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1064763

	registered interest
	date	21/02/2019
	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, how much has been deducted from universal credit claimants' standard allowance in each month since April 2017.
	tabling member constituency	High Peak
	tabling member printed	Ruth George
	uin	224493
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/05/2019 answer text <p>Internal figures are provided in the table below from two DWP datasets.</p><p> </p><p>The Government recognises the importance of safeguarding the welfare of claimants who have incurred debt. The aim of the deductions policy in Universal Credit is to protect vulnerable claimants from eviction and/or having their gas, electricity and water cut off, by providing a last resort repayment method for arrears of these essential services.</p><p> </p><p>The increase in Universal Credit caseload and activity to increase awareness of advances has had an effect on deductions. Increased awareness has resulted in around 60% of eligible new claims to Universal Credit receiving an advance in October 2018, providing further financial support until their first payment.</p><p> </p><p>Total amount deducted from Universal Credit payments between April 2017 and October 2018</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Month</p></td><td><p>Amount deducted [rounded to the nearest million]</p></td><td><p>Amount of Universal Credit paid [rounded to the nearest million]</p></td><td><p>Amount deducted as a percentage of Universal Credit paid</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Apr-17</p></td><td><p>£9,000,000</p></td><td><p>£140,000,000</p></td><td><p>7%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>May-17</p></td><td><p>£10,000,000</p></td><td><p>£148,000,000</p></td><td><p>7%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Jun-17</p></td><td><p>£10,000,000</p></td><td><p>£159,000,000</p></td><td><p>6%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Jul-17</p></td><td><p>£11,000,000</p></td><td><p>£166,000,000</p></td><td><p>6%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Aug-17</p></td><td><p>£11,000,000</p></td><td><p>£176,000,000</p></td><td><p>6%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Sep-17</p></td><td><p>£12,000,000</p></td><td><p>£186,000,000</p></td><td><p>6%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Oct-17</p></td><td><p>£13,000,000</p></td><td><p>£195,000,000</p></td><td><p>7%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Nov-17</p></td><td><p>£13,000,000</p></td><td><p>£205,000,000</p></td><td><p>7%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Dec-17</p></td><td><p>£15,000,000</p></td><td><p>£216,000,000</p></td><td><p>7%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Jan-18</p></td><td><p>£17,000,000</p></td><td><p>£232,000,000</p></td><td><p>7%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Feb-18</p></td><td><p>£19,000,000</p></td><td><p>£243,000,000</p></td><td><p>8%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Mar-18</p></td><td><p>£22,000,000</p></td><td><p>£257,000,000</p></td><td><p>8%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Apr-18</p></td><td><p>£23,000,000</p></td><td><p>£266,000,000</p></td><td><p>9%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>May-18</p></td><td><p>£25,000,000</p></td><td><p>£284,000,000</p></td><td><p>9%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Jun-18</p></td><td><p>£27,000,000</p></td><td><p>£319,000,000</p></td><td><p>8%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Jul-18</p></td><td><p>£29,000,000</p></td><td><p>£335,000,000</p></td><td><p>9%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Aug-18</p></td><td><p>£32,000,000</p></td><td><p>£360,000,000</p></td><td><p>9%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Sep-18</p></td><td><p>£35,000,000</p></td><td><p>£380,000,000</p></td><td><p>9%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Oct-18</p></td><td><p>£39,000,000</p></td><td><p>£410,000,000</p></td><td><p>10%</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Notes:</p><p> </p><p>Data sources: Universal Credit Live Service Reference Datasets and Full Service PDM data, UC Analysis Division</p><p> </p><p>1. Figures are provided for the total of UC Live Service and Full Service. The data is sourced from two different computer systems and the information available is slightly different on each system.</p><ul><li>Full Service deductions include advance repayments and all other deductions, but exclude sanctions and fraud penalties which are deductions of benefit rather than deductions.</li><li>Live Service deductions do not include sanctions which are reductions of benefit rather than deductions, but may include Fraud Penalties as these could not be removed from the Live Service data.</li><li>The Full and Live Service datasets use slightly different definitions for the month. Full Service data uses the month the UC payment is due, whereas Live Service data uses the month the assessment period related to the payment ends. The 'Total' column sums the figures using these different definitions.</li></ul><p> </p><p>2. Increase in the total deduction amounts by month reflects the effect of Universal Credit (UC) roll out as more people move onto UC.</p><p> </p><p>3. Amount of Universal Credit paid reflects the amount of money paid to claimants and their landlords as part of their award. It does not include other payments such as advances and hardship payments.</p><p> </p><p>4. Figures are provisional and are subject to retrospective change as later data becomes available.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 15/05/2019 16:55:20 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma previous answer version 104615 answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	4662 label Biography information for Ruth George

