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1127116

registered interest
date	16/05/2019
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
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 effect of the 5-week wait for the first payment of universal credit on (a) a claimant’s level of (i) debt and (ii) rent arrears and (b) the finances of disabled claimants.
tabling member constituency	Wirral West
tabling member printed	Margaret Greenwood
uin	255340
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/05/2019 answer text <p>No one has to wait 5 weeks for their first payment of Universal Credit. Advances are available from the first day of a valid claim, if required, to support claimants.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 21/05/2019 15:59:56 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
tabling member	4400 label Biography information for Margaret Greenwood

1127119

registered interest
date	16/05/2019
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
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 have been subject to a deduction as a result of a claimant’s historic debt to (a) her Department and (b) HM Treasury in the latest month for which data is available.
tabling member constituency	Wirral West
tabling member printed	Margaret Greenwood
uin	255341
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/05/2019 answer text <p>Internal Management information shows that in April 2019, 280,000 payments of Universal Credit (UC) had a deduction applied to repay a non UC debt owed to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), and 340,000 payments of UC had a deduction applied to repay a Tax Credit debt (these figures have been rounded to the nearest 10,000). Some payments of UC may have had a deduction for both a non UC debt and a Tax Credit debt. These claimants would appear in both totals, therefore the figures cannot be summed.</p><p> </p><p>In line with the deductions policy in UC, for both types of debt, the deductions would not usually exceed the maximum amounts, which are set out legislation. Only in cases where last resort deductions are applied can these rates be exceeded. DWP ensures that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect claimants who have deductions from their benefit to repay overpayments. If a claimant is struggling they can contact DWP’s Debt Management to discuss lowering their repayment rate.</p><p> </p><p>It is also worth noting that it is not possible to provide this as a proportion at April 2019, as the latest UC caseload data is only available as of 14 February 19. However, for context, as of 14 February 19, 1.4m households received payments of UC.</p><p> </p><p>N.B. This data on deductions has been sourced from internal management information. It should therefore not be compared to any other similar data subsequently released by the DWP.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 21/05/2019 15:53:23 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
tabling member	4400 label Biography information for Margaret Greenwood

1127134

registered interest
date	16/05/2019
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
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much the Government has spent on promoting and advertising universal credit since it was introduced.
tabling member constituency	Cardiff Central
tabling member printed	Jo Stevens
uin	255342
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/05/2019 answer text <p>The Department provides services to around 22 million people and, as with other government departments, it has a responsibility to communicate policy and essential information to customers and other key audiences.</p><p> </p><p>The ‘Opening Up Work’ campaign aims to increase understanding of how Universal Credit removes barriers to work and career progression, and to ensure people can access information to help people make a claim. The Department has dedicated funds to this campaign to make sure claimants know how to access the support that they need.</p><p> </p><p>Advertising spend to date from 2016-17 onwards on the Universal Credit Opening Up Work campaign is around £6.3 million.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 21/05/2019 12:33:41 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
tabling member	4425 label Biography information for Jo Stevens

1126816

registered interest
date	15/05/2019
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
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 whether there is a need for transitional protection for mixed-age couples that will see eligibility for pension credit and housing benefit affected by transferring to universal credit.
tabling member constituency	Preseli Pembrokeshire
tabling member printed	Stephen Crabb
uin	254779
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2019 answer text <p>The mixed age couples change will not apply to couples already claiming Pension Credit and/or Housing Benefit for pensioners on 14 May for as long as they remain entitled to either benefit. DWP wrote earlier this year to those mixed age couples already receiving Pension Credit and/or Housing Benefit for pensioners to ensure they know about the change and how they could be affected if their circumstances change on or after 15 May.</p><p> </p><p>Couples who would be eligible for the pension age benefits under the previous rules but have not claimed before 15 May will have up to 13 August to make a backdated claim to 14 May and we encourage them to do so.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 22/05/2019 15:54:25 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	1554 label Biography information for Stephen Crabb

1126903

registered interest
date	15/05/2019
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
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many universal credit claimants who have been awarded the limited work capacity (LWC) element in addition to their basic element have waited (a) one month, (b) two months and (c) three months or more before the extra LWC was awarded for each year for which figures are available.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Edgbaston
tabling member printed	Preet Kaur Gill
uin	254861
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/05/2019 answer text <p>The information requested is not held by the Department.</p><p> </p><p>The financial element of the limited capability for work award was removed in April 2017. Those who are found to have limited capability for work following a work capability assessment will not receive any additional payment of Universal Credit.</p><p> </p><p>Universal Credit is more generous than the legacy system, with around one million disabled households gaining around £100 per month on average.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 20/05/2019 13:21:10 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4603 label Biography information for Preet Kaur Gill

