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1343142

registered interest
date	01/07/2021
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: 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 the potential effect of ending the £20 universal credit uplift on levels of poverty in Wales.
tabling member constituency	Arfon
tabling member printed	Hywel Williams
uin	25735
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/07/2021 answer text <p>No such assessment has been made.</p><p> </p><p>It is not possible to produce a robust estimate of the impact of removing the £20 uplift on child poverty. This is particularly the case at the moment given the uncertainty around the speed of the economic recovery, and how this will be distributed across the population.</p><p> </p><p>As the economy recovers, our ambition is to help people move into and progress in work as quickly as possible based on clear evidence around the importance of employment, particularly where it is full-time, in substantially reducing the risks of poverty. Our ambitious Plan for Jobs is already delivering for people of all ages right across the country and includes new schemes such as the £2 billion Kickstart Scheme, the £2.9bn Restart Scheme and our Job Entry Targeted Support Scheme.”</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 06/07/2021 16:15:06 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	1397 label Biography information for Hywel Williams

1343143

registered interest
date	01/07/2021
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	Discretionary Housing Payments: 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 the potential effect of the reduction of discretionary housing payment funding on levels of rent arrears in Wales.
tabling member constituency	Arfon
tabling member printed	Hywel Williams
uin	25736
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/07/2021 answer text <p>We consider the allocation of Discretionary Housing Payments to individual local authorities each year and monitor evolving demand and trends.</p><p> </p><p>For 2020-21 the Government provided an additional £40 million to help tackle affordability pressures in the private rented sector taking the total allocation for local authorities in England and Wales up from £140m to £180 million.</p><p> </p><p>This year in recognition of the significant investment in April 2020 of nearly £1billion in Local Housing Allowance, Discretionary Housing Payments funding to help support vulnerable people with housing costs is set at £140m for local authorities in England and Wales. In addition to the central government contribution, English and Welsh local authorities are able to top up Discretionary Housing Payment funding up to a maximum of two and a half times this figure using their own funds.</p><p> </p><p>The investment in LHA rates provided 1.5 million claimants with an average £600 more housing support last year than they would otherwise receive. We have maintained LHA rates at the same cash level for 2021/22, rather than reverting back to previous rates.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 06/07/2021 16:03:31 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	1397 label Biography information for Hywel Williams

1343144

registered interest
date	01/07/2021
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	Local Housing Allowance: 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 the effect of the rate of Local Housing Allowance on levels of rent arrears in Wales.
tabling member constituency	Arfon
tabling member printed	Hywel Williams
uin	25737
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/07/2021 answer text <p>No assessment has been made.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 06/07/2021 16:06:09 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	1397 label Biography information for Hywel Williams

1329075

registered interest
date	27/05/2021
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, with reference to the High Court's ruling in January 2021, what steps her Department is taking to amend or remove the proof of payment mechanism for assessing and paying the childcare costs element of universal credit.
tabling member constituency	Arfon
tabling member printed	Hywel Williams
uin	8556
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/06/2021 answer text <p>The Department has been granted permission to appeal. It is therefore not appropriate to comment at this time. It should be noted there are no changes to the current processes and the legislation remains the same.</p><p> </p><p>The policy of reimbursing actual childcare costs paid has, as intended, resulted in a significantly lower level of fraud and error than in the legacy system, which was based on projected costs.</p><p> </p><p>Eligible claimants can claim up to 85% of their registered childcare costs each month compared to 70% in legacy benefits.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 07/06/2021 15:30:13 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	1397 label Biography information for Hywel Williams

1309599

registered interest
date	15/04/2021
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	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 estimate her Department has made of the comparative effects of the two child limit on (a) universal credit and (b) child tax credit support between (a) Wales, (b) Scotland, (c) England and (d) Northern Ireland since 2017.
tabling member constituency	Arfon
tabling member printed	Hywel Williams
uin	181197
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/04/2021 answer text <p>The Government has committed to annual statistics releases related to the operation of the policy to provide support for a maximum of two children. Statistics related to the period up to April 2020 were published in July 2020 and can be accessed at <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/child-tax-credit-and-universal-credit-claimants-statistics-related-to-the-policy-to-provide-support-for-a-maximum-of-2-children-april-2020" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/child-tax-credit-and-universal-credit-claimants-statistics-related-to-the-policy-to-provide-support-for-a-maximum-of-2-children-april-2020</a>. Statistics related to the period up to April 2021 will be published in the summer.</p><p> </p><p>The government’s published Impact Assessment noted that ethnic minority households may be more likely to be impacted by the policy. This is because they are, on average, more likely to be in receipt of CTC and UC, and on average have larger families. However, the government does not collect sufficiently robust data on the ethnic background or religious beliefs of benefit claimants to enable a fuller assessment of the impact of the policy on particular ethnic or religious groups. The Government has assessed the impact of the policy from an equality and human rights perspective, meeting our obligations under the Public Sector Equality Duty, and ensuring compliance with the Human Rights Act 1998, the Equality Act 2010 and the UN Convention.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince grouped question UIN 181198 181199 question first answered 20/04/2021 16:01:24 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	1397 label Biography information for Hywel Williams

