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1355716

registered interest
date	15/09/2021
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, what assessment she has made of the impact of the end of the universal credit £20 temporary uplift on people living in areas with relatively high consumer price levels of goods and services.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	50080
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/09/2021 answer text <p>The Department has not completed an Impact Assessment of the removal of the Universal Credit temporary uplift as it was introduced as a temporary measure.</p><p> </p><p>The Chancellor announced a temporary six-month extension to the £20 per week uplift at the Budget on 3 March to support households affected by the economic shock of Covid-19. Universal Credit has provided a vital safety net for six million people during the pandemic, and the temporary uplift was part of a COVID support package worth a total of £407 billion in 2020-21 and 2021-22.</p><p> </p><p>There have been significant positive developments in the public health situation since the uplift was first introduced. With the success of the vaccine rollout and record job vacancies, it is right that our focus is on helping people back into work.</p><p> </p><p>Through our Plan for Jobs, we are targeting tailored support schemes of people of all ages to help them prepare for, get into and progress in work. These include: Kickstart, delivering tens of thousands of six-month work placements for Universal Credit claimants aged 16-24 at risk of unemployment; Restart, which provides 12 months’ intensive employment support to Universal Credit claimants who are unemployed for a year; and JETS, which provides light touch employment support for people who are claiming either Universal Credit or New Style Jobseekers Allowance, for up to 6 months, helping participants effectively re-engage with the labour market and focus their job search. We have also recruited an additional 13,500 work coaches to provide more intensive support to find a job. In total, our Plan for Jobs interventions will support more than two million people.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 20/09/2021 17:04:58 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1355717

registered interest
date	15/09/2021
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, whether she is taking steps to ensure that the removal of the £20 uplift to the standard allowance of universal credit does not result in a rise in levels of food poverty.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	50081
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/09/2021 answer text <p>This Government is wholly committed to supporting those on low incomes and continues to do so through many measures, including by increasing the living wage and by spending over £111 billion on welfare support for people of working age in 2021/22.</p><p> </p><p>The Chancellor announced a temporary six-month extension to the £20 per week uplift at the Budget on 3 March to support households affected by the economic shock of Covid-19. Universal Credit has provided a vital safety net for six million people during the pandemic, and the temporary uplift was part of a COVID support package worth a total of £407billion in 2020-21 and 2021-22.</p><p> </p><p>There have been significant positive developments in the public health situation since the uplift was first introduced with the success of the vaccine rollout. With the success of the vaccine rollout and record job vacancies, it is right that our focus is on helping people back into work. This approach is based on clear evidence about the importance of employment, particularly where it is full-time, in substantially reducing the risks of poverty.</p><p> </p><p>Through our Plan for Jobs, we are targeting tailored support schemes of people of all ages to help them prepare for, get into and progress in work. These include: Kickstart, delivering tens of thousands of six-month work placements for UC claimants aged 16-24 at risk of unemployment; Restart, which provides 12 months’ intensive employment support to UC claimants who are unemployed for a year; and JETS, which provides light touch employment support for people who are claiming either Universal Credit or New Style Jobseekers Allowance, for up to 6 months, helping participants effectively re-engage with the labour market and focus their job search. We have also recruited an additional 13,500 work coaches to provide more intensive support to find a job. In total, our Plan for Jobs interventions will support more than two million people.</p><p> </p><p>In April this year, we increased the value of Healthy Start Food Vouchers from £3.10 to £4.25, helping eligible low income households buy basic foods like milk, fruit and vitamins. We are investing up to £220m in the Holiday Activities and Food programme, which has been expanded to every Local Authority across England. Participating children are benefitting from a range of support, including healthy and nutritious meals as well as fun and engaging activities covering the Easter, summer and Christmas holidays in 2021.</p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 21/09/2021 17:18:23 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley previous answer version 22456 answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1355719

