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1524018

	registered interest
	date	19/10/2022
	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 of Answer of 22 September 2022 to Question 49117 on Universal Credit, if she will instruct the Universal Credit Programme Board to collect and publish monthly data on the number and proportion of people who missed the initial deadline day to claim specified in their Migration Notice.
	tabling member constituency	Waveney
	tabling member printed	Peter Aldous
	uin	66965
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/10/2022 answer text <p>The department is currently completing its analysis of the first 500 legacy claimants who were issued with a Universal Credit Migration Notice. We intend to publish our learnings and observations from the initial Discovery tests in due course, but it is important to do this at such point we have a complete set of data to avoid releasing information prematurely which could be inadvertently misleading.</p> answering member constituency Brentwood and Ongar answering member printed Alex Burghart grouped question UIN 66963 66964 question first answered 27/10/2022 14:44:29 answering member 4613 label Biography information for Alex Burghart
	tabling member	4069 label Biography information for Peter Aldous

1127016

	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	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many applicants for Universal Credit have made their application by means other than the online application system since its introduction; and what are the available methods for doing so.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Sherlock
	uin	HL15777
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/05/2019 answer text <p>The Universal Credit Full Service Claimant Survey found that 98 per cent of claimants claimed online.</p><p> </p><p>For those claimants who are unable to access or use our digital services, assistance to make and maintain their claim is available via the Freephone Universal Credit helpline. Face-to-face support is also available in Jobcentres. In exceptional circumstances, a home visit can be arranged to support a claimant in making and maintaining their claim.</p><p> </p><p>Furthermore, the Citizens Advice Help to Claim service offers tailored, practical support to help people make a Universal Credit claim and receive their first full correct payment on time. It is available online, over the phone and face to face through local Citizens Advice services across Great Britain.</p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe question first answered 29/05/2019 13:36:32 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
	tabling member	4147 label Biography information for Baroness Sherlock

1128073

	registered interest
	date	22/05/2019
	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	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the recommendations to improve information provision for Universal Credit claimants in the report by the Child Poverty Action Group Computer says ‘No!' Stage one: information provision, published in May.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Lister of Burtersett
	uin	HL15922
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/06/2019 answer text <p>Universal Credit is designed to react and respond quickly to feedback from our stakeholders and claimants to improve the service we offer. This means that any report based on a view of the service at a given date may well be inaccurate only a short period afterwards.</p><p> </p><p>This is the case with this Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) report. The report does not take into account recent changes to the Universal Credit Statement which ensures that claimants receive detailed information about any deductions which have been made to their Universal Credit award, including a clear breakdown of what each deduction is for. Consequently, the Department has written to CPAG about the report, outlining the up to date position on these issues and inviting CPAG and his Honour Judge Sir Stephen Sedley, who wrote the report’s foreword, to meet to discuss these matters.</p><p> </p><p>The Department will continue to make improvements to Universal Credit to ensure that we provide claimants with the information they need to understand their Universal Credit award.</p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe question first answered 06/06/2019 13:50:42 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
	tabling member	4234 label Biography information for Baroness Lister of Burtersett

1132639

	registered interest
	date	17/06/2019
	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	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to start the pilot of Universal Credit managed migration in July; if so, when in July; and what meetings they have held with stakeholders to discuss any such pilot.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Lister of Burtersett
	uin	HL16417
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/06/2019 answer text <p>We plan to commence the Move to UC pilot when the necessary preparations are in place, subject to management checks of readiness. Preparations are proceeding to plan.</p><p>Stakeholder engagement has been and continues to be a vital part of the work we are doing on Universal Credit. Since last October we have been working closely with a diverse range of stakeholders to listen to their views and to better understand their concerns, to ensure the widest possible range of insights are played into the design of the process for moving claimants from legacy benefits onto Universal Credit.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe question first answered 25/06/2019 13:40:22 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
	tabling member	4234 label Biography information for Baroness Lister of Burtersett