1309602

registered interest
date	15/04/2021
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	Social Security Benefits: Wales
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many additional children in Wales have been affected by the two-child limit on universal and child tax credit since March 2020.
tabling member constituency	Arfon
tabling member printed	Hywel Williams
uin	181198
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/04/2021 answer text <p>The Government has committed to annual statistics releases related to the operation of the policy to provide support for a maximum of two children. Statistics related to the period up to April 2020 were published in July 2020 and can be accessed at <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/child-tax-credit-and-universal-credit-claimants-statistics-related-to-the-policy-to-provide-support-for-a-maximum-of-2-children-april-2020" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/child-tax-credit-and-universal-credit-claimants-statistics-related-to-the-policy-to-provide-support-for-a-maximum-of-2-children-april-2020</a>. Statistics related to the period up to April 2021 will be published in the summer.</p><p> </p><p>The government’s published Impact Assessment noted that ethnic minority households may be more likely to be impacted by the policy. This is because they are, on average, more likely to be in receipt of CTC and UC, and on average have larger families. However, the government does not collect sufficiently robust data on the ethnic background or religious beliefs of benefit claimants to enable a fuller assessment of the impact of the policy on particular ethnic or religious groups. The Government has assessed the impact of the policy from an equality and human rights perspective, meeting our obligations under the Public Sector Equality Duty, and ensuring compliance with the Human Rights Act 1998, the Equality Act 2010 and the UN Convention.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince grouped question UIN 181197 181199 question first answered 20/04/2021 16:01:24 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	1397 label Biography information for Hywel Williams

1309603

registered interest
date	15/04/2021
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	Social Security Benefits: Ethnic Groups
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate her Department has made of the comparative effects of the two-child limit on (a) universal credit and (b) child tax credit support on different ethnic groups in (a) Wales and (b) the rest of the UK since 2017.
tabling member constituency	Arfon
tabling member printed	Hywel Williams
uin	181199
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/04/2021 answer text <p>The Government has committed to annual statistics releases related to the operation of the policy to provide support for a maximum of two children. Statistics related to the period up to April 2020 were published in July 2020 and can be accessed at <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/child-tax-credit-and-universal-credit-claimants-statistics-related-to-the-policy-to-provide-support-for-a-maximum-of-2-children-april-2020" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/child-tax-credit-and-universal-credit-claimants-statistics-related-to-the-policy-to-provide-support-for-a-maximum-of-2-children-april-2020</a>. Statistics related to the period up to April 2021 will be published in the summer.</p><p> </p><p>The government’s published Impact Assessment noted that ethnic minority households may be more likely to be impacted by the policy. This is because they are, on average, more likely to be in receipt of CTC and UC, and on average have larger families. However, the government does not collect sufficiently robust data on the ethnic background or religious beliefs of benefit claimants to enable a fuller assessment of the impact of the policy on particular ethnic or religious groups. The Government has assessed the impact of the policy from an equality and human rights perspective, meeting our obligations under the Public Sector Equality Duty, and ensuring compliance with the Human Rights Act 1998, the Equality Act 2010 and the UN Convention.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince grouped question UIN 181197 181198 question first answered 20/04/2021 16:01:24 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	1397 label Biography information for Hywel Williams

1284319

registered interest
date	05/02/2021
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	social security benefits: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the APPG on Poverty's £20 uplift report published on 1 February 2021, what recent assessment she has made of the (a) removal of the £20 uplift to universal credit and working tax credit; (b) decision not to extend the £20 uplift to legacy and related benefits and (c) suspension of the benefit cap.
tabling member constituency	Arfon
tabling member printed	Hywel Williams
uin	149727
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/02/2021 answer text <p>No assessment has been made.</p><p> </p><p>The £20 per week uplift to Universal Credit and Working Tax Credit was announced by the Chancellor as a temporary measure in March 2020 to support those facing the most financial disruption as a result of the public health emergency. This measure remains in place until March 2021. As the Government has done throughout this crisis, it will continue to assess how best to support low-income families, which is why we will look at the economic and health context before making any decisions.</p><p> </p><p>There are no plans to extend the temporary £20 uplift to legacy benefits. Claimants on legacy benefits can make a claim for Universal Credit (UC) if they think they will be better off and should check carefully their eligibility and entitlements under UC before applying, as legacy benefits will end when claimants submit their UC claim and they will not be able to return to them in the future. For this reason, prospective claimants are signposted to independent benefits calculators on GOV.UK. Neither DWP nor HMRC can advise individual claimants whether they would be better off moving to UC or remaining on legacy benefits.</p><p> </p><p>No assessment has been made with regards to suspending the benefit cap. There are currently no plans to change the Benefit Cap.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 10/02/2021 17:31:26 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	1397 label Biography information for Hywel Williams

1247951

registered interest
date	02/11/2020
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: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason she did not extend the £20 uplift in universal credit to legacy benefits; and whether she plans to extend that uplift to those legacy benefits.
tabling member constituency	Arfon
tabling member printed	Hywel Williams
uin	110064
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/11/2020 answer text <p>The Government introduced measures earlier this year that could be quickly and effectively put in place to benefit those facing the most financial disruption during the pandemic, including the £20 weekly increase to the Universal Credit Standard Allowance rates as a temporary measure for the 20/21 tax year. There are no plans to extend this to legacy benefits.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 05/11/2020 14:25:56 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	1397 label Biography information for Hywel Williams

1216968

registered interest
date	23/06/2020
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	Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing
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 made an assessment of the potential merits of reviewing her Department's spare room subsidy policy as part of the Government's response to the covid-19 outbreak.
tabling member constituency	Arfon
tabling member printed	Hywel Williams
uin	63233
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/06/2020 answer text <p>There are no current plans to amend the removal of the spare room subsidy policy in response to covid-19. The policy already allows for the provision of an additional bedroom in certain circumstances, such as to support the needs of disabled people as well as exempting households in receipt of pension age Housing Benefit.</p><p> </p><p>If a claimant’s ability to mitigate any shortfall between their housing support and rent has changed, Discretionary Housing Payments can be considered by their local authority. We announced last year an additional £40 million for Discretionary Housing Payments for 2020/21 in England and Wales.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 29/06/2020 16:16:39 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	1397 label Biography information for Hywel Williams