1083635

	registered interest
	date	07/03/2019
	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 process is for her Department when it considers an application for an advance payment for universal credit.
	tabling member constituency	Arfon
	tabling member printed	Hywel Williams
	uin	229666
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2019 answer text <p>If a claimant meets the conditions for an advance we aim to make the payment within 72 hours. However, an advance can be paid on the same day the claimant applies if they or their household would suffer genuine hardship if they had to wait 72 hours for the payment.</p><p>Applications for a Universal Credit advance payment can be made in person, by telephone or online depending on the claimant’s circumstances. Depending on the type of advance payment application, we will consider whether the claimant satisfies the eligibility conditions for receiving the advance. If the claimant is eligible we will agree the amount of the advance and the period over which the advance will be recovered from their future Universal Credit payments. The outcome of the application is explained to the claimant and their online journal updated.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 22/05/2019 13:37:44 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	1397 label Biography information for Hywel Williams

1105486

	registered interest
	date	27/03/2019
	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 universal credit claimants are able to deduct the tax relief claimed by relief at source pension schemes from their earned income figure to calculate their award of universal credit.
	tabling member constituency	East Ham
	tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
	uin	237575
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2019 answer text <p>100% of contributions to employer pension schemes, whether Net or Relief at Source pensions, will be taken into account when calculating the level of employed earnings in UC. This means that a UC claimant that contributes to either type of pension will, automatically (where employers report the information correctly), have their UC entitlement calculated on their taxable pay, after their pension contribution. This ensures fairness for all affected UC employed claimants.</p><p> </p><p>If there is some discrepancy in the way in which it’s reported, DWP will manually ensure that the Relief at Source pension contribution is deducted before any UC entitlement is calculated on their employed earnings.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 17/06/2019 15:25:05 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

1125059

	registered interest
	date	07/05/2019
	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 he has made of the number of claims for advance payments since the inception of universal credit.
	tabling member constituency	Brent Central
	tabling member printed	Dawn Butler
	uin	251268
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/05/2019 answer text <p>Universal Credit (UC) new claim advances provide access to a payment for those in financial need, which can be accessed on the same day, until their first UC payment is due. Claimants can access up to 100% of the total expected monthly award, for which they can pay back over a period of up to 12 months. From October 2021, this maximum repayment period will be extended further to 16 months.</p><p> </p><p>Around 60 per cent of new claims take up an advance. Subject to some fluctuation, this rate of advance take-up has been broadly consistent over the last 12 months.</p><p> </p><p>Between 1 May 2013 and 30 April 2019, a total of 2.9 million UC advance payments have been made.</p><p> </p><p>Advances are payments of Universal Credit made early, which are subject to recovery over an agreed period.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma grouped question UIN 251269 question first answered 15/05/2019 16:32:19 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	1489 label Biography information for Dawn Butler

1125060

	registered interest
	date	07/05/2019
	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 she has made of the cost to the public purse of advance payments for universal credit since its inception.
	tabling member constituency	Brent Central
	tabling member printed	Dawn Butler
	uin	251269
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/05/2019 answer text <p>Universal Credit (UC) new claim advances provide access to a payment for those in financial need, which can be accessed on the same day, until their first UC payment is due. Claimants can access up to 100% of the total expected monthly award, for which they can pay back over a period of up to 12 months. From October 2021, this maximum repayment period will be extended further to 16 months.</p><p> </p><p>Around 60 per cent of new claims take up an advance. Subject to some fluctuation, this rate of advance take-up has been broadly consistent over the last 12 months.</p><p> </p><p>Between 1 May 2013 and 30 April 2019, a total of 2.9 million UC advance payments have been made.</p><p> </p><p>Advances are payments of Universal Credit made early, which are subject to recovery over an agreed period.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma grouped question UIN 251268 question first answered 15/05/2019 16:32:19 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	1489 label Biography information for Dawn Butler