1132641

	registered interest
	date	17/06/2019
	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	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Buscombe on 6 June (HL15922), whether the information provided about deductions in the Universal Credit statement includes information about how much debt is left to pay and the recovery rate being applied.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Lister of Burtersett
	uin	HL16419
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/07/2019 answer text <p>This information is not currently included on a claimant’s Universal Credit statement.</p><p> </p><p>Under Universal Credit there is a structured and simplified approach to deductions from benefit. Claimants can view their Universal credit statement online to see how their award is calculated and a breakdown of what deductions are being made, supporting them to manage their financial obligations.</p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe question first answered 01/07/2019 14:21:27 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
	tabling member	4234 label Biography information for Baroness Lister of Burtersett

1135083

	registered interest
	date	26/06/2019
	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	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the reply by Baroness Buscombe on 17 June (HL Deb, col 653), how much each household will gain per week from the £1.7 billion a year cash boost announced in the Budget.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Primarolo
	uin	HL16710
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/07/2019 answer text <p>The change announced in the Budget will enable working parents and people with disabilities on Universal Credit to keep £630 extra income each year or around £12 per week.</p><p> </p><p>HM Treasury’s distributional analysis, published alongside Budget 2018, shows the cumulative effect on household incomes of policies on welfare, tax, and public service spending measures. Because different measures often interact with each other, this cumulative assessment provides the best representation of the overall intended policy effect. This shows that the Government’s decisions have benefited households throughout the income distribution, with the poorest households gaining the most as a percentage of net income.</p><p> </p><p>DWP has not conducted research into the impact of Universal Credit on household poverty. Estimates of the number and proportion of individuals in relative low income are published in the National Statistics Households Below Average Income (HBAI) series, available on gov.uk.</p><p> </p><p>The latest annual publication was on 2017/18 data and we will continue to monitor relative low income rates in future publications. We are committed to building a country that works for everyone – not just the privileged few. We know that work is the best route out of poverty and Universal Credit is designed to strengthen incentives for parents to move into and progress in work. The impact of Universal Credit cannot be considered in isolation; it is a key component of a broader strategy to move Britain to a higher wage, lower welfare, lower tax society.</p> answering member printed Baroness Buscombe grouped question UIN HL16708 question first answered 09/07/2019 15:25:45 answering member 3349 label Biography information for Baroness Buscombe
	tabling member	217 label Biography information for Baroness Primarolo

1140016

	registered interest
	date	17/07/2019
	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	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that Universal Credit payments begin within a week of a person registering for that benefit.
	tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
	uin	HL17251
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/09/2019 answer text <p>Universal Credit payments are available on the first day of a claim in the form of an advance payment of benefit. Advances of up to 100 per cent of a claimant’s expected Universal Credit award are available from day one of their claim, if required. Advances are paid back over a maximum of 12 months and in the Autumn Budget 2018, we announced that from October 2021, the payback period for these advances will be extended further, to 16 months.</p><p> </p><p>This is just one of a number of measures the Department has put in place to support claimants during their first assessment period, such as removing waiting days and paying those claimants moving from Housing Benefit onto Universal Credit a two week ‘transitional housing payment’. We are also introducing a two-week run on for eligible claimants of Income Support, Jobseeker’s Allowance and Employment and Support Allowance from July 2020.</p> answering member printed Baroness Stedman-Scott question first answered 02/09/2019 15:49:10 answering member 4174 label Biography information for Baroness Stedman-Scott
	tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

1168598

	registered interest
	date	19/12/2019
	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	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many claimants have been moved on to Universal Credit under the managed migration pilot being undertaken in Harrogate.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Lister of Burtersett
	uin	HL56
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/01/2020 answer text <p>The Universal Credit (Managed Migration Pilot and Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2019 allow the Department to pilot moving no more than 10,000 claimants across to Universal Credit from legacy benefits and is expected to last until November 2020.</p><p> </p><p>The Move to Universal Credit pilot commenced, as scheduled, in the area served by Harrogate Jobcentre in July 2019. The goal of the pilot is to learn as much as possible about how to safely move people from legacy benefits onto Universal Credit. As a result, we will increase numbers as slowly and gradually as necessary.</p><p> </p><p>We are adapting the design of this service and its processes frequently to ensure we provide the best possible support to those claimants who move to Universal Credit from their legacy benefit claims.</p><p> </p><p>The Department has already committed to updating Parliament and stakeholders on progress. We expect to provide our first update in the Spring. We will also set out an evaluation strategy, developed in consultation with stakeholders, before coming to Parliament in the Autumn with the findings and our proposals for the next phase of the delivery of Universal Credit.</p> answering member printed Baroness Stedman-Scott question first answered 13/01/2020 13:23:54 answering member 4174 label Biography information for Baroness Stedman-Scott
	tabling member	4234 label Biography information for Baroness Lister of Burtersett

