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778310

	registered interest
	date	26/10/2017
	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 the Government is taking to ensure that claimants voluntarily switching from legacy benefits to universal credit are not at a financial disadvantage as a result.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
	tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
	uin	109867
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/10/2017 answer text <p>Some claimants on legacy benefits will experience a change of circumstance which means they will need to make a new claim to Universal Credit, and their entitlement will be re-calculated based on their new circumstances.</p><p> </p><p>Universal Support (US) provides help for those who need assistance to manage their claim online and/or help with budgeting in order to manage their monthly payments and prioritise essential bills such as rent and utilities.</p><p> </p><p>US is advice, assistance or support from Jobcentre Plus or local partners to help Universal Credit claimants with managing their claim or award of Universal Credit. This includes accessing and using online services or managing their financial affairs. Universal Credit has made US grant-funding available to local authorities to help deliver this.</p><p> </p><p>Personal Budgeting Support (PBS) is offered to Universal Credit claimants at the outset of their claim. PBS helps claimants as they transition to Universal Credit and adapt to the financial changes that Universal Credit brings. PBS can be online, telephone or face to face support. Face to face support is delivered through Local Authorities via Universal Support.</p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds question first answered 31/10/2017 17:52:00 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
	tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah

778866

	registered interest
	date	27/10/2017
	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) effect on claimants and (b) extent of the practice of encouraging claimants to voluntarily switch from legacy benefits to universal credit.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
	tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
	uin	110119
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/11/2017 answer text <p>Claimants can not voluntarily switch from legacy benefits to Universal Credit.</p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds question first answered 01/11/2017 15:29:19 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
	tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah

992861

	registered interest
	date	22/10/2018
	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 effect on the finances of claimants of excluding claimants that previously made a defective claim for universal credit from eligibility for transitional protection as part of the process of managed migration.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
	tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
	uin	182307
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/10/2018 answer text <p>Our draft regulations setting out our proposals for managed migration and the consideration of transitional protection were sent to the Social Security Advisory Committee in June 2018. The Committee referred these for a formal public consultation and we are currently considering the Committee’s report on the result of this consultation together with their recommendations with regard to our proposals. We will be issuing that report and our response to it when we bring the draft regulations before Parliament.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 25/10/2018 16:55:21 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah

1017320

	registered interest
	date	29/11/2018
	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 her Department has made of the number of people at risk of experiencing debt as a result of the six-week transitory wait from legacy benefits to universal credit.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
	tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
	uin	197443
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/12/2018 answer text <p>The Department has implemented a number of improvements to ensure no one has to experience hardship at the point of claim.</p><p> </p><p>New claimants to Universal Credit have always been able to apply for a Universal Credit Advance in their first month if they need some financial support until the first regular payment of Universal Credit is made.</p><p> </p><p>Following the Autumn Budget 2017, we have implemented a comprehensive and wide-ranging package of improvements worth £1.5 billion. These include making advances of up to 100% of the indicative award available (from the start of a claim) and increasing the repayment period to 12 months, removing the 7 waiting days, providing an additional payment of 2 weeks of Housing Benefit to support claimants when they transition to Universal Credit, and changing how claimants in temporary accommodation receive support for their housing costs. Additionally, advances will be able to be repaid over 16 months from October 2021.</p><p> </p><p>Furthermore, from July 2020, payments of Income Support and the income related elements of Employment and Support Allowance and Jobseeker’s Allowance will continue for two weeks after a claim for Universal Credit has been made, benefitting 1.1 million households. This extra financial support is intended to help claimants in the five-week period up to their first monthly payment of Universal Credit, and will not need to be repaid.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 04/12/2018 16:08:59 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah

1658132

	registered interest
	date	05/09/2023
	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, with reference to page 5 of the British Medical Journal article entitled Impact of Universal Credit in North East England, published in 2019, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of that article's findings on the impact of Universal Credit deductions on (a) incidences of self-harm, (b) suicidal ideation, (c) alcohol and substance-use, (d) debt and (e) use of foodbanks in the North East of England.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
	tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
	uin	197724
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/09/2023 answer text <p>No assessment has been made<em>.</em></p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 13/09/2023 11:03:46 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
	tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah

1661312

	registered interest
	date	18/09/2023
	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 what steps he has taken to mitigate the financial impact of Universal Credit deductions on (a) families with children and (b) other recipients.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
	tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
	uin	199961
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/10/2023 answer text <p>The amount that can be deducted is capped and we have lowered the standard cap on deductions from Universal Credit twice over recent years, firstly from 40% to 30% in October 2019 and then to 25% in April 2021.</p><p>DWP takes every care to recover benefit debt without causing undue financial hardship.</p><p>Deductions are made under legislation and cover a broad range of contingencies, like the recovery of fines to prevent incarceration, the payment of rent arrears to prevent homelessness, child maintenance liabilities to their children, and provision for one-off items of expenditure through advances and the repayment of debts.</p><p>DWP remains committed to working with anyone who is struggling with their deductions and encourages customers to contact DWP to discuss any concerns.</p><p> </p><p>The department has a well-established process for working with individuals to support them to manage repayment of debt. Our agents will always look to negotiate affordable and sustainable repayment plans. For overpayment deductions specifically, where a person feels they cannot afford the proposed rate of deduction for an overpayment recovery, they are encouraged to contact the department’s Debt Management to discuss a temporary reduction in their rate of repayment or cessation of the deduction.</p><p> </p><p>There is no minimum amount that a customer has to pay, and we have recently extended the time period for any reduced payment to remain in place.</p><p> </p><p>Customers who do contact Debt Management are routinely referred to the Money Advisor Network, who work in partnership with DWP, to offer free independent and impartial money and debt advice. We also remain committed to His Majesty’s Treasury’s Breathing Space policy, which provides those with problem debt the right to legal protections from creditor action for a period of 60 days to enable them to receive debt advice and enter into an appropriate debt solution.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 16/10/2023 16:48:35 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
	tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah

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

1023051

	registered interest
	date	10/12/2018
	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 the Government has made of the number of people at risk of experiencing rising debt as a result of the six week transitory wait from legacy to universal credit.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
	tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
	uin	200652
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/12/2018 answer text <p>I refer the hon. Member to my answer the response to Question <a href="https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2018-11-29/197443/" target="_blank">197443</a> on 4 December 2018.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 13/12/2018 16:41:32 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah

1059021

	registered interest
	date	11/02/2019
	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, whether the allocation of funding for universal credit for the 2019-2020 financial year will reflect the fact that it will be a fifty-three week year.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
	tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
	uin	219417
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/02/2019 answer text <p>No year contains 53 weeks. Departmental expenditure is set in advance to reflect anticipated delivery over the year.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 14/02/2019 15:23:26 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
	tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah

1125447

	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 steps her Department has taken to ensure provision of out of working hours appointments to universal credit claimants who work during working hours.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
	tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
	uin	252105
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/05/2019 answer text <p>Universal Credit is a 24 hour, seven days a week, digital service that allows claimants to manage their own data and account online at a time which is convenient for them. Via their account claimants can check their Universal Credit benefit payments, notify us of changes and record notes via an online journal facility. In addition, established claimants who call the Freephone Universal Credit helpline are connected directly to the person or team who are dealing with the case.</p><p> </p><p>We are aware that some claimants who are working may find it difficult to access our Jobcentre Plus Service due to their work commitments, however, not all Universal Credit claimants are required to attend interviews at their local Jobcentre. This will depend on their individual personal circumstances. For claimants whose earnings are above the individual or household Conditionality Earnings Threshold or the Administrative Earnings Threshold there is no conditionality requirement to attend interviews with a Work Coach.</p><p> </p><p>Where a voluntary interview is necessary to verify evidence, claimants are able to arrange the most convenient date and time with their Work Coach or Case Manager.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 13/05/2019 16:31:29 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah