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1203816

registered interest
date	15/06/2020
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	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans her Department has to align the universal credit standard allowance for claimants under the age of 25 living independently with the standard allowance for those over the age of twenty five.
tabling member constituency	Coventry South
tabling member printed	Zarah Sultana
uin	59623
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2020 answer text <p>We have increased the Universal Credit standard allowance for all claimants (including those Under 25) by £20 per week for the next 12 months – equivalent to up to £1,040 a year.</p><p> </p><p>This is in addition to the 1.7% inflation increase (announced Nov 2019) as part of the Government’s decision to end the benefits freeze and means more financial support for millions of people across the UK.</p><p> </p><p>There are no plans to further increase the Universal Credit standard allowance for Under 25s.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 18/06/2020 16:41:11 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4786 label Biography information for Zarah Sultana

1203818

registered interest
date	15/06/2020
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	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 13 May 2020 to Question 43084, how many requests for mandatory reconsideration of universal credit were completed by her Department in May 2020.
tabling member constituency	Lewisham, Deptford
tabling member printed	Vicky Foxcroft
uin	59518
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/06/2020 answer text <p>In 2019 there were 144,790 completed Universal Credit (UC) Mandatory Reconsiderations (MR). The information requested on the issue the UC MRs relate to, is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.</p><p> </p><p>In May 2020 there were 12,740 completed UC MRs.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>This information is for Great Britain and is rounded to the nearest 10.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince grouped question UIN 59522 question first answered 23/06/2020 16:57:52 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4491 label Biography information for Vicky Foxcroft

1203822

registered interest
date	15/06/2020
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	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many universal credit mandatory reconsiderations were processed in 2019, by the main issue they related to.
tabling member constituency	Lewisham, Deptford
tabling member printed	Vicky Foxcroft
uin	59522
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/06/2020 answer text <p>In 2019 there were 144,790 completed Universal Credit (UC) Mandatory Reconsiderations (MR). The information requested on the issue the UC MRs relate to, is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.</p><p> </p><p>In May 2020 there were 12,740 completed UC MRs.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>This information is for Great Britain and is rounded to the nearest 10.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince grouped question UIN 59518 question first answered 23/06/2020 16:57:52 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4491 label Biography information for Vicky Foxcroft

1203843

registered interest
date	15/06/2020
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	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of claimants in receipt of universal credit died between (a) March to May 2020, and (b) March to May 2019.
tabling member constituency	Oldham East and Saddleworth
tabling member printed	Debbie Abrahams
uin	59471
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/07/2020 answer text <p>Universal Credit can be claimed by a range of working age people, some of whom have health conditions or disabilities, which may be degenerative or life limiting. The decision to claim Universal Credit can be prompted by a range of a factors, including when someone is terminally ill, so mortality figures should not be viewed in isolation.</p><p> </p><p>Between 1st March 2019 and 31st May 2019, 1,600, or less than 0.1 per cent, applications were made to Universal Credit where the claimant died. Over the same period the volume of people on Universal Credit stood at 2.3 million.</p><p> </p><p>Between 1st March 2020 and 31st May 2020, 2,700, or less than 0.1 percent, applications were made to Universal Credit where the claimant died. Over the same period the volume of people on Universal Credit stood at 4.9 million.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 07/07/2020 16:06:21 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince previous answer version 32176 answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4212 label Biography information for Debbie Abrahams

1203305

registered interest
date	12/06/2020
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	Local Housing Allowance: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans she has for Local Housing Allowance (LHA) in the next Spending Review; whether she has plans to allocate additional funding to (a) mitigate the effect of the four-year freeze to LHA and (b) support renters facing financial difficulties as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.
tabling member constituency	Coventry South
tabling member printed	Zarah Sultana
uin	59257
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2020 answer text <p>In response to Covid-19 we increased Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates to the 30<sup>th</sup> percentile of local rents, providing additional financial support for private renters. This significant investment of almost £1 billion, ensures over 1 million households will see an increase, on average, of £600 per year.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>For renters whose circumstances mean they may require more support, Discretionary Housing Payments are also available. We have already provided £180m in Discretionary Housing Payment funding to local authorities to support vulnerable claimants with housing costs in the private and social rented sector in England and Wales for 2020/21. This includes an extra £40m announced at the spending round.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 17/06/2020 17:10:10 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4786 label Biography information for Zarah Sultana

