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1063605

registered interest
date	18/02/2019
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, for what reason claimants of universal credit are subject to a five week delay before payment in cases where the claimant is (a) transferring from another benefit; (b) has just left a weekly paid job and (c) has just left a job with a zero hours contract.
tabling member constituency	East Ham
tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
uin	222590
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/02/2019 answer text <p>All Universal Credit claimants are subject to an initial assessment period, regardless of the circumstances that have led to a claim. Assessment periods allow for Universal Credit awards to be adjusted on a monthly basis, ensuring that if a claimant’s income falls, they do not have to wait several months for a rise in their Universal Credit award.</p><p>To support claimants with the move to Universal Credit, we have announced that from July 2020 their existing DWP legacy benefit will continue for two weeks with no requirement to repay the overlap. A similar run-on is already in place for Housing Benefit claimants who move to Universal Credit as a result of a change in circumstances.</p><p>New claimants to Universal Credit can also apply for a Universal Credit Advance in their first month if they need some financial support until the first regular payment of Universal Credit is made.</p><p>We have previously increased the maximum amount available for advances from 50 per cent to 100 per cent of the total award, and increased the repayment period from 6 months to 12 months.</p><p>It was also announced in the 2018 Budget that from October 2021 we will extend the maximum period over which advances can be recovered from 12 to 16 months. This will enable the maximum possible advance return to current levels for all claimants.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 21/02/2019 16:38:03 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Lord Sharma
tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

1063606

registered interest
date	18/02/2019
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, pursuant to the Answer of 18 February 2019 to Question 220054 on Universal Credit, if she will make an assessment of the effect of the five week waiting time for universal credit on levels of indebtedness among claimants.
tabling member constituency	East Ham
tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
uin	222591
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/02/2019 answer text <p>The Department offers a range of support to support claimants until their first Universal Credit payment.</p><p> </p><p>Over the last year we have introduced an additional 2 weeks of Housing Benefit to eligible claimants to support them when they move to Universal Credit.</p><p> </p><p>We have increased the amount and repayment period for Universal Credit new claim and benefit transfer advances. From October this year we will reduce the maximum rate at which deductions can be made from a Universal Credit award from 40% to 30% of the standard allowance. From October 2021 the recovery period will increase from 12 to 16 months.</p><p> </p><p>At the Autumn Budget 2018, we also announced the introduction of a two-week continuation of Income Support and the income related elements of Employment and Support Allowance and Jobseeker’s Allowance from July 2020.</p><p> </p><p>There is no assessment planned of this nature.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 21/02/2019 16:49:21 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Lord Sharma
tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

1063611

registered interest
date	18/02/2019
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, pursuant to her oral contribution of 11 February 2019, Official Report, column 593, on universal credit, what assessment she has made of the effect of the five-week waiting time for payment on increased demand at foodbanks; and if she will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	East Ham
tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
uin	222584
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/02/2019 answer text <p>Between 2017 and 2018, the number of people making a claim to Universal Credit rose by 132%. Trussell Trust data for the same period shows an increase in the number of foodbank parcels issued to Universal Credit claimants of 90%. So what may be observed is a substitution effect, as legacy claims are replaced by Universal Credit claims, rather than an increase directly attributed to Universal Credit.</p><p> </p><p>Trussell Trust and Department analysts are exploring this issue further with the aim of reaching a shared conclusion about the impact of Universal Credit on foodbank demand.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 21/02/2019 15:52:20 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

1063826

registered interest
date	18/02/2019
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, for what proportion of successful new universal credit claims in the past year the claimant has been given an advance at the start of their claim.
tabling member constituency	East Ham
tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
uin	222761
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/02/2019 answer text <p>Internal data shows that from February 2018 - January 2019, 57% of eligible new claims to Universal Credit Full Service received an advance payment. Subject to some fluctuation, this rate of advance take-up has been broadly consistent. This shows that claimants are being made aware of advances and that our advance system is being utilised so people receive help when they need it.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 21/02/2019 16:51:17 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Lord Sharma
tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

1062050

registered interest
date	15/02/2019
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 the overall satisfaction rate is among claimants for universal credit (a) full service and (b) live service.
tabling member constituency	Birkenhead
tabling member printed	Frank Field
uin	221994
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/02/2019 answer text <p>I refer the hon. Member to my answer to the Question <a href="https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2019-02-13/220801/" target="_blank">220801</a>.</p><p> </p><p>We no longer differentiate between live and full service as the number of live service cases is reducing rapidly, and because both services operate within the same policy framework.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 20/02/2019 17:18:22 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Lord Sharma
tabling member	478 label Biography information for Lord Field of Birkenhead