1126913

registered interest
date	15/05/2019
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
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 assessed the potential cost of providing transitional protection to mixed-age couples moving from pension credit and housing benefit to universal credit.
tabling member constituency	Cardiff Central
tabling member printed	Jo Stevens
uin	254835
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/05/2019 answer text <p>The mixed age couples change will not apply to couples already claiming Pension Credit and/or Housing Benefit for pensioners on 14 May for as long as they remain entitled to either benefit. DWP wrote earlier this year to those mixed age couples already receiving Pension Credit and/or Housing Benefit for pensioners to ensure they know about the change and how they could be affected if their circumstances change on or after 15 May.</p><p> </p><p>Couples who would be eligible for the pension age benefits under the current rules but have not claimed before 15 May will have up to 13 August to make a backdated claim to 14 May and we have encouraged them to do so.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 20/05/2019 14:34:04 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4425 label Biography information for Jo Stevens

1126936

registered interest
date	15/05/2019
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
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 13 May to Question 249845, what information her Department holds on the demographics of universal credit claimants who have been unable to repay their advance within 12 months.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
uin	254731
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/05/2019 answer text <p>The table below shows the volumes of customers who have had an advance of their Universal Credit award on the system for a year or more as of 13 May 2019, broken down by age, gender and region. All figures are rounded to the nearest 500.</p><p> </p><p>Prior to taking a new claim advance, the claimant agrees the number of monthly instalments in which they will repay it, up to a maximum of 12. For a number of reasons, their 12 monthly instalments may not necessarily run consecutively. Claimants do not incur a penalty if it takes them more than a calendar 12-month timescale to replay their advance.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td rowspan="2"><p>Age of Claimant</p></td><td><p>Female</p></td><td><p>Female</p></td><td><p>Male</p></td><td><p>Male</p></td><td rowspan="2"><p>Total</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>England &amp; Wales</p></td><td><p>Scotland</p></td><td><p>England &amp; Wales</p></td><td><p>Scotland</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Under 20</p></td><td><p>2,000</p></td><td><p>500</p></td><td><p>2,000</p></td><td><p>500</p></td><td><p>5,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>20-29</p></td><td><p>35,000</p></td><td><p>4,500</p></td><td><p>53,000</p></td><td><p>8,000</p></td><td><p>100,500</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>30-39</p></td><td><p>24,000</p></td><td><p>2,500</p></td><td><p>43,500</p></td><td><p>6,000</p></td><td><p>76,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>40-49</p></td><td><p>15,500</p></td><td><p>2,000</p></td><td><p>24,000</p></td><td><p>3,500</p></td><td><p>45,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>50-59</p></td><td><p>12,000</p></td><td><p>1,500</p></td><td><p>16,000</p></td><td><p>2,000</p></td><td><p>31,500</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>60+</p></td><td><p>2,500</p></td><td><p>500</p></td><td><p>3,500</p></td><td><p>500</p></td><td><p>7,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Total</p></td><td><p>90,500</p></td><td><p>11,000</p></td><td><p>142,000</p></td><td><p>21,000</p></td><td><p>264,500</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>Note:</p><p>This data has been sourced from internal management information and has not been quality assured to the usual standards for public release. It should therefore not be compared to any other similar data subsequently released by the Department.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 20/05/2019 15:48:29 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1126940

registered interest
date	15/05/2019
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
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 5 May 2019 to Question 249847, what information her Department holds on the proportion of universal credit claimants who have (a) requested a reduction in their deduction and (b) received a reduction in their deduction.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
uin	254733
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/05/2019 answer text <p>The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 20/05/2019 15:48:07 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1126538

registered interest
date	14/05/2019
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
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which organisations her Department defines as partners in the delivery of universal credit.
tabling member constituency	East Ham
tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
uin	254087
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/05/2019 answer text <p>We work with a wide range of stakeholders, many of whom we collaborate with directly and consider partners. The next phase of delivering Universal Credit (UC) involves moving legacy benefit claimants to Universal Credit. The Department plans to pilot this approach, to test our processes carefully to ensure that claimants on all legacy benefits with a range of characteristics can be successfully moved onto Universal Credit. The Department is working with a wide and diverse range of stakeholders to design the process and we are currently developing the detailed planning on how we will start the pilot process, including which groups or individuals we will begin to move to Universal Credit.</p><p> </p><p>From 1 April 2019 Citizens Advice (England and Wales) and Citizens Advice Scotland are delivering the new ‘Help to Claim’ support to claimants making a new Universal Credit claim or moving from a legacy benefit to UC because of a change of circumstances. The Citizens Advice Help to Claim offers tailored, practical support to help people make a UC claim up to receiving their first full correct payment on time. It is be available online, through web-chat, through a Freephone number and face to face through local Citizens Advice services.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 20/05/2019 12:43:12 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

1126618

registered interest
date	14/05/2019
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
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what changes have been made to the burden of proof required to prove eligibility for welfare support for (a) EU nationals and (b) non-EU nationals following the introduction of universal credit.
tabling member constituency	Dulwich and West Norwood
tabling member printed	Helen Hayes
uin	254247
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/05/2019 answer text <p>No changes have been made to the burden of proof required to demonstrate eligibility for Universal Credit. In 2015, amendments to Universal Credit regulations brought the eligibility criteria to access Universal Credit more closely into line with EU regulations. The Department publishes Advice for Decision Makers on gov.uk, which is updated periodically.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 21/05/2019 16:48:54 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma previous answer version 119071 answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
tabling member	4510 label Biography information for Helen Hayes