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1588309

registered interest
date	22/02/2023
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 his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of increasing the Administrative Earnings Threshold of Universal Credit on people with health conditions.
tabling member constituency	Newport West
tabling member printed	Ruth Jones
uin	150631
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/03/2023 answer text <p>The Department has completed an Equality Analysis for the AET.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 02/03/2023 13:43:10 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4716 label Biography information for Ruth Jones

1401757

registered interest
date	11/01/2022
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Universal Credit
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy to restore the £20 universal credit uplift.
tabling member constituency	Newport West
tabling member printed	Ruth Jones
uin	101825
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/01/2022 answer text <p>The government has always been clear that the £20 per week increase to Universal Credit (UC) was a temporary measure to support households whose incomes and earnings were affected by the economic shock of COVID-19.</p><p>There have been significant positive developments in the public health and economic situation since the uplift was first announced. Now that the economy has reopened, the government is focusing on supporting people to move into and progress in work.</p><p>To continue to boost employment, wages and living standards, the government is continuing or enhancing the most successful Plan for Jobs schemes and introducing a new package of measures – taking the total DWP spend on labour market support to more than £6 billion over the next three years. This includes investing over £900m each year on work coaches, who will provide effective support to help job seekers on Universal Credit move into work and, for the first time ever, help people progress once in work, and funding for the Kickstart scheme, which has so far supported over 112,000 young people into Kickstart jobs.</p><p> </p><p>The government has also taken decisive action to make work pay by cutting the Universal Credit taper rate from 63p to 55p, and increasing Universal Credit work allowances by £500 a year. This is effectively a tax cut for the lowest paid in society worth around £2.2bn in 2022-23 and strengthens incentives to move into and progress in work. 1.9m households will keep, on average, around an extra £1000 on an annual basis.</p> answering member constituency Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland answering member printed Mr Simon Clarke question first answered 14/01/2022 13:43:43 answering member 4655 label Biography information for Sir Simon Clarke
tabling member	4716 label Biography information for Ruth Jones

1352606

registered interest
date	03/09/2021
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 she will reverse her plans to remove the £20 uplift to the standard allowance of universal credit.
tabling member constituency	Newport West
tabling member printed	Ruth Jones
uin	42129
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/09/2021 answer text <p>The Chancellor announced a temporary six-month extension to the £20 per week uplift at the Budget on 3 March to support households affected by the economic shock of Covid-19. Universal Credit has provided a vital safety net for six million people during the pandemic, and the temporary uplift was part of a COVID support package worth a total of £407 billion in 2020-21 and 2021-22.</p><p> </p><p>There have been significant positive developments in the public health situation since the uplift was first introduced with the success of the vaccine rollout. Now the economy is reopening and as we continue to progress with our recovery our focus is on helping people back into work.</p><p> </p><p>Through our Plan for Jobs, we are targeting tailored support schemes of people of all ages to help them prepare for, get into and progress in work. These include: Kickstart, delivering tens of thousands of six-month work placements for UC claimants aged 16-24 at risk of unemployment; we have also recruited an additional 13,500 work coaches to provide more intensive support to find a job; and introduced Restart which provides 12 months’ intensive employment support to UC claimants who are unemployed for a year. Our Plan for Jobs interventions will support more than two million people.</p><p> </p><p /> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince grouped question UIN 43515 question first answered 14/09/2021 17:00:03 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4716 label Biography information for Ruth Jones

1351077

registered interest
date	18/08/2021
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Universal Credit
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the effect on the Exchequer of ending the £20 uplift to universal credit.
tabling member constituency	Newport West
tabling member printed	Ruth Jones
uin	41254
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/09/2021 answer text <p>In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of ministerial discussions are not normally disclosed.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has always been clear that the £20 per week increase to Universal Credit was a temporary measure to support households whose incomes and earnings were affected by the economic shock of Covid-19. Extending the uplift permanently would come at a very significant annual cost, equivalent in 2022-23 to adding 1p on the basic rate of income tax, in addition to a 3p increase in fuel duty.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is committed to helping low-income families with the cost of living, including providing £670 million in 2021/22 for local authorities to support households struggling with their council tax bills, £140 million in 2021/22 for Discretionary Housing Payments, expanding the Holiday Activities and Food programme to all children in England, increasing Healthy Start vouchers, and establishing a 60-day breathing space period for those in problem debt.</p><p> </p><p>Within the welfare system, the Government is maintaining the increase to Local Housing Allowance rates for private renters on Universal Credit and Housing Benefit in cash terms in 2021-22. This increase was worth over an extra £600 on average in 2020-21 for more than 1.5 million households.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is also maintaining its focus on helping people back into work. As part of the comprehensive Plan for Jobs, the Government announced the new three year Restart programme, which will provide intensive and tailored support to over one million unemployed Universal Credit claimants across England and Wales, and the £2 billion Kickstart scheme, which will create hundreds of thousands of new, fully subsidised jobs for young people at risk of long-term unemployment. To date, over 50,000 Kickstart jobs have been started by young people across a range of different sectors, including construction, health and social care, manufacturing, retail, and transport.</p> answering member constituency North East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Steve Barclay grouped question UIN 41255 question first answered 06/09/2021 07:56:54 answering member 4095 label Biography information for Steve Barclay
tabling member	4716 label Biography information for Ruth Jones

