><li>The figure for households occupied by single parents has been deduced where the household has a family type of ‘single with child dependent(s)’.</li><li>Further information on the background and methodology can be accessed here: <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/739399/universal-credit-statistics-background-methodology.pdf" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/739399/universal-credit-statistics-background-methodology.pdf</a></li></ol> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 09/05/2019 15:49:20 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	1548 label Biography information for Jessica Morden

1123635

	registered interest
	date	29/04/2019
	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, how many and what proportion of universal credit payments were subject to deductions above the maximum cap of 40 per cent in the last month for which data is available.
	tabling member constituency	Airdrie and Shotts
	tabling member printed	Neil Gray
	uin	248697
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/05/2019 answer text <p>The Government recognises the importance of safeguarding the welfare of claimants who have incurred debt. Universal Credit already has procedures and regulations in place to protect claimants from excessive deductions. The maximum rate of deductions cannot normally exceed 40 per cent of the Universal Credit standard allowance, and from October 2019 this will be reduced to 30 per cent.</p><p> </p><p>However, 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 circumstances, when it’s 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>Of eligible* claims to Universal Credit Full Service due a payment in December 2018:</p><p>• 0.8% (10,000 claims) had a deduction above 40 per cent of their standard allowance.</p><p> </p><p>Notes</p><p>1. *Eligible claimants are claimants that have satisfied all the requirements of claiming Universal Credit; they have provided the necessary evidence, signed their claimant commitment and are eligible and have received their first payment.</p><p>2. Deductions include Universal Credit 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. Figures rounded to nearest 1,000.</p><p>4. Claim numbers may not match official statistics caseloads due to small methodological differences.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 08/05/2019 17:13:47 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	4365 label Biography information for Neil Gray

1123659

	registered interest
	date	29/04/2019
	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, if she publish guidance on what triggers a natural migration to universal credit.
	tabling member constituency	Easington
	tabling member printed	Grahame Morris
	uin	248643
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/05/2019 answer text <p>Currently people only move to Universal Credit (UC) because they have had a significant change in their circumstances which would previously have led them to make a new claim to a legacy benefit. It has always been the case that in such circumstances, new claims would be assessed based upon their new circumstances and under the rules of the new benefit.</p><p> </p><p>Claimant circumstances within the legacy system are diverse and interact with a range of benefits in different ways. Eligibility for UC is dependent on individuals’ circumstances, the specific nature of the change and rules for access to legacy benefits.</p><p> </p><p>During oral evidence to the Work and Pensions Select Committee (WPSC) on Wednesday, 1 May 2019, the Minister of State for Employment confirmed that the Department will write to the Committee to provide, a list of examples which may prompt a move to UC after circumstances have changed.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 02/05/2019 10:03:27 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	3973 label Biography information for Grahame Morris

1123898

	registered interest
	date	30/04/2019
	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, if she will make an assessment of the implications for her Department's policies of the Trussell Trust recommendation to change the five-week wait for universal credit payments to reduce the use of foodbanks.
	tabling member constituency	Coventry South
	tabling member printed	Mr Jim Cunningham
	uin	249202
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/05/2019 answer text <p>No UC claimant has to wait five weeks for their first payment. If required, advances of up to 100 per cent of their expected UC award are available to claimants from day one of their claim. Advances are paid back over a maximum of 12 months and in the Autumn Budget 2018, we announced that from October 2021, the payback period for these advances will be extended further, allowing claimants up to 16 months. This is just one of a number of measures the Department has put in place to support claimants such as paying those claimants moving from Housing Benefit onto Universal Credit a two week ‘transitional housing payment’. We are also introducing a two-week run on for eligible claimants of Income Support, Jobseeker’s Allowance and Employment and Support Allowance from July 2020.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 07/05/2019 15:02:03 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	308 label Biography information for Mr Jim Cunningham

1123936

	registered interest
	date	30/04/2019
	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, whether she has plans to include an income assessment form in the application for advance payments for universal credit; and if she will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	East Ham
	tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
	uin	249177
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/05/2019 answer text <p>Introducing an income assessment could cause delay to Universal Credit (UC) new claim advances, the purpose of which is to provide fast access to a payment for people in financial need until their first UC payment’s due.</p><p> </p><p>The Department will increase the maximum recovery period for advances on new claims from 12 months to 16 months from October 2021. If an unforeseen event occurs that would result in hardship once recovery begins, in certain circumstances, repayments can be deferred for up to 3 months.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 07/05/2019 14:32:55 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

