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1662149

registered interest
date	19/09/2023
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, for what reasons is there an average 5-week wait for claimants to receive a first payment of Universal Credit; and whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of this wait on levels of poverty in the north east of England.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
uin	200583
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/10/2023 answer text <p>The Universal Credit assessment period and payment structure are fundamental parts of its design as agreed by parliament. Universal Credit reflects payment patterns in the world of work, where the majority of people are paid monthly or four-weekly. Ensuring similarities between paid employment and being on benefits eliminates an important barrier which could prevent claimants from adjusting to paid employment.</p><p /><p>Universal Credit is determined by the date of entitlement, the first payment is usually made around five weeks after the claim is made. The first calendar month is the initial assessment period. At the end of that period, entitlement for that month is calculated and paid 7 days later. Payments thereafter are made monthly in arrears.  It is not possible to award a Universal Credit payment as soon as a claim is made as the assessment period must run its course before the award of Universal Credit can be calculated. It is not possible to accurately determine what a claimant’s entitlement will be in the month ahead. This process ensures claimants are paid their correct entitlement, based on verified information (such as actual housing costs verified from the rental agreement) and actual earnings, and prevents significant overpayments from occurring.</p><p> </p><p>No assessment has been made.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 17/10/2023 16:23:04 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah

1661312

registered interest
date	18/09/2023
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 steps he has taken to mitigate the financial impact of Universal Credit deductions on (a) families with children and (b) other recipients.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
uin	199961
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/10/2023 answer text <p>The amount that can be deducted is capped and we have lowered the standard cap on deductions from Universal Credit twice over recent years, firstly from 40% to 30% in October 2019 and then to 25% in April 2021.</p><p>DWP takes every care to recover benefit debt without causing undue financial hardship.</p><p>Deductions are made under legislation and cover a broad range of contingencies, like the recovery of fines to prevent incarceration, the payment of rent arrears to prevent homelessness, child maintenance liabilities to their children, and provision for one-off items of expenditure through advances and the repayment of debts.</p><p>DWP remains committed to working with anyone who is struggling with their deductions and encourages customers to contact DWP to discuss any concerns.</p><p> </p><p>The department has a well-established process for working with individuals to support them to manage repayment of debt. Our agents will always look to negotiate affordable and sustainable repayment plans. For overpayment deductions specifically, where a person feels they cannot afford the proposed rate of deduction for an overpayment recovery, they are encouraged to contact the department’s Debt Management to discuss a temporary reduction in their rate of repayment or cessation of the deduction.</p><p> </p><p>There is no minimum amount that a customer has to pay, and we have recently extended the time period for any reduced payment to remain in place.</p><p> </p><p>Customers who do contact Debt Management are routinely referred to the Money Advisor Network, who work in partnership with DWP, to offer free independent and impartial money and debt advice. We also remain committed to His Majesty’s Treasury’s Breathing Space policy, which provides those with problem debt the right to legal protections from creditor action for a period of 60 days to enable them to receive debt advice and enter into an appropriate debt solution.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 16/10/2023 16:48:35 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah

1661359

registered interest
date	18/09/2023
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 claimants have an advance attached to their claim during the five-week wait for their first payment in (a) Lewisham East constituency, (b) England and (c) the UK as of 18 September 2023 by claimant age group.
tabling member constituency	Lewisham East
tabling member printed	Janet Daby
uin	200076
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/10/2023 answer text <p>The information requested is not available for this period.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 20/10/2023 13:45:17 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4698 label Biography information for Janet Daby

1660202

registered interest
date	12/09/2023
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 he has made an assessment of the potential merits of conducting a review of into the adequacy of the level of universal credit payments.
tabling member constituency	North Down
tabling member printed	Stephen Farry
uin	199228
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/09/2023 answer text <p>No assessment of such a review has been made.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 18/09/2023 11:42:12 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4856 label Biography information for Stephen Farry

1658651

registered interest
date	06/09/2023
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 recent assessment his Department has made of the efficacy of universal credit in supporting families with children during the school summer holidays.
tabling member constituency	Lanark and Hamilton East
tabling member printed	Angela Crawley
uin	198162
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/09/2023 answer text <p>No such assessment has been made.</p><p><em> </em></p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 11/09/2023 13:14:05 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4469 label Biography information for Angela Crawley