1062114

registered interest
date	15/02/2019
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, for what reason her Department requires owners of limited companies to provide company financial accounts when applying for universal credit; and if she will review that policy.
tabling member constituency	Motherwell and Wishaw
tabling member printed	Marion Fellows
uin	222036
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/02/2019 answer text <p>The Department does not require owners of limited companies to provide company financial accounts when applying for Universal Credit. Self-employed earnings are reported on a simplified 'cash accounting' basis, which asks for the total income from receipts into the business and details of payments out of the business under defined categories during the assessment period. The requirements were designed to be as simple as possible in order for self-employed claimants to easily report their earnings.</p><p> </p><p>The Department has therefore not made an assessment.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma grouped question UIN 222037 question first answered 20/02/2019 17:36:18 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Lord Sharma
tabling member	4440 label Biography information for Marion Fellows

1062115

registered interest
date	15/02/2019
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 assessment her Department has made of the practicality of requiring the owners of limited companies to provide company financial accounts when applying for universal credit.
tabling member constituency	Motherwell and Wishaw
tabling member printed	Marion Fellows
uin	222037
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/02/2019 answer text <p>The Department does not require owners of limited companies to provide company financial accounts when applying for Universal Credit. Self-employed earnings are reported on a simplified 'cash accounting' basis, which asks for the total income from receipts into the business and details of payments out of the business under defined categories during the assessment period. The requirements were designed to be as simple as possible in order for self-employed claimants to easily report their earnings.</p><p> </p><p>The Department has therefore not made an assessment.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma grouped question UIN 222036 question first answered 20/02/2019 17:36:18 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Lord Sharma
tabling member	4440 label Biography information for Marion Fellows

1061210

registered interest
date	14/02/2019
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, for what reason her Department decided to track only the first 10,000 successful applicants through the managed migration pilot and not to track unsuccessful applications.
tabling member constituency	Arfon
tabling member printed	Hywel Williams
uin	221636
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/02/2019 answer text <p>Subject to parliamentary approval, we have sought powers to conduct a pilot phase of Managed Migration, to track up to a maximum of 10,000 claimants through the process. The goal of the pilot is to learn as much as possible and to increase numbers as slowly and gradually as necessary, and there will be safeguards in the process to ensure that no-one is left behind. We will report on our findings from the pilot before bringing forward legislation to extend managed migration.</p><p> </p><p>We have said that all individuals will be tracked all the way through the pilot process and understanding the reasons for unsuccessful applications will be an important part of the pilot. However, there will be safeguards in place to protect those who might otherwise fail to make a successful claim.</p><p> </p><p>The Department is committed to finding those who will need support and will help them through the process, including home visits where necessary. This will give an indication of the size of the support requirement which will be key information for any future scaling.</p><p> </p><p>Our stakeholders and partners will also play a key role and we will work with partners to ensure we reach people who might otherwise be missed, and the further development of these delivery relationships is a major aspect of this phase of the programme.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 21/02/2019 16:46:53 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Lord Sharma
tabling member	1397 label Biography information for Hywel Williams

1061336

registered interest
date	14/02/2019
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 her Department has plans to offer financial assistance to local authorities that have increased their bad debt provisions as a result of universal credit.
tabling member constituency	Lanark and Hamilton East
tabling member printed	Angela Crawley
uin	221860
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/02/2019 answer text <p>We appreciate that councils are experiencing budgeting challenges but Universal Credit should not be contributing to them. New Burdens funding has been provided to cover additional costs associated with Universal Credit and the Department will consider reimbursing councils for any additional costs that are not already covered by New Burdens and Universal Support funding. The effect is that Universal Credit should not leave councils out of pocket.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 21/02/2019 10:33:38 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4469 label Biography information for Angela Crawley

1060698

registered interest
date	13/02/2019
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, with reference to the Answer of 13 February 2019 to Question 218202, if she will break the results of the survey down by universal credit claimants on (a) live service and (b) full service.
tabling member constituency	Birkenhead
tabling member printed	Frank Field
uin	220801
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/02/2019 answer text <p>To break the results of the Claimant Service and Experience Survey 2017-2018 down to those who claimed under Universal Credit live service and those who claimed under full service systems would only be possible at disproportionate cost.</p><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 18/02/2019 17:50:38 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Lord Sharma
tabling member	478 label Biography information for Lord Field of Birkenhead