1203346

registered interest
date	12/06/2020
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	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many new applications for universal credit have been received since 23 March 2020; how many of those claims resulted in an existing legacy benefit claim ending, and what steps her Department is taking to ensure that no recipient of legacy benefits is financially disadvantaged as a result of making a new application for universal credit.
tabling member constituency	Edinburgh East
tabling member printed	Tommy Sheppard
uin	59235
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/07/2020 answer text <p>It has always been the case that, where claimants’ circumstances change significantly, their entitlement will be recalculated based on a new set of rules under a new benefit.</p><p>Throughout the coronavirus outbreak, DWP’s communications team has reacted quickly and across multiple platforms and mediums to help as many people as possible navigate the range of new and existing financial support available from the Government. This includes launching a new microsite within the “Understanding Universal Credit” website to help people understand the eligibility criteria of different support schemes and benefits and the interaction between the different support offers. Since this new content was launched in early March, it has received over 1.8 million page views.</p><p> </p><p>The Department continually makes improvements to the UC service in response to feedback and user research. Therefore, on 3 June we introduced a check-through box to remind claimants to check their eligibility before making a claim and to remind them that legacy benefits will cease when the UC claim is submitted and that they will not be able to return to them in the future, even if the claimant is not entitled to UC.</p><p> </p><p>DWP cannot advise individual claimants whether they would be better off moving to UC or remaining on legacy benefits. For this reason, prospective claimants are signposted to independent benefits calculators on GOV.UK.</p><p> </p><p>From 22 July 2020, a two-week run on of Income Support, Employment and Support Allowance (IR) and Jobseeker’s Allowance (IB) will be available for all claimants whose claim to UC ends entitlement to these benefits to provide additional support for claimants moving to UC. This is in addition to the Transition to UC Housing Payment, a two-week extension of Housing Benefit, that is already in place.</p><p /><p>Data surrounding Universal Credit caseload growth at national, regional and constituency level is published at: <a href="https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/" target="_blank">https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk </a></p><p> </p><p>Guidance for users is available at:</p><p><a href="https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html" target="_blank">https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html</a></p><p> </p><p>The latest Management Information on declarations to Universal Credit was published on 16 June 2020. It can be found at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-credit-declarations-claims-and-advances-management-information" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-credit-declarations-claims-and-advances-management-information</a></p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 07/07/2020 12:43:06 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince previous answer version 29931 answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4453 label Biography information for Tommy Sheppard

1202800

registered interest
date	11/06/2020
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	Poverty: Children
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of support for (a) families of BAME children and (b) single mothers of BAME children living in poverty.
tabling member constituency	Nottingham East
tabling member printed	Nadia Whittome
uin	58836
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/07/2020 answer text <p>This Government provides a strong welfare safety net, and continues to spend over £95 billion a year on working age welfare benefits for those who need them.</p><p>We do not assess adequacy of benefits on the grounds of race.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 03/07/2020 14:08:02 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4869 label Biography information for Nadia Whittome

1202801

registered interest
date	11/06/2020
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	Social Security Benefits: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans her Department has to provide ongoing additional support through the social security system to families financially affected by the covid-19 outbreak.
tabling member constituency	Nottingham East
tabling member printed	Nadia Whittome
uin	58837
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/06/2020 answer text <p>The Government has been clear with its commitment to support those affected in these difficult times and we have made a number of changes to the welfare system to ensure people are receiving the support they need. These changes include:</p><ul><li>making it easier to access benefits. Those applying for Contributory Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) who may have coronavirus, are self-isolating, or caring for a child (or qualifying young person) who falls into either of those categories, or individuals who have been advised to ’shield’ because they are at high risk of severe illness, will be entitled from day 1 of their claim – as opposed to day 8 - and we have removed the need for face-to-face assessments. Both Universal Credit (UC) and ESA can now be claimed online or by phone;</li><li>increasing the standard allowance of UC by up to £1,040 this year;</li><li>temporarily relaxing the application of the Minimum Income Floor for all self-employed claimants affected by COVID-19 to ensure that the self-employed can access UC at a more generous rate;</li><li>making Statutory Sick Pay available from day 1 – as opposed to day 4 - where an eligible individual is sick or self-isolating; and</li><li>increasing the Local Housing Allowance rates for UC and Housing Benefit claimants so that it covers the cheapest 30% of local market rents – which is on average £600 in people’s pockets.</li></ul><p>These steps form part of a wider package of measures which represent an investment of over £6.5 billion into the welfare system following the outbreak of COVID-19. These measures, along with the other job and business support programmes announced by the Chancellor, represent one of the most comprehensive packages of support by an advanced economy.</p><p> </p><p>We know that circumstances can change rapidly, and that was particularly true at the beginning of the outbreak of COVID-19, which is why the Government will continue to keep the adequacy of its welfare response under review.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 23/06/2020 16:29:39 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4869 label Biography information for Nadia Whittome

