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1144372

registered interest
date	03/09/2019
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 options her Department is considering to reduce the five week waiting time for universal credit claimants.
tabling member constituency	East Ham
tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
uin	286082
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p>Nobody has to wait for five weeks for a payment following an application for Universal Credit (UC).</p><p> </p><p>UC new claim advances provide access to a payment for those in financial need, which can be accessed urgently, until their first regular UC payment is due. Claimants can access up to 100% of the total expected monthly award, for which they can pay back over a period of up to 12 months.</p><p> </p><p>The Department has taken a number of steps to ensure that advances meet the needs of claimants and that recovery arrangements are personalised and reasonable. The maximum rate of deductions cannot normally exceed 40 per cent of the UC standard allowance and does not reduce other components of an award, such as money paid for children, housing or when someone is caring for a severely disabled person. From October 2019 this will be reduced to 30 per cent and from October 2021 we are increasing the maximum recovery period for advances from 12 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 such as paying those claimants moving from Housing Benefit to UC 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 constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 09/09/2019 15:32:16 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

1144373

registered interest
date	03/09/2019
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	Local Housing Allowance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment has been made of the affordability of (a) one and (b) two bedroom properties for Local Housing Allowance claimants in each region of England and Wales.
tabling member constituency	East Ham
tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
uin	286083
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p>The proportion of private market rents that are at or below the LHA rate for (a) one and (b) two bedroom accommodation for each region in England and Wales are set out below. This is based on:</p><ul><li>2019/20 LHA rates published here <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-housing-allowance-lha-rates-applicable-from-april-2019-to-march-2020" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-housing-allowance-lha-rates-applicable-from-april-2019-to-march-2020</a></li></ul><ul><li>Valuation Office Agency data <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-housing-allowance-list-of-rents" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-housing-allowance-list-of-rents</a></li></ul><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>1 Bed</p></td><td><p>2 Bed</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>East Midlands</p></td><td><p>17%</p></td><td><p>17%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Eastern</p></td><td><p>9%</p></td><td><p>9%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>London</p></td><td><p>7%</p></td><td><p>7%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>North East</p></td><td><p>26%</p></td><td><p>25%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>North West</p></td><td><p>23%</p></td><td><p>22%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>South East</p></td><td><p>10%</p></td><td><p>10%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>South West</p></td><td><p>14%</p></td><td><p>14%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>West Midlands</p></td><td><p>16%</p></td><td><p>14%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Yorks &amp; the Humber</p></td><td><p>20%</p></td><td><p>21%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Wales</p></td><td><p>22%</p></td><td><p>22%</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 09/09/2019 15:43:34 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

1144374

registered interest
date	03/09/2019
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: Deductions
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 universal credit payments were subject to a deduction for council tax arrears.
tabling member constituency	East Ham
tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
uin	286084
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p>In May 2019, 54,000 (3%) Universal Credit payments were subject to a deduction for council tax arrears.</p><p> </p><p>Notes:</p><p> </p><ol><li>The number of deductions is rounded to the nearest 1000</li><li>The proportion is rounded to the nearest %</li></ol><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 09/09/2019 16:02:32 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

1144375

registered interest
date	03/09/2019
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	Social Security Benefits: Uprating
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 potential merits of uprating benefits by CPI plus 2 per cent over the next four years, and will she make a statement.
tabling member constituency	East Ham
tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
uin	286085
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p>The Secretary of State is bound by law to complete an annual review of benefit and pension rates to determine whether they have retained their value in relation to the general level of prices or - in the case of the full rate of the new State Pension, basic State Pension and Standard Minimum Guarantee (SMG) in Pension Credit - earnings.</p><p> </p><p>Where prices and earnings have increased relative to the value of those benefits or pensions, the Secretary of State must increase non-contributory benefits for additional disability needs and for carers, as well as Additional Pension, at least in line with the increase in prices. In the case of the basic and the full rate of the new State Pension, the triple lock guarantees that rates will be raised by the highest of the rise in prices, the rise in earnings, or 2.5% for the duration of this Parliament.</p><p> </p><p>The Secretary of State must also consider the rates of other benefits including working age benefits, and may decide to increase those at her discretion taking into account considerations such as the prevailing national economic circumstances and Government priorities at that time. She will make her assessment later this year and announce it ahead of the up-rating of benefits in April 2020. From that date she is able to implement a discretionary decision since the four-year freeze set by the Welfare Reform &amp; Work Act 2016 will have lapsed.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 09/09/2019 16:23:56 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

1144376

registered interest
date	03/09/2019
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	Social Security Benefits: Chronic Illnesses and Disability
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 of the working age benefit freeze on people with (a) disabilities and (b) long term health conditions.
tabling member constituency	East Ham
tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
uin	286086
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p>An Impact Assessment of the benefit freeze was published in 2015, this is available in the link below.</p><p><a href="https://www.parliament.uk/documents/impact-assessments/IA15-006C.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.parliament.uk/documents/impact-assessments/IA15-006C.pdf</a></p><p> </p><p>This benefit freeze excluded Disability Living Allowance, Personal Independence Payment, Attendance Allowance, the Support Group component of Employment and Support Allowance (for those not expected to look for work), disability premia in working-age benefits and the disabled elements of tax credits. This provides protection for those facing the additional cost of disability.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 09/09/2019 10:47:35 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms