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1672708

registered interest
date	23/11/2023
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 paragraph 3.25 of the Autumn Statement 2023, whether his Department is taking steps to inform social services before a parent loses their entitlement to Universal Credit.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	3513
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/11/2023 answer text <p>As part of the Autumn Statement, we announced the intention to close the claim of those who have been disengaged for 6-months or more, where they are in receipt of a nil Universal Credit award following a sanction decision.</p><p> </p><p>We will not be closing the claims of anyone who is in receipt of other Universal Credit elements, such as the child, housing, or disability element and no assessment has been made of the potential impact of removing a parents’ entitlement to benefits on their children.</p><p> </p><p>Where entitlement to passported benefits, such has help to pay for NHS prescriptions, is reliant solely on a Universal Credit claim to establish eligibility, that eligibility will cease if the Universal Credit claim is closed. Claimants may still be entitled to access passported benefits through other means.</p><p> </p><p>Safeguards will be put in place to ensure that any claimant vulnerabilities are taken into consideration and impacted claimants may still be able to access financial support for NHS services through other means.</p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill grouped question UIN 3512 3514 question first answered 30/11/2023 14:09:04 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1672709

registered interest
date	23/11/2023
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 paragraph 3.25 of the Autumn Statement 2023, if he will take steps to ensure that the children of parents who lose their entitlement to Universal Credit will not be taken into care.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	3514
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/11/2023 answer text <p>As part of the Autumn Statement, we announced the intention to close the claim of those who have been disengaged for 6-months or more, where they are in receipt of a nil Universal Credit award following a sanction decision.</p><p> </p><p>We will not be closing the claims of anyone who is in receipt of other Universal Credit elements, such as the child, housing, or disability element and no assessment has been made of the potential impact of removing a parents’ entitlement to benefits on their children.</p><p> </p><p>Where entitlement to passported benefits, such has help to pay for NHS prescriptions, is reliant solely on a Universal Credit claim to establish eligibility, that eligibility will cease if the Universal Credit claim is closed. Claimants may still be entitled to access passported benefits through other means.</p><p> </p><p>Safeguards will be put in place to ensure that any claimant vulnerabilities are taken into consideration and impacted claimants may still be able to access financial support for NHS services through other means.</p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill grouped question UIN 3512 3513 question first answered 30/11/2023 14:09:04 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1672252

registered interest
date	22/11/2023
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 on average Universal Credit claimants' cases are overseen by each Universal Credit Case Manager as of November 2023.
tabling member constituency	Hayes and Harlington
tabling member printed	John McDonnell
uin	3077
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/11/2023 answer text <p>We are unable to accurately answer this question. This is because the information requested is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. To calculate an average over time would require development of new code, which we don’t currently have.</p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill question first answered 28/11/2023 16:30:03 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
tabling member	178 label Biography information for John McDonnell

1672253

registered interest
date	22/11/2023
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, which categories of claimants had their contact with work coaches reduced in the last 12 months.
tabling member constituency	Hayes and Harlington
tabling member printed	John McDonnell
uin	3078
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/11/2023 answer text <p>A policy change in August 2023 reduced the level of contact Jobcentre work coaches have with Universal Credit (UC) Intensive Work Search (IWS) claimants participating in contracted employment provision, including the Restart Scheme, from fortnightly to monthly. This was to reduce duplication of effort.</p><p> </p><p>The Government announced an investment over 5 years of £3.5bn at Spring Budget to boost workforce participation and £2.5 billion at Autumn Statement as part its Back to Work plan to significantly expand available support and transform the way people interact with the benefits system.</p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill question first answered 28/11/2023 16:35:29 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
tabling member	178 label Biography information for John McDonnell

1671973

registered interest
date	21/11/2023
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 estimate he has made of the number of Universal Credit claimants who will have 53 charging days for rent in 2024.
tabling member constituency	East Ham
tabling member printed	Sir Stephen Timms
uin	2745
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/11/2023 answer text <p>Universal Credit always converts weekly amounts to monthly sums using 52 weeks. The issue of there being 53 rent charging days in a year is relevant only for Universal Credit (UC) claimants who have their rent charged on a weekly basis and have 53 charging periods in a calendar year.</p><p> </p><p>UC claimants in the Social Rented Sector are typically charged rent weekly every Monday and so in a typical year their 12 monthly UC payments will align with the 52 charging periods. Every six years, or five if including a leap year, they will have 53 charging periods. In 2024 there will be 53 of these periods with the 53rd rent payment occurring on the final day of the calendar year. 53 charging periods will not apply in all UC claims and some claimants will not have a 53 charging period year during the life of their benefit claim.</p><p>We have considered alternative options for those with weekly tenancies, but each have their own limitations and disadvantages for claimants. The matter occurs because weekly charging periods can never be accurately aligned with monthly periods. Tenants of social housing providers are used to managing varying outgoings every month depending on whether four or five rent payments are due – not just during a year in which there are 53 charging periods.</p><p>Discretionary Housing Payments can be paid to those entitled to Housing Benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit who face a shortfall in meeting their housing costs. Since 2011, the government has provided nearly £1.7 billion in Discretionary Housing Payments to local authorities.</p><p>We do not have forecasts for this group for 2024. The most recent data from DWP’s statistical release platform <em>Stat-Xplore</em> is for August 2023 which shows that there were 1,664,104 Social Rented Sector households receiving housing support through UC, of which the department’s analysts estimate that approximately 1.4 million (85%) were charged weekly.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies grouped question UIN 2746 question first answered 27/11/2023 16:17:00 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

