The taper is the rate at which Universal Credit is reduced to take account of earnings. It is specifically for in work claimants and linked to earnings to incentivise work, and those in work to earn more. Universal Credit has a single taper of 63 per cent so payments reduce in a transparent and predictable way as earnings increase. Universal Credit is a means tested benefit, and income other than earnings, such as pensions, is taken fully into account in the assessment of Universal Credit. This is consistent with how legacy means tested benefits such as Employment and Support Allowance, Jobseeker\u2019s Allowance and Income Support treat pension income. Therefore it would not be consistent to extend the earnings taper to pensions income and doing so would also undermine the incentives to work for people of working age.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4014", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Reading West"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Alok Sharma"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2018-11-12", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2018-11-12T18:05:06.27Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "29"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Work and Pensions"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Work and Pensions"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2018-11-02", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Universal Credit"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason the taper that is applied to wages is not applied to pensions in relation to universal credit.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "true", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4243", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Dan Jarvis"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Barnsley Central"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Dan Jarvis"} ], "uin" : "187333"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/100520", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Work and Pensions"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/100520/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
Short Term Benefit Advances (STBA) are only available against legacy benefits. Universal Credit has it's own system of benefit advances. The equivalent support to STBA is provided by either the Universal Credit (new claim) advance or the Universal Credit (change of circumstance) advance.<\/p>
<\/p>
<\/p>
<\/p>
Currently these costs are not reported separately. UC benefit expenditure is published in the table in the attached link<\/p>
<\/p>
<\/p>
<\/p>
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/benefit-expenditure-and-caseload-tables-2014<\/a><\/p> <\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1520", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Mr Mark Harper"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Forest of Dean"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Mr Mark Harper"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2014-10-29", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2014-10-29T17:40:28.4640021Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "29"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Work and Pensions"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Work and Pensions"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2014-10-22", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Universal Credit"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much his Department spent on short term benefit advances for claimants of universal credit in (a) 2013-14 and (b) 2014-15 to date.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/163", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "East Ham"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Stephen Timms"}
], "uin" : "211598"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/100528", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Work and Pensions"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/100528/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " HM Treasury approved the Universal Credit Strategic Outline Business Case in July 2011 and an updated business case in September 2014, as referred to on page 32 of the publication \u2018Universal Credit at Work\u2019. HM Treasury are the sole approval authority for Departmental business cases.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1520", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Mr Mark Harper"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Forest of Dean"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Mr Mark Harper"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2014-10-30", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "previousAnswerVersion" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/100528/answer/previousversion/24592", "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1520", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Mr Mark Harper"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Forest of Dean"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Mr Mark Harper"}
}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2014-10-30T14:10:31.6889256Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "29"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Work and Pensions"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Work and Pensions"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2014-10-22", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Universal Credit"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the approved July 2011 business case for universal credit referred to on page 32 of his Department's publication, Universal Credit at Work, published in October 2014, was approved by (a) the Major Projects Authority and (b) HM Treasury; and whether that business case was a strategic outline business case or a full business case.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4031", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Rachel Reeves"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Leeds West"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Rachel Reeves"}
], "uin" : "211588"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/100534", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Work and Pensions"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/100534/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " The information you have requested is not currently available. The Department published its strategy for releasing official statistics on Universal Credit in September 2013 which can be found at:<\/p> <\/p> <\/p> <\/p> https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/universal-credit-statistics<\/a><\/p> <\/p> <\/p> <\/p> These statistics however will be published in accordance with the relevant protocols in the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.<\/p> <\/p> <\/p> <\/p> As outlined in the strategy, officials are currently quality assuring data for Universal Credit, therefore it is not yet possible to give a definitive list of what statistics will be provided in the future.<\/p> <\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1520", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Mr Mark Harper"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Forest of Dean"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Mr Mark Harper"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2014-10-28", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2014-10-28T15:00:39.440425Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "29"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Work and Pensions"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Work and Pensions"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2014-10-22", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Universal Credit"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have been allowed backdated universal credit claims to date.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/163", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "East Ham"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Stephen Timms"}
], "uin" : "211595"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/100536", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Work and Pensions"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/100536/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " Short Term Benefit Advances (STBA) are only available against legacy benefits. Universal Credit has its own system of benefit advances. The equivalent support to STBA is provided by either the Universal Credit (new claim) advance or the Universal Credit (change of circumstance) advance.<\/p> <\/p> The information you have requested is not currently available. The Department published its strategy for releasing official statistics on Universal Credit in September 2013 which can be found at:<\/p>