1658652

registered interest
date	06/09/2023
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 his Department made of the impact of the rise in the cost of living on working families who (a) qualify and (b) do not qualify for universal credit.
tabling member constituency	Lanark and Hamilton East
tabling member printed	Angela Crawley
uin	198163
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/09/2023 answer text <p>No such assessments have been made.</p><p> </p><p>The Government understands the pressures people, including parents, are facing with the cost of living and is taking action to help. Overall, we are providing total support of over £94bn over 2022-23 and 2023- 24 to help households and individuals with the rising cost of bills.</p><p> </p><p>From April 2023, everyone who receives a state benefit or pension will have seen their benefit rates increase by 10.1%. In order to increase the number of households who can benefit from these uprating decisions, the benefit cap levels have also increased by the same amount.</p><p> </p><p>To support parents who are in work, from 1 April, the National Living Wage (NLW) increased by 9.7% to £10.42 an hour for workers aged 23 and over - the largest ever cash increase for the NLW.</p><p> </p><p>We recognise that high childcare costs can affect parents’ decisions to take up paid work or increase their working hours. That is why, as announced at the Spring Budget, we are investing billions in additional childcare support for parents of toddlers, investing in wraparound childcare in schools, and increasing financial support for, and expectations of, parents claiming Universal Credit.</p><p> </p><p>Households on eligible means-tested benefits will get up to £900 in Cost of Living Payments. The first £301 payments have been issued to 8.3 million households, and two further payments will follow this autumn and in spring 2024. In addition, 6.4 million individuals on eligible ‘extra-costs’ disability benefits have also recently received a further £150 Disability Cost of Living Payment meaning households with more than one disabled person will receive multiple Disability Cost of Living Payments.</p><p> </p><p>For people who require additional support, in England, the Household Support Fund will continue until March 2024. This year long extension allows Local Authorities in England to continue to provide discretionary support to those most in need with the significantly rising cost of living. The guidance for Local Authorities can be found <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/household-support-fund-guidance-for-local-councils/1-april-2023-to-31-march-2024-household-support-fund-guidance-for-county-councils-and-unitary-authorities-in-england" target="_blank">here.</a> Local Authorities have the discretion to design their own local schemes within the parameters of this guidance and grant determination that DWP have set out for the fund. Local Authorities are expected to support households in the most need, and in particular those who may not be eligible for the other support Government has recently made available, however, are nevertheless in need. The Devolved Administrations will receive consequential funding as usual to spend at their discretion.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies grouped question UIN 198161 question first answered 11/09/2023 15:03:28 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	4469 label Biography information for Angela Crawley

1658132

registered interest
date	05/09/2023
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 page 5 of the British Medical Journal article entitled Impact of Universal Credit in North East England, published in 2019, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of that article's findings on the impact of Universal Credit deductions on (a) incidences of self-harm, (b) suicidal ideation, (c) alcohol and substance-use, (d) debt and (e) use of foodbanks in the North East of England.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
uin	197724
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/09/2023 answer text <p>No assessment has been made<em>.</em></p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 13/09/2023 11:03:46 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah

1657890

registered interest
date	04/09/2023
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 he has made an assessment of the potential merits of providing increased support to people asked to migrate from (a) tax credits and (b) other legacy benefits to Universal Credit.
tabling member constituency	Stockport
tabling member printed	Navendu Mishra
uin	197625
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/09/2023 answer text <p>People who are asked to migrate to Universal Credit from Tax Credits, or other legacy benefits, can access a range of support including a dedicated DWP telephone line and Help to Claim, which provides tailored practical support. Those individuals who are unable to access support via these channels, can go to their local jobcentre where staff will identify the right support to meet their needs to make and/or manage their Universal Credit claim<em>.</em></p><p> </p><p>Our research shows that the majority of the Tax Credit population so far have been able to successfully make the transition to Universal Credit with minimal support. In August 2023, we published our research and analysis. - <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/completing-the-move-to-universal-credit-learning-from-initial-tax-credit-migrations/completing-the-move-to-universal-credit-learning-from-initial-tax-credit-migrations" target="_blank">Completing the Move to Universal Credit: learning from initial Tax Credit migrations - GOV.UK</a></p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 13/09/2023 11:01:32 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4811 label Biography information for Navendu Mishra

1657898

registered interest
date	04/09/2023
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 steps his Department is taking to ensure that legacy benefit claimants do not have their support terminated before moving to Universal Credit.
tabling member constituency	Edinburgh North and Leith
tabling member printed	Deidre Brock
uin	197530
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/09/2023 answer text <p>It is a fundamental principle of social security in the United Kingdom that people need to make a claim for benefits. For those already in receipt of benefits, Parliament made it clear, though its passage of the Welfare Reform Act 2012, that entitlement to those benefits would cease as Universal Credit (UC) was implemented.</p><p> </p><p>The Department provides a range of support to individuals, to assist them during migration including a dedicated DWP telephone line and signposting to independent support through the Help to Claim service.  Help to Claim is an independent service and is available to those moving from legacy benefits because of managed migration, voluntary moves, or a change of circumstances.</p><p> </p><p>The Migration Notice is the key way in which we initially communicate with legacy benefit claimants to inform them of the requirement to migrate to UC within 3 months. However, we also provide a reminder after 7 weeks and at week 10. If claimants haven’t made a claim for UC and after the 3 month period, on a case by case basis, there is a grace period of 1 month within which a tax credit claimant can make a claim for UC without losing eligibility for transitional protection.</p><p> </p><p>Terminating benefits is our last resort. If a claimant does not claim by their extended deadline, they will be notified that their current benefit(s) will be terminated, unless they have significant support needs requiring a further extension. For those claimants who require significant support, we hold case conferences with Advanced Customer Support Senior Leaders who provide local expertise, working with different organisations to take a multi-agency approach. Where a claimant’s legacy benefit(s) has been terminated and they make a claim to UC within one month, their claim can be backdated to their deadline date and still be awarded Transitional Protection where applicable.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 13/09/2023 10:54:58 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4417 label Biography information for Deidre Brock

1656484

registered interest
date	01/09/2023
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 he will publish the reasons for which a universal credit claimant's transitional protection might be (a) reduced and (b) ended.
tabling member constituency	Lewisham, Deptford
tabling member printed	Vicky Foxcroft
uin	196332
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/09/2023 answer text <p>This was published in 2018: see the report to Social Security Advisory Committee (SSAC): <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/753714/draft-universal-credit-managed-migration-regulations-2018-report.pdf" target="_blank">Universal Credit (Managed Migration) Regulations 2018 (publishing.service.gov.uk)</a></p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 11/09/2023 13:18:04 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4491 label Biography information for Vicky Foxcroft