1170209

	registered interest
	date	13/01/2020
	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	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, under Universal Credit to stop the automatic deduction of a claimant’s debts from the standard rate of Universal Credit if creditors have agreed a reduction in the rate of repayment.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Thomas of Winchester
	uin	HL354
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/01/2020 answer text <p>The Department’s deductions policy strikes a fair balance between a claimant’s need to meet their obligations and their ability to ensure they can meet their day-to-day needs. From October 2019, Universal Credit deductions have been reduced to 30% of a claimant’s standard allowance down from 40% to better achieve these objectives.</p><p> </p><p>Creditors can request debts to be collected through Universal Credit, typically where other repayment methods have been unsuccessful. We are led by the creditor, and at any time any creditor could inform us they wish to take back responsibility for collecting the debt from Universal Credit - such requests would trigger an end to deductions as soon as possible. The rate at which repayments are recovered from Universal Credit are set out in Schedule 6 to the Social Security Universal Credit, Personal Independence Payment, Jobseeker’s Allowance and Employment and Support Allowance (Claims and Payments) Regulations 2013 – SI 2013/380.</p><p> </p><p>For any of the deductions laid out in the regulations, creditors can approach Universal Credit directly and typically there is no requirement for them to proactively get the claimant’s consent. Any requests for deductions are considered by the Department on an individual basis.</p><p> </p><p>Where recovery relates to benefit overpayments, this is managed in a sensitive way. Maximum deduction rates are set out in legislation (Regulation 11 of the Social Security (Overpayments and Recovery) Regulations 2013) and where a claimant cannot afford the proposed rate of recovery they can contact the Department’s Debt Management team so this can be reviewed. If a reduction in the repayment rate is agreed, we will implement it quickly so that payments are adjusted accordingly.</p><p> </p><p>The Department is always developing our understanding on the impact deductions can have on claimants, and has heard evidence from external organisations on this issue. Ultimately, we have to balance these impacts with the need for claimants to meet their obligations.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Stedman-Scott question first answered 22/01/2020 12:54:57 answering member 4174 label Biography information for Baroness Stedman-Scott
	tabling member	3785 label Biography information for Baroness Thomas of Winchester

1171186

	registered interest
	date	15/01/2020
	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	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Stedman-Scott on 13 January (HL56), whether they will now answer the question put, namely, how many claimants have been moved on to Universal Credit under the managed migration pilot being undertaken in Harrogate.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Lister of Burtersett
	uin	HL457
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/01/2020 answer text <p>As we have agreed with stakeholders at the outset of our work, the Move to Universal Credit pilot is designed, in its first phase, to test a series of hypotheses about the best way to move claimants from legacy benefits and tax credits onto Universal Credit. To do that we need to keep the numbers low, so we can observe and adapt in the light of claimants’ experiences and reactions. We plan to add volume later in the pilot, once we are convinced we have workable propositions, to test our ability to scale the hypotheses, learn the safest way to do that and to draw conclusions from significant volume on likely patterns of claimant behaviour.</p><p> </p><p>At Christmas the number of cases in the pilot was 69. Cases are in the pilot not just at the point of moving, but we track after a move to Universal Credit because we are interested in how claimants adapt to the differences Universal Credit brings, relative to the old system of benefits and tax credits. By taking the approach of encouraging rather than forcing claimants to move, we want to understand why some claimants agree to move and others don’t, together with what supports claimants to make a positive decision. That can only be done by restricting the number of cases to a low number to allow for qualitative discussions.</p><p> </p><p>It is too early to draw any definitive conclusions of the discovery work we are engaged in or to make public statements, but we have committed to stakeholders and Parliament to share findings when we have them. The first of these updates will be produced in the Spring.</p> answering member printed Baroness Stedman-Scott question first answered 29/01/2020 18:00:42 answering member 4174 label Biography information for Baroness Stedman-Scott
	tabling member	4234 label Biography information for Baroness Lister of Burtersett