registered interest
date	15/09/2021
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	Evictions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on evictions of people who are unable to afford their rent.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	50083
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/09/2021 answer text <p>Throughout the pandemic, DWP has engaged regularly with MHCLG.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has provided an unprecedented package of financial support to tenants and we have boosted the welfare safety net with billions of pounds.</p><p> </p><p>As a result, the vast majority (91%) of private renters are up to date with their rent and of those in arrears, two thirds are in arrears of less than 2 months.</p><p> </p><p>To support the most vulnerable renters, we have invested nearly £1 billion in raising Local Housing Allowance rates to the 30th percentile of local rents in April 2020. We have maintained LHA rates at their increased level in cash terms for 2021/22.</p><p> </p><p>Housing support can be paid to landlords for claimants who cannot manage their Universal Credit payment, through Managed Payment to Landlord. This helps protect these claimants against further rent arrears.</p><p> </p><p>Discretionary Housing Payments also provide critical support to claimants who need help with their housing costs. For 2021-22 the Government has made available £140m in Discretionary Housing Payments funding for local authorities in England and Wales.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 21/09/2021 13:06:29 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley previous answer version 22458 answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1355720

registered interest
date	15/09/2021
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	Living Wage
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent discussions she has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on increasing the National Living Wage for the purposes of reducing levels of in-work poverty.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	50084
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/09/2021 answer text <p>Ministers in the Department for Work and Pensions engage regularly with their Ministerial counterparts in other Departments, taking a collective approach to the policies and interventions that can make a difference</p><p> </p><p>This Government is committed to supporting low-paid families through a range of measures including through the National Living Wage which increased by 2.2% to £8.91 from April 2021. This means that the annual earnings of a full-time worker on the National Living Wage have increased by around £4,000 since this policy was announced in 2015. We have set a target for the National Living Wage to reach two-thirds of median earnings by 2024, provided economic conditions allow.</p><p> </p><p>With record vacancies, our focus is on helping people move into and progress in work as quickly as possible, based on clear evidence about the importance of employment, particularly where it is full time, in substantially reducing the risks of poverty.</p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 21/09/2021 15:10:00 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley previous answer version 22460 answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1355721

registered interest
date	15/09/2021
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	Poverty: Children
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 publish a strategy on lifting children out of all forms of poverty.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	50085
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/09/2021 answer text <p>This Government is wholly committed to supporting low-income families through range of measures including by increasing the national living wage and by spending over £111 billion on welfare support for people of working age in 2021/22. With record numbers of vacancies, our focus is on helping people back into work as quickly as possible. This approach is based on clear evidence about the importance of parental employment, particularly where it is full-time, in substantially reducing the risks of child poverty.</p><p> </p><p>Through our Plan for Jobs, we are targeting tailored support schemes at people of all ages to help them prepare for, get into and progress in work. These include: Kickstart, delivering tens of thousands of six-month work placements for Universal Credit claimants aged 16-24 at risk of unemployment; we have also recruited an additional 13,500 work coaches to provide more intensive support to find a job; and introduced Restart which provides 12 months’ intensive employment support to Universal Credit claimants who are unemployed for a year. Our Plan for Jobs interventions will support more than two million people.</p><p> </p><p>To provide additional support for children in low income households, we have increased the value of Healthy Start Food Vouchers from £3.10 to £4.25, helping eligible households buy basic foods like milk, fruit and vitamins. And we are investing up to £220m in the Holiday Activities and Food programme, which has been expanded to every Local Authority across England. Participating children are benefitting from a range of support, including healthy and nutritious meals as well as fun and engaging activities covering the Easter, summer and Christmas holidays in 2021.</p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 28/09/2021 15:24:19 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1355722

registered interest
date	15/09/2021
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	Poverty: Education
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Education on the impact of poverty on educational outcomes; and what fiscal steps the Government is taking to tackle that matter.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	50086
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/09/2021 answer text <p>Ministers in the Department for Work and Pensions engage regularly with their counterparts in other Departments, taking a collective approach to the policies and interventions that can make a difference to children’s outcomes.</p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 30/09/2021 11:12:35 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1355723

