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<p>No Impact Assessment has been made of ending the Universal Credit Uplift, as it
was always intended to be temporary.</p><p> </p><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 and
record job vacancies, it is right that 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 Universal
Credit 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 Universal Credit
claimants who are unemployed for a year. Our Plan for Jobs interventions will support
more than two million people.</p><p>We recognise that some people continue to require
extra support, which is why we have introduced a £421 million Household Support Fund
to help vulnerable people in England with essential household costs over the winter
as the economy recovers. The Barnett Formula will apply in the usual way, with the
devolved administrations receiving around £80 million (£41m for the Scottish Government,
£25m for the Welsh Government and £14m for the NI Executive), for a total of £500
million.</p>
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