1351432

registered interest
date	18/08/2021
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 the effectiveness of the five week wait for new universal credit claimants to receive their first payment.
tabling member constituency	Newport West
tabling member printed	Ruth Jones
uin	41263
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/09/2021 answer text <p>No assessment has been made.</p><p> </p><p>Projecting the impact of an individual policy on poverty levels is complex and inherently speculative.</p><p> </p><p>It is very difficult to isolate the specific impact of one policy and determine its effect on how many people fall below the poverty threshold, which itself changes over time.</p><p> </p><p>Nobody in need has to wait five weeks for their first payment of Universal Credit. New Claims Advances are available urgently if a claimant needs support during their first assessment period and budgeting support is available for anyone who needs extra help. Advances are a claimant’s benefit entitlement paid early, allowing claimants in need to access up to 100% of their estimated Universal Credit monthly payment upfront. This means that claimants will receive the same two-year entitlement spread across 25 payments, rather than 24.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince grouped question UIN 41264 question first answered 10/09/2021 12:43:29 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4716 label Biography information for Ruth Jones

1255004

registered interest
date	24/11/2020
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 steps her Department has taken to improve the timeliness of initial payments for universal credit.
tabling member constituency	Newport West
tabling member printed	Ruth Jones
uin	120133
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/12/2020 answer text <p>Despite unprecedented strain on the system, payment timeliness remains high, with over 98% of all claims receiving their payment in full and on time for the assessment period covering 11 June to 9 July 2020 (last published data).</p><p /> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 02/12/2020 17:45:02 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4716 label Biography information for Ruth Jones

1255005

registered interest
date	24/11/2020
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 her Department is taking to ensure that the monthly assessment period for universal credit takes into account a claimant’s fluctuating income.
tabling member constituency	Newport West
tabling member printed	Ruth Jones
uin	120134
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/12/2020 answer text <p>Unlike the legacy benefit system, Universal Credit takes income and earnings into account in a way that is fair and transparent. The amount of Universal Credit paid reflects, as closely as possible, the actual circumstances of a household for each monthly assessment period, including any income and/or earnings reported by the employer during that period.</p><p> </p><p>Monthly reporting allows Universal Credit to be adjusted on a monthly basis, which ensures that if a claimant's income falls, which results in a rise in their Universal Credit award, they will not have to wait several months to receive it.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 02/12/2020 17:47:23 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4716 label Biography information for Ruth Jones

1222915

registered interest
date	10/07/2020
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 assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the conclusions of the NAO report on Universal Credit: Getting to First Payment.
tabling member constituency	Newport West
tabling member printed	Ruth Jones
uin	72260
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/07/2020 answer text <p>The Department is considering the findings of the report in the normal way.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p> </p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 20/07/2020 16:33:42 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4716 label Biography information for Ruth Jones

1217515

registered interest
date	24/06/2020
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 assessment her Department has made of recent trends in the average levels of household debt for people in receipt of universal credit.
tabling member constituency	Newport West
tabling member printed	Ruth Jones
uin	64331
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/07/2020 answer text <p>Claimants may find themselves in debt for a variety of reasons, many of which can pre-date their claim to Universal Credit. The Department encourages people out of work, or on a low income, to consider whether claiming Universal Credit could provide them with additional support before issues, such as debt, spiral out of control. We promote Universal Credit through various external channels, including through the ‘Understanding Universal Credit’ website, to help people navigate the range of support available and provide information about how to apply.</p><p>Work Coaches are trained to gauge claimants’ financial needs from their first contact and can refer them to more specialist support for personal budgeting, money guidance and debt advice if required, including through the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS). MaPS has a statutory responsibility to deliver free and impartial money and pensions guidance and debt advice to anyone that needs it. It is also required to have regard to the needs of people in vulnerable circumstances.</p><p>Our own analysis shows that Universal Credit in fact reduces debts such as rent arrears. Supporting research carried out by the National Federation of ALMOs, shows over three quarters of their tenants come onto Universal Credit with pre-existing rent arrears. It also shows that arrears tend to increase prior to making a claim for Universal Credit, and that Universal Credit actually appears to be helping to clear arrears over time.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 03/07/2020 13:49:06 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4716 label Biography information for Ruth Jones

1192360

registered interest
date	01/05/2020
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 her Department is taking to ensure that the monthly assessment period for universal credit takes into account a claimant's fluctuating income.
tabling member constituency	Newport West
tabling member printed	Ruth Jones
uin	42181
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/05/2020 answer text <p>Universal Credit replaced a highly complex system of multiple benefits with a single monthly payment and introduced a simple taper system to ensure that claimants were better off in work keeping more of what they earn compared to the Legacy system</p><p> </p><p>The amount of Universal Credit paid to claimants reflects, as closely as possible, the actual circumstances of a household during each monthly assessment period. Monthly assessment periods align to the way the majority of employees are paid and also allows Universal Credit to be adjusted each month. This means that if a claimant’s income falls, they will not have to wait several months for a rise in their Universal Credit.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 12/05/2020 12:52:22 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4716 label Biography information for Ruth Jones