1123937

	registered interest
	date	30/04/2019
	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 value of advanced payments that will be paid to claimants of universal credit in 2019.
	tabling member constituency	East Ham
	tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
	uin	249178
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/05/2019 answer text <p>Universal Credit (UC) new claim advances provide fast access to a payment for people in financial need until their first UC payment is due. Assistance of up to 100% of the total expected monthly award, which is paid back over a period of up to 12 months, and from October 2021 up to 16 months, is available.</p><p> </p><p>The estimated value of advanced payments that were paid to Universal Credit (UC) claimants for new claims and benefits transfers in the financial year 2018/2019 is £502m (<strong>source:</strong> DWP internal statistics).</p><p> </p><p>The projected value of advanced payments that will be paid to claimants of UC for new claims and benefits transfers in each of the next five years is £676m in 2019/2020 rising to £862m in 2023/2024. This projection is line with the expected increase in UC claims.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Year</p></td><td><p>Projected Advances Spend (£m)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2019/2020</p></td><td><p>£676</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2020/2021</p></td><td><p>£682</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2021/2022</p></td><td><p>£678</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2022/2023</p></td><td><p>£766</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2023/2024</p></td><td><p>£862</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong>Source:</strong> DWP internal modelling of advances.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Notes: </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><ol><li>The data supplied is derived from unpublished management information which was collected for internal Departmental use only and has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. The data should therefore be treated with caution.</li><li>Figures have been rounded to the nearest £million.</li></ol> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma grouped question UIN 249179 question first answered 07/05/2019 14:51:38 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

1123938

	registered interest
	date	30/04/2019
	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 Pension, what estimate she has made of the value of advanced payments that will be paid to claimants of universal credit in each of the next five years.
	tabling member constituency	East Ham
	tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
	uin	249179
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/05/2019 answer text <p>Universal Credit (UC) new claim advances provide fast access to a payment for people in financial need until their first UC payment is due. Assistance of up to 100% of the total expected monthly award, which is paid back over a period of up to 12 months, and from October 2021 up to 16 months, is available.</p><p> </p><p>The estimated value of advanced payments that were paid to Universal Credit (UC) claimants for new claims and benefits transfers in the financial year 2018/2019 is £502m (<strong>source:</strong> DWP internal statistics).</p><p> </p><p>The projected value of advanced payments that will be paid to claimants of UC for new claims and benefits transfers in each of the next five years is £676m in 2019/2020 rising to £862m in 2023/2024. This projection is line with the expected increase in UC claims.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Year</p></td><td><p>Projected Advances Spend (£m)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2019/2020</p></td><td><p>£676</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2020/2021</p></td><td><p>£682</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2021/2022</p></td><td><p>£678</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2022/2023</p></td><td><p>£766</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2023/2024</p></td><td><p>£862</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong>Source:</strong> DWP internal modelling of advances.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Notes: </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><ol><li>The data supplied is derived from unpublished management information which was collected for internal Departmental use only and has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. The data should therefore be treated with caution.</li><li>Figures have been rounded to the nearest £million.</li></ol> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma grouped question UIN 249178 question first answered 07/05/2019 14:51:38 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

1123940

	registered interest
	date	30/04/2019
	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: Children
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment her Department has made of the effect of the two-child limit on families with a low income; and if she will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	East Ham
	tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
	uin	249180
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/05/2019 answer text <p>It is the Department’s view that providing support for a maximum of two children or qualifying young persons in Universal Credit and Child Tax Credit will ensure fairness between those supporting themselves solely through work and those receiving benefits.</p><p> </p><p>The Government continues to take action to help families with the cost of living, including raising the national living wage, reducing the Universal Credit earnings taper, raising the income tax personal allowance, introducing tax-free childcare and 30 hours a week of free childcare for 3 and 4 year olds.</p><p> </p><p>Furthermore, under Universal Credit, working families can claim back up to 85% of their registered childcare costs each month. This can be claimed up to a month before starting a job. For families with two children this could be worth up to £13,000 a year.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has assessed the impact of the policy from an equality and human rights perspective throughout its development and in preparation for its implementation. The Department published statistics related to the first year of policy implementation in June 2018, and have committed to subsequent annual releases.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 07/05/2019 15:09:31 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