1125344

	registered interest
	date	08/05/2019
	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 the timeframe is for the bringing forward the transitional protection payments under schedule 2 of the Universal Credit (Managed Migration Pilot and Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2019.
	tabling member constituency	Eastbourne
	tabling member printed	Stephen Lloyd
	uin	251967
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/05/2019 answer text <p>Following the High Court Judgment on 3 May, in relation to Universal Credit and these regulations, we are considering our response.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 16/05/2019 14:03:47 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	3968 label Biography information for Stephen Lloyd

1125448

	registered interest
	date	08/05/2019
	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	Social Security Benefits: Married People
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to ensure continuity of receipt of benefits when the claimant gets married or experiences another change in circumstances.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
	tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
	uin	252106
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/05/2019 answer text <p>DWP administer a wide range of benefits, all of which have different processes in place to deal with the vast range of potential changes to a claimant’s circumstances. How the change affects a claimant’s payments depends on the type of change, which benefit they are receiving, the claim’s status before the change occurs and whether the change was self-reported by the claimant or by a third party.</p><p> </p><p>In all cases the Department works with the claimant to ensure payment continuity wherever possible. There are processes in place to ensure that when a benefit recipient reports a change in circumstances, they continue to receive the correct award of that benefit, or are informed of what appropriate action they should take where the change effects continued entitlement.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 16/05/2019 16:19:36 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah

1125598

	registered interest
	date	09/05/2019
	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	Registration of Births, Deaths, Marriages and Civil Partnerships
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she plans to extend the Tell Us Once service to the 10 local authorities where it is not currently available.
	tabling member constituency	Canterbury
	tabling member printed	Rosie Duffield
	uin	252591
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/05/2019 answer text <p>The Department is working closely with the 10 councils who do not offer the ‘Tell Us Once’ service to support and encourage its introduction. We continue to promote the advantages the service offers to people when notifying deaths, eliminating the need to contact several different government departments at what can be a very distressing time.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 16/05/2019 16:24:24 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	4616 label Biography information for Rosie Duffield

1125936

	registered interest
	date	10/05/2019
	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: Hearing Impairment
	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 adequacy of the information for British Sign Language users to contact the universal credit helpline through a video relay service.
	tabling member constituency	Midlothian
	tabling member printed	Danielle Rowley
	uin	252874
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/05/2019 answer text <p>Universal Credit has been designed with accessibility in mind and we are committed to providing personalised support for all claimants.</p><p> </p><p>Where our customers need assistance to access our services and information, we make reasonable adjustments to meet their individual needs. DWP customers who have a specific communication barrier are able to use a variety of different communication methods including via third party interpreters for British Sign Language (BSL) and textphone and next Generation Text services are available to customers who are unable to contact the Department by phone.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, Universal Credit claimants can use their online accounts to send messages direct to their Work Coach or Case Manager, check their Universal Credit benefit payments and notify us of any changes.</p><p> </p><p>We are currently in the design stage of a test to implement Video Relay Service for our Universal Credit British Sign Language customers in one geography by June 2019. This will be robustly evaluated incorporating customer insight ahead of any decision to roll out the service nationally.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma grouped question UIN 252875 question first answered 15/05/2019 14:23:31 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	4628 label Biography information for Danielle Rowley

1125938

	registered interest
	date	10/05/2019
	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: Hearing Impairment
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent estimate her Department has made of the number of British Sign Language users who have not received adequate support in accessing the universal credit helpline.
	tabling member constituency	Midlothian
	tabling member printed	Danielle Rowley
	uin	252875
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/05/2019 answer text <p>Universal Credit has been designed with accessibility in mind and we are committed to providing personalised support for all claimants.</p><p> </p><p>Where our customers need assistance to access our services and information, we make reasonable adjustments to meet their individual needs. DWP customers who have a specific communication barrier are able to use a variety of different communication methods including via third party interpreters for British Sign Language (BSL) and textphone and next Generation Text services are available to customers who are unable to contact the Department by phone.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, Universal Credit claimants can use their online accounts to send messages direct to their Work Coach or Case Manager, check their Universal Credit benefit payments and notify us of any changes.</p><p> </p><p>We are currently in the design stage of a test to implement Video Relay Service for our Universal Credit British Sign Language customers in one geography by June 2019. This will be robustly evaluated incorporating customer insight ahead of any decision to roll out the service nationally.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma grouped question UIN 252874 question first answered 15/05/2019 14:23:31 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	4628 label Biography information for Danielle Rowley