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1698395

registered interest
date	25/03/2024
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: Housing
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 25 March 2024 to Question 19031 on Universal Credit: Housing, for what reason there are different qualifying criteria for (a) Support for Mortgage Interest and (b) support that homeowners receive in respect of service charges.
tabling member constituency	Brighton, Pavilion
tabling member printed	Caroline Lucas
uin	20257
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/04/2024 answer text <p>Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) and help with service charges cover different costs and different eligibility criteria apply.</p><p> </p><p>SMI is paid at a rate that the lending industry generally accept as sufficient to avert the threat of repossession. This help is often significantly less than the homeowner’s contractual liability, although eligibility was recently extended to assist homeowners with rising interest rates. While SMI provides support at the point of need, this help is in the form of an interest-bearing loan that is recoverable from equity when the property is sold.</p><p> </p><p>Eligible service charges are met in full and this help is in the form of a non-recoverable benefit.</p><p> </p><p>Given these differences the Department see no compelling argument for aligning entitlement rules.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 16/04/2024 15:43:39 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	3930 label Biography information for Caroline Lucas

1696657

registered interest
date	18/03/2024
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: Housing
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make it his policy to bring homeowner service charge support in Universal Credit in line with Support for Mortgage Interest by (a) removing the zero earnings rule and (b) reducing the nine month qualifying period.
tabling member constituency	Brighton, Pavilion
tabling member printed	Caroline Lucas
uin	19031
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/03/2024 answer text <p>The Department has no plans to amend the support that homeowners receive in respect of service charges.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 25/03/2024 12:07:59 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	3930 label Biography information for Caroline Lucas

1690542

registered interest
date	20/02/2024
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: Housing
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many recipients of Universal Credit had their Universal Credit housing cost element removed for a period due to moving properties midway through the period in the last 12 months; and how many and what proportion of recipients declared that they moved with more than 90% of the pay period completed.
tabling member constituency	Mid Bedfordshire
tabling member printed	Alistair Strathern
uin	14996
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/02/2024 answer text <p>The data requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate costs.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 23/02/2024 14:12:45 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	5000 label Biography information for Alistair Strathern

1639745

registered interest
date	23/05/2023
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: Housing
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will increase the housing costs element of Universal Credit in line with increases in the cost of rents.
tabling member constituency	Warrington North
tabling member printed	Charlotte Nichols
uin	186562
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/05/2023 answer text <p>LHA rates are not intended to cover all rents in all areas. The level of LHA rates is reviewed annually by the Secretary of State, usually in the Autumn.</p><p>In 2020 we spent almost £1 billion increasing LHA rates to the 30th percentile. The significant investment at that time has been maintained ensuring that everyone who benefited continues to do so.</p><p>We recognise that rents are increasing. However, the challenging fiscal environment means that difficult decisions have been necessary to ensure support is targeted effectively.</p><p>In the social rented sector rent increases were capped at 7% for 2023/24.</p><p>For those who face a shortfall in meeting their housing costs and need further support, Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) are available from local authorities. Since 2011 the Government has provided nearly £1.6 billion in DHP funding to local authorities.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 25/05/2023 14:02:14 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	4799 label Biography information for Charlotte Nichols

1489721

registered interest
date	15/07/2022
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: Housing
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether claimants moving to Universal Credit by managed migration will be able to choose to have their Housing Element paid directly to their landlord from day one of their claim.
tabling member constituency	Westminster North
tabling member printed	Ms Karen Buck
uin	37429
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/07/2022 answer text <p>Payments of housing costs can be made direct to landlords at any point during a Universal Credit claim where the claimant is vulnerable, has rent arrears or there is a risk of eviction. The need for such arrangement may be identified by DWP staff or requested by the claimant, their appointee, caseworker or landlord.</p><p> </p><p>For those migrating to Universal Credit who had Housing Benefit paid direct to their landlord, the need for payment to landlord is always considered from the start of the Universal Credit claim.</p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 25/07/2022 15:19:23 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
tabling member	199 label Biography information for Ms Karen Buck