registered interest
date	15/09/2021
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: Standard of Living
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 (a) trends in the cost of living and (b) the impact that those trends are having on standards of living of people claiming social security support.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	50087
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/10/2021 answer text <p>No assessment has been made.</p><p> </p><p>The Secretary of State completes an annual review of most benefit rates for people below State Pension age to determine whether they have retained their value in relation to the general level of prices. Where prices have increased relative to the value of those benefits, the Secretary of State will increase certain disability and carers’ benefits – such as Personal Independence Payments and Carer’s Allowance – at least in line with that increase. She may also decide to increase other benefits, such as Universal Credit. That decision is discretionary, but it is conventional that these rates are also increased in line with the increase in prices as measured by the Consumer Price Index. The up-rating review is conducted in the Autumn of each year, with the outcome announced in November and the new rates implemented the following April.</p><p> </p><p>The Universal Credit £20 uplift was a temporary measure set out in legislation separate to up-rating. The temporary uplift was part of a COVID support package worth a total of £407 billion in 2020-21 and 2021-22.</p><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 01/10/2021 08:27:10 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1355724

registered interest
date	15/09/2021
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	Health and Social Care Levy
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 impact of the Health and Social Care Levy on working people claiming (a) universal credit, (b) working tax credit or (c) other benefits.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	50088
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/10/2021 answer text <p>From April 2022 a National Insurance increase of 1.25 percentage points would only impact on earnings above around £800 a month. The lowest earners would not be affected.</p><p> </p><p>Universal Credit and, where appropriate other benefits, normally take account of net earnings in determining the amount of benefit. A change in National Insurance contributions paid will impact net earnings and therefore the calculation of benefit entitlement. Tax Credits entitlement is calculated using gross earnings, the Health and Social Care Levy will not therefore affect the level of support paid to Working Tax Credit customers.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 01/10/2021 13:10:06 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1355753

registered interest
date	15/09/2021
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
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment has she made of the (a) adequacy of the rate of legacy benefits and (b) benefits of extending the £20 uplift in Universal Credit to legacy benefits.
tabling member constituency	Dulwich and West Norwood
tabling member printed	Helen Hayes
uin	50105
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/09/2021 answer text <p>No assessment has been made. There is no objective way of deciding what an adequate level of benefit should be as everyone has different requirements. Income related benefit rates are not made up of separate amounts for specific items of expenditure.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has always been clear that the £20 increase was a temporary measure to support households affected by the economic shock of Covid-19. It has always been the case that claimants on legacy benefits can make a claim for Universal Credit if they believe that they will be better off.</p><p> </p><p>Working age benefits, which include legacy benefits, were increased by £1bn (1.7 per cent) from April 2020 and received a further £500m (0.5 per cent) increase from April 2021 as part of the Government’s annual up-rating exercise (both figures in cash terms).</p><p> </p><p>Claimants on legacy benefits can make a claim for Universal Credit if they believe they will be better off. The Government encourages anybody to go on GOV.UK and use one of the independent benefit calculators to check carefully their eligibility, because on applying for Universal Credit their entitlement to legacy benefits will cease and they will not be able to return to them in the future. Neither DWP nor HMRC can advise individual claimants whether they would be better off moving to Universal Credit or remaining on legacy benefits. They can get help through the government funded Help to Claim scheme as well as the Citizens Advice and Citizens Advice Scotland.</p><p> </p><p>Since July 2020, a two-week run-on of housing benefit, income support and income-related employment and support allowance and income-based jobseeker’s allowance is paid to eligible claimants to provide additional support to move to Universal Credit.</p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 21/09/2021 16:48:28 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley previous answer version 22461 answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
tabling member	4510 label Biography information for Helen Hayes

1355754

registered interest
date	15/09/2021
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: Pilot Schemes
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she has taken to progress the Universal Credit pilots.
tabling member constituency	Dulwich and West Norwood
tabling member printed	Helen Hayes
uin	50106
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/09/2021 answer text <p>The pilot that had been active in Harrogate was suspended as the Department focused on delivering its part of the Government’s ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to its suspension, the emphasis of the pilot was to assist with developing the design of the Move to Universal Credit service and its processes, to provide the best possible support for claimants who are moved to Universal Credit.</p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 21/09/2021 16:49:39 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley previous answer version 22464 answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
tabling member	4510 label Biography information for Helen Hayes