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1187061

registered interest
date	23/03/2020
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 provide (a) phone and (b) online appointments for new universal credit claimants.
tabling member constituency	Wentworth and Dearne
tabling member printed	John Healey
uin	33410
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/03/2020 answer text <p><del class="ministerial">As both the Prime Minister and Chancellor have made clear, the Government will do whatever it takes to support people affected by COVID 19 and we have been clear in our intention that no one should be penalised for doing the right thing. These are rapidly developing circumstances, we continue to keep the situation under review and will keep Parliament updated accordingly.</del></p><p><del class="ministerial">The Department is taking all appropriate steps to protect colleagues and customers, in line with Government advice.</del></p><p><ins class="ministerial">We have temporarily suspended the requirement for face-to-face Jobcentre Plus appointments for all claimants in Universal Credit, Job Seekers’ Allowance (JSA), Employment Support Allowance (ESA) and Income Support. Advances for all new UC claimants are now available online / via phone, with no requirement to attend a job centre.</ins></p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 31/03/2020 10:07:19 question first ministerially corrected 15/04/2020 14:58:26 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies previous answer version 15510 answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	400 label Biography information for John Healey

1187062

registered interest
date	23/03/2020
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 new universal credit claimants have been required to attend in-person appointments after a phone assessment since 16 March 2020.
tabling member constituency	Wentworth and Dearne
tabling member printed	John Healey
uin	33411
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/03/2020 answer text <p><del class="ministerial">As both the Prime Minister and Chancellor have made clear, the Government will do whatever it takes to support people affected by COVID 19 and we have been clear in our intention that no one should be penalised for doing the right thing. These are rapidly developing circumstances, we continue to keep the situation under review and will keep Parliament updated accordingly.</del></p><p><del class="ministerial">The Department is taking all appropriate steps to protect colleagues and customers, in line with Government advice.</del></p><p><ins class="ministerial">We have temporarily suspended the requirement for face-to-face Jobcentre Plus appointments for all claimants in Universal Credit, Job Seekers’ Allowance (JSA), Employment Support Allowance (ESA) and Income Support. Advances for all new UC claimants are now available online / via phone, with no requirement to attend a job centre.</ins></p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 31/03/2020 10:07:19 question first ministerially corrected 15/04/2020 14:58:09 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies previous answer version 15511 answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	400 label Biography information for John Healey

1187063

registered interest
date	23/03/2020
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 have been asked to attend in-person appointments with the imposition of sanctions if they failed to attend since 16 March 2020.
tabling member constituency	Wentworth and Dearne
tabling member printed	John Healey
uin	33412
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/03/2020 answer text <p>As both the Prime Minister and Chancellor have made clear, the Government will do whatever it takes to support people affected by COVID 19 and we have been clear in our intention that everyone should be supported to do the right thing.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 31/03/2020 14:23:34 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	400 label Biography information for John Healey

1187064

registered interest
date	23/03/2020
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 information her Department holds on the average (a) journey time and (b) distance universal credit claimants have made to attend in-person appointments in the latest period for which figures are available.
tabling member constituency	Wentworth and Dearne
tabling member printed	John Healey
uin	33413
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/03/2020 answer text <p>This information is not collected.</p><p>Since the introduction of Universal Credit, claimants have been supported by a more flexible approach to contact, with much greater use of digital and telephone channels. This enables claimants to continue to engage with the Department, receive appropriate support and satisfy the conditions of their personalised Claimant Commitment, without having to always attend an appointment in person.</p><p>Claimants can also access free telephony and web support through the Citizen’s Advice Help to Claim service.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 31/03/2020 15:33:28 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	400 label Biography information for John Healey

1187208

registered interest
date	23/03/2020
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 she has made of trends in the level of time taken to speak to a call handler on the universal credit helpline.
tabling member constituency	Hemsworth
tabling member printed	Jon Trickett
uin	33414
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/04/2020 answer text <p>Since mid-March we have seen a huge volume of calls to the Universal Credit helpline, with over 2 million calls on a single day at one point. We are aware that this demand has meant that some claimants were not able to get through.</p><p> </p><p>People making new claims for Universal Credit no longer need to call the Department as part of the process. Once they have completed their online application we will call them if we need to check any of the information they have given us. We have also introduced new processes to ease pressure on waiting times for identity verification over the phone and other processes.</p><p> </p><p>The Department’s priority is to continue to ensure those who are entitled to benefit receive the support they need at a time when new claims for Universal Credit are at an unprecedented level.</p><p> </p><p>Since 16 March 2020, we have received more than 1.5 million new claims for Universal Credit. 10,000 members of staff from other parts of DWP are being redeployed to support work on new claims and we are urgently recruiting additional people to assist with the processing of claims.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince grouped question UIN 33415 33416 question first answered 21/04/2020 16:54:49 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	410 label Biography information for Jon Trickett

1187211

registered interest
date	23/03/2020
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 long after first applying can claimants for universal credit receive their first advance.
tabling member constituency	Hemsworth
tabling member printed	Jon Trickett
uin	33417
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/04/2020 answer text <p>Universal Credit new claim advance payments have long been an integral part of the UC system, allowing claimants to access up to 100% of their total expected monthly award at the start of their claim, which can be paid back over a period of up to 12 months, which will be extended to 24 months from October 2021.</p><p> </p><p>Applications are accepted by phone or online and payments can be issued on the same day.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 21/04/2020 16:41:21 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	410 label Biography information for Jon Trickett

1187058

registered interest
date	20/03/2020
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 is taking to ensure limited social interaction in relation to appointments for new universal credit claimants since 16 March 2020.
tabling member constituency	Wentworth and Dearne
tabling member printed	John Healey
uin	33408
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/03/2020 answer text <p><del class="ministerial">As both the Prime Minister and Chancellor have made clear, the Government will do whatever it takes to support people affected by COVID 19 and we have been clear in our intention that no one should be penalised for doing the right thing. These are rapidly developing circumstances, we continue to keep the situation under review and will keep Parliament updated accordingly.</del></p><p><del class="ministerial">The Department is taking all appropriate steps to protect colleagues and customers, in line with Government advice.</del></p><p><ins class="ministerial">DWP has always followed Public Health England guidelines on social distancing. As of 24th March, Jobcentres are only offering face-to-face appointments – conducted in accordance with PHE guidelines on social distancing - for the small number of claimants who would otherwise not be able to receive support. This helps us to continue to deliver our critical services whilst keeping our customers and staff safe.</ins></p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 31/03/2020 10:07:19 question first ministerially corrected 15/04/2020 14:58:50 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies previous answer version 15508 answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	400 label Biography information for John Healey

1184594

registered interest
date	12/03/2020
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 findings in the report by the Tussell Trust, entitled Five weeks too long, published in September 2019, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the finding in that report that referrals to food banks have increased on average by 30 per cent in the 12 months after the roll-out of universal credit in the local authority area in which those food banks are located; and what assessment she has made of the potential link between the roll-out of universal credit and use of food banks.
tabling member constituency	Slough
tabling member printed	Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi
uin	28738
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/05/2020 answer text <p>The Department does not keep official statistics on food bank use, so no such assessment has been completed.</p><p> </p><p>The Trussell Trust have claimed that there is a 52% growth in food bank demand in areas where Universal Credit (UC) has rolled out, however, the data used in this report is unrepresentative and therefore categorically does not prove that UC is the reason behind increased food bank usage. With UC people can get paid urgently if they need it and we’ve changed the system so people can receive even more money in the first two weeks than under the old system.</p><p> </p><p>In common with the legacy benefit system, and also the structures used by employers’ payroll systems, UC is not paid immediately at the beginning of a claim but follows a predictable payment cycle. Assessment periods ensure UC entitlement is accurately calculated each month, responding efficiently to changes in household circumstances including employment earnings.</p><p> </p><p>The Department continues to design and implement improvements to UC. We have already abolished the 7-day waiting period and continue to pay Housing Benefit for two weeks when people move to Universal Credit. New run-ons will be introduced from July 2020 for claimants transitioning from other DWP legacy benefits, which will be paid during the first assessment period and provide a one-off gain of approximately £200.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 01/05/2020 15:34:22 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4638 label Biography information for Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi

1183045

registered interest
date	05/03/2020
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 February 2020 to Question 10759, what the value of deductions to universal credit payments has been, by parliamentary constituency; and from how many claimants those deductions were taken, in each of the 12 months prior to August 2019.
tabling member constituency	Glasgow South West
tabling member printed	Chris Stephens
uin	25694
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/04/2020 answer text <p>This Government is committed to providing a strong welfare safety-net for those who need it. Our deductions policy strikes a fair balance between a claimant’s need to meet their financial obligations and their ability to ensure they can meet their day-to-day needs. Since October 2019, Universal Credit deductions are set at a maximum of 30% of a claimant’s standard allowance, down from 40% previously.</p><p> </p><p>The requested information surrounding deductions to Universal Credit payments by parliamentary constituency is shown in the attached table.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince grouped question UIN 25696 question first answered 24/04/2020 08:30:04 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince attachment 1 file name PQs 25694, 25696- Chris Stephens- Additional Data Deductions incl. table.xlsx title Additional data deductions table
tabling member	4463 label Biography information for Chris Stephens

1183047

registered interest
date	05/03/2020
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 February 2020 to Question 10759, how many claimants had deductions taken from their universal credit payments in each parliamentary constituency in August 2019.
tabling member constituency	Glasgow South West
tabling member printed	Chris Stephens
uin	25696
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/04/2020 answer text <p>This Government is committed to providing a strong welfare safety-net for those who need it. Our deductions policy strikes a fair balance between a claimant’s need to meet their financial obligations and their ability to ensure they can meet their day-to-day needs. Since October 2019, Universal Credit deductions are set at a maximum of 30% of a claimant’s standard allowance, down from 40% previously.</p><p> </p><p>The requested information surrounding deductions to Universal Credit payments by parliamentary constituency is shown in the attached table.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince grouped question UIN 25694 question first answered 24/04/2020 08:30:03 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince attachment 1 file name PQs 25694, 25696- Chris Stephens- Additional Data Deductions incl. table.xlsx title Additional data deductions table previous answer version 11689 answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4463 label Biography information for Chris Stephens