1671974

registered interest
date	21/11/2023
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 he has made of the (a) financial and (b) practical implications for Universal Credit claimants of 53 charging days for rent in 2024.
tabling member constituency	East Ham
tabling member printed	Sir Stephen Timms
uin	2746
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/11/2023 answer text <p>Universal Credit always converts weekly amounts to monthly sums using 52 weeks. The issue of there being 53 rent charging days in a year is relevant only for Universal Credit (UC) claimants who have their rent charged on a weekly basis and have 53 charging periods in a calendar year.</p><p> </p><p>UC claimants in the Social Rented Sector are typically charged rent weekly every Monday and so in a typical year their 12 monthly UC payments will align with the 52 charging periods. Every six years, or five if including a leap year, they will have 53 charging periods. In 2024 there will be 53 of these periods with the 53rd rent payment occurring on the final day of the calendar year. 53 charging periods will not apply in all UC claims and some claimants will not have a 53 charging period year during the life of their benefit claim.</p><p>We have considered alternative options for those with weekly tenancies, but each have their own limitations and disadvantages for claimants. The matter occurs because weekly charging periods can never be accurately aligned with monthly periods. Tenants of social housing providers are used to managing varying outgoings every month depending on whether four or five rent payments are due – not just during a year in which there are 53 charging periods.</p><p>Discretionary Housing Payments can be paid to those entitled to Housing Benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit who face a shortfall in meeting their housing costs. Since 2011, the government has provided nearly £1.7 billion in Discretionary Housing Payments to local authorities.</p><p>We do not have forecasts for this group for 2024. The most recent data from DWP’s statistical release platform <em>Stat-Xplore</em> is for August 2023 which shows that there were 1,664,104 Social Rented Sector households receiving housing support through UC, of which the department’s analysts estimate that approximately 1.4 million (85%) were charged weekly.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies grouped question UIN 2745 question first answered 27/11/2023 16:17:00 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

1670077

registered interest
date	14/11/2023
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 plans to take to support Universal Credit claimants who are in work with varying paydays each month affecting the benefit assessment period.
tabling member constituency	Guildford
tabling member printed	Angela Richardson
uin	2032
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/11/2023 answer text <p>There are no plans to change the way universal credit treats earnings received in a claimant’s assessment period.</p><p> </p><p>As Universal Credit is paid monthly, those who are also paid their earnings monthly will normally get one payment in each assessment period. For those who are paid differently such as weekly, fortnightly, or four-weekly, the frequency of their pay will have an effect on how much Universal Credit they will receive in some assessment periods and means that for some months these claimants will receive two or more sets of earnings during one Universal Credit assessment period. This may reduce, or in some cases, end the Universal Credit award the claimant receives that month.</p><p> </p><p>The issue of receiving two sets of monthly earnings affects a small minority of claimants in very specific circumstances, we know that this can occur when a claimant’s monthly pay date and the last day of their assessment period are close together.</p><p> </p><p>In recognition of the impact that having double calendar monthly earnings in an assessment period can have on this small number of individual households, we have introduced legislation to address the issue. This legislation came into force on the 16th November 2020 and means that for cases affected by this issue monthly earnings can be reallocated to another assessment period, which means that only one set of earnings should be taken into account rather than two.</p><p> </p><p>I hope you find this answer helpful.</p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill question first answered 22/11/2023 17:47:36 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
tabling member	4840 label Biography information for Angela Richardson

1668690

registered interest
date	08/11/2023
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	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of Universal Credit claimants met with a dedicated work coach in 2023 under the In-Work Progression Offer.
tabling member printed	Baroness Royall of Blaisdon
uin	HL141
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/11/2023 answer text <p>The Government is committed to supporting individuals who are in low paid work to progress, helping them increase their earnings and move into better paid quality jobs. Universal Credit seeks to ensure that claimants are better off working more hours and earning more money, helping them ultimately to become financially independent.</p><p> </p><p>Universal Credit claimants who earn below the Administrative Earnings Threshold (AET) of £677 for an individual and £1083 for a couple are placed within the Universal Credit Intensive Work Search (IWS) labour market regime. This means they receive mandatory support from a work coach and must look for and take up more or better-paid work, as well as attend regular meetings with their work coach.</p><p> </p><p>Currently information regarding the proportion of Universal Credit claimants that met with a dedicated work coach in 2023 is not available, as data on work coach appointments is not currently recorded in a way that would allow this to be measured.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 22/11/2023 18:00:11 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
tabling member	3703 label Biography information for Baroness Royall of Blaisdon

1667501

registered interest
date	07/11/2023
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 make an estimate of the number of working Universal Credit recipients who received an incorrect payment as a result of an incorrect employer's real time information submission to HM Revenue and Customs in the latest month for which data is available.
tabling member constituency	East Ham
tabling member printed	Sir Stephen Timms
uin	17
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/11/2023 answer text <p>Legislation provides for the use of RTI in the calculation of UC entitlements. That system is working well and providing accurate information but where a claimant thinks the information provided by their employer to HMRC is wrong they are asked to raise a dispute with HMRC for them to investigate. Over the last 12 months 99.8% of RTI returns by employers to support UC claims were found to be correct. For the 0.2% of cases, where employers adjust their returns, we endeavour to correct UC entitlements as soon as possible.</p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill question first answered 14/11/2023 15:31:15 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

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