1489722

registered interest
date	15/07/2022
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: Housing
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many requests for (a) split payment, (b) more frequent payment and (c) managed payment of housing element for Universal Credit were (i) made and (ii) granted in each month from April 2019 to July 2022.
tabling member constituency	Westminster North
tabling member printed	Ms Karen Buck
uin	37430
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/07/2022 answer text <p>The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.</p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 21/07/2022 14:10:53 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
tabling member	199 label Biography information for Ms Karen Buck

1287080

registered interest
date	19/02/2021
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: Housing
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the the number of benefit claimants that face a shortfall between their actual rent and the amount for rent included in their universal credit payment; and what assessment she has made of the average size of that shortfall in each region.
tabling member constituency	North Warwickshire
tabling member printed	Craig Tracey
uin	155250
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/03/2021 answer text <p>This is published in the supplementary tables available here:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/universal-credit-statistics-29-april-2013-to-14-january-2021" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/universal-credit-statistics-29-april-2013-to-14-january-2021</a>.</p><p> </p><p>For those that do experience a shortfall, Discretionary Housing Payments are available. Since 2011 we have provided over £1 billion in Discretionary Housing Payment funding, enabling local authorities to support households that need additional help by making financial awards to people experiencing financial difficulty with housing costs who qualify for Housing Benefit or the housing costs element of Universal Credit.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p><strong>Universal Credit household shortfalls November 2020</strong></p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>Average monthly shortfall</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>East Midlands</p></td><td><p>£126</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>East of England</p></td><td><p>£181</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>London</p></td><td><p>£259</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>North East</p></td><td><p>£92</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>North West</p></td><td><p>£116</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Scotland</p></td><td><p>£114</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>South East</p></td><td><p>£194</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>South West</p></td><td><p>£142</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Wales</p></td><td><p>£112</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>West Midlands</p></td><td><p>£130</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Yorkshire and The Humber</p></td><td><p>£107</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Great Britain</p></td><td><p>£154</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 03/03/2021 16:43:15 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4509 label Biography information for Craig Tracey

1287081

registered interest
date	19/02/2021
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: Housing
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether renters that receive income for payment of rent from (a) Income Protection and (b) other insurance policies have that income amount deducted pound for pound from their universal credit housing allowance.
tabling member constituency	North Warwickshire
tabling member printed	Craig Tracey
uin	155251
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/02/2021 answer text <p>Universal Credit is not paid to claimants who have sufficient income available from other sources to support themselves. Where claimants have income available to meet their everyday living costs, their entitlement to Universal Credit is adjusted accordingly.</p><p> </p><p>Regular income payments that are paid to meet living costs, including individual income protection insurance payments<strong>, </strong>result in reductions in the claimant’s Universal Credit entitlement pound for pound.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 26/02/2021 14:16:55 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4509 label Biography information for Craig Tracey

1287582

registered interest
date	19/02/2021
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: Housing
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 implications for her policies of the conclusion of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries' report, entitled Building financial resilience for households in the private rented sector, published on published 1 July 2020, that it is not possible to insure against facing a rent shortfall in the event of a claim for universal credit.
tabling member constituency	North Warwickshire
tabling member printed	Craig Tracey
uin	155252
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/02/2021 answer text <p>The criteria for accessing insurance products is a matter for the insurance industry, therefore no such assessment has been undertaken by the DWP.</p><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 26/02/2021 14:33:02 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4509 label Biography information for Craig Tracey

1245694

registered interest
date	21/10/2020
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: Housing
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that the Universal Credit housing allocation adequately supports recipients to pay their rent.
tabling member printed	Lord Bird
uin	HL9408
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/11/2020 answer text <p>In April we increased Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates so that they cover 30 per cent of local rents in the Private Rented Sector. This significant investment of almost £1 billion will mean over one million households will see an increase, on average, of £600 this year. A decision on LHA rates from April 2021 will be taken prior to the start of the financial year.</p><p> </p><p>For those living in the Social Rented Sector, maximum housing costs support is based on actual rent and eligible service charges less any deductions for under-occupation.</p><p> </p><p>For those who require additional support Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) are available.  We have already provided £180 million in DHP 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 £40 million as announced at last year’s fiscal event</p> answering member printed Baroness Stedman-Scott question first answered 04/11/2020 14:27:44 answering member 4174 label Biography information for Baroness Stedman-Scott
tabling member	4564 label Biography information for Lord Bird