1124182

	registered interest
	date	01/05/2019
	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: Arrears
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many of the universal credit claimants who have taken an advance payment on their first payment are in arrears.
	tabling member constituency	High Peak
	tabling member printed	Ruth George
	uin	249941
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/05/2019 answer text <p>The Government recognises the importance of safeguarding the welfare of claimants who have incurred debt. Universal Credit already has procedures and regulations in place to protect claimants from excessive deductions. The maximum rate of deductions cannot normally exceed 40% of the Universal Credit standard allowance, and from October 2019, this will be reduced to 30% of a claimant’s standard allowance of their UC award. 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>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, and in the Autumn Budget 2018, we announced that from October 2021, the payback period for these advances will be extended further, up to 16 months.</p><p> </p><p>Currently there are around 850,000 claimants that have a UC advance repayment in place. Of these claimants, the table below shows 440,000 also have at least one other debt relating to benefit overpayments, social fund loans or previous advances (figures rounded to nearest ten thousand). The data held by the Department does not include other third party debts, for example arrears, utility bills or other borrowing. However, research conducted by Almo’s shows that while many people join UC with pre-existing arears, this fell by a third after 4 months on universal credit.</p><p> </p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Debt Source/Combination</p></td><td><p>Volume</p></td><td><p>Percent</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Tax Credits only</p></td><td><p>120,000</p></td><td><p>27.31</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Social Fund only</p></td><td><p>80,000</p></td><td><p>18.29</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Other Combinations inc Social Fund</p></td><td><p>62,000</p></td><td><p>14.04</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Other Combinations</p></td><td><p>40,000</p></td><td><p>9.05</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>UC Overpayment only</p></td><td><p>22,000</p></td><td><p>4.94</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Other Combinations inc UC</p></td><td><p>20,000</p></td><td><p>4.49</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Other Combinations inc Leg OP &amp; SF</p></td><td><p>18,000</p></td><td><p>4.05</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Legacy Benefit overpayment only</p></td><td><p>18,000</p></td><td><p>4.04</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Other Combinations inc Legacy</p></td><td><p>17,000</p></td><td><p>3.89</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>UC Recoverable Hardship Payment</p></td><td><p>10,000</p></td><td><p>2.39</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Legacy Benefit overpayment and Social Fund</p></td><td><p>10,000</p></td><td><p>2.22</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Housing Benefit only</p></td><td><p>10,000</p></td><td><p>2.20</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Tax Credits &amp; Housing Benefit</p></td><td><p>9,000</p></td><td><p>2.05</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Housing Benefit &amp; Social Fund</p></td><td><p>5,000</p></td><td><p>1.03</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Source: DWP internal statistics</p><p> </p><p>Notes:</p><p> </p><p>1. Data has been sourced from DWP internal statistics.</p><p>2. The figures within the data table for those with more than two types of benefit debt have been combined and reported according to whether they have both a legacy benefit (LegOP) and a social fund (SF) debt, either of these singularly or another UC related debt.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma grouped question UIN 249847 question first answered 08/05/2019 17:20:03 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	4662 label Biography information for Ruth George

1124252

	registered interest
	date	01/05/2019
	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: Wales
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment she has made of whether universal credit adequately covers the cost of living in Wales.
	tabling member constituency	Ogmore
	tabling member printed	Chris Elmore
	uin	249988
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/05/2019 answer text <p>Successive Governments have made decisions about the rates of benefits taking account of the competing demands on public expenditure, mindful of the need to balance poverty alleviation whilst not damaging incentives to work, as all Governments since 1948 have striven to do.</p><p> </p><p>Benefits provide a safety net for people to spend on their individual needs.</p><p>Government does not prescribe these, but provides support depending on circumstances such as ability to work and need for childcare.</p><p> </p><p>The applicable amount for Universal Credit is based upon a personal allowance paid according to age and family status, which can be supplemented by flat-rate premiums for groups recognised as having additional needs, such as disabled people and carers.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 13/05/2019 16:22:01 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	4572 label Biography information for Chris Elmore