1202802

registered interest
date	11/06/2020
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	Social Security Benefits: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment she has made of the potential merits of continuing additional support for vulnerable social security claimants after the covid-19 outbreak.
tabling member constituency	Nottingham East
tabling member printed	Nadia Whittome
uin	58838
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/06/2020 answer text <p>The Government has been clear with its commitment to support those affected in these difficult times and we have made a number of changes to the welfare system to ensure people are receiving the support they need. These changes include:</p><ul><li>making it easier to access benefits. Those applying for Contributory Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) who may have coronavirus, are self-isolating, or caring for a child (or qualifying young person) who falls into either of those categories, or individuals who have been advised to ’shield’ because they are at high risk of severe illness, will be entitled from day 1 of their claim – as opposed to day 8 - and we have removed the need for face-to-face assessments. Both Universal Credit (UC) and ESA can now be claimed online or by phone;</li><li>increasing the standard allowance of UC by up to £1,040 this year;</li><li>temporarily relaxing the application of the Minimum Income Floor for all self-employed claimants affected by COVID-19 to ensure that the self-employed can access UC at a more generous rate;</li><li>making Statutory Sick Pay available from day 1 – as opposed to day 4 - where an eligible individual is sick or self-isolating; and</li><li>increasing the Local Housing Allowance rates for UC and Housing Benefit claimants so that it covers the cheapest 30% of local market rents – which is on average £600 in people’s pockets.</li></ul><p>These steps form part of a wider package of measures which represent an investment of over £6.5 billion into the welfare system following the outbreak of COVID-19. These measures, along with the other job and business support programmes announced by the Chancellor, represent one of the most comprehensive packages of support by an advanced economy.</p><p> </p><p>We know that circumstances can change rapidly, and that was particularly true at the beginning of the outbreak of COVID-19, which is why the Government will continue to keep the adequacy of its welfare response under review.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 23/06/2020 16:35:17 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4869 label Biography information for Nadia Whittome

1202830

registered interest
date	11/06/2020
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	Debts: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has made an assessment of the implications for her policies of the report entitled, Coronavirus and personal debt: a financial recovery strategy for households published by Stepchange in June 2020; and if she will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Airdrie and Shotts
tabling member printed	Neil Gray
uin	58714
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/06/2020 answer text <p>The Government notes this report and contents. It has introduced a suite of measures that can be quickly and effectively operationalised which benefit those facing the most financial disruption during the COVID-19 pandemic. These changes, part of an injection to welfare worth over £6.5bn, include:</p><ul><li>making it easier to access benefits. Those applying for Contributory Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) who may have coronavirus, are self-isolating, or caring for a child (or qualifying young person) who falls into either of those categories, or individuals who have been advised to ’shield’ because they are at high risk of severe illness, will be entitled from day 1 of their claim – as opposed to day 8 - and we have removed the need for face-to-face assessment. Both Universal Credit (UC) and ESA can now be claimed by phone or online;</li><li>increasing the standard allowance of UC by up to £1,040 this year;</li><li>temporarily relaxing the application of the Minimum Income Floor for all self-employed claimants;</li><li>making Statutory Sick Pay available from day 1 – as opposed to day 4 - where an eligible individual is sick or self-isolating; and</li><li>increasing in the Local Housing Allowance rates for UC and Housing Benefit claimants so that it covers the lowest 30% of local market rents – which is on average £600 in people’s pockets.</li></ul><p>These measures, along with the other job and business support programmes announced by the Chancellor, represent one of the most comprehensive packages of support by an advanced economy.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 24/06/2020 13:07:28 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4365 label Biography information for Neil Gray