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Written Question
Universal Credit
Tuesday 11th December 2018

Asked by: Baroness Meacher (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask Her Majesty's Government how the additional funding announced for claimants migrating to Universal Credit will be spent.

Answered by Baroness Buscombe

At Autumn Budget 2018 we announced a package worth £4.5 billion across the next five years, to support those on Universal Credit. These measures include:

  • A £1000 annual increase in the Work Allowance from April 2019,which will provide a £630 boost for households with children, and for people with disabilities.
  • Reducing, from October 2019, the maximum rate at which deductions can be made from a Universal Credit award from 40 per cent to 30 per cent of the standard allowance. Additionally, from October 2021, the recovery period for advances will increase from 12 to 16 months. This will help over 600,000 families to manage their debts at any one point when roll-out is complete, providing them with, on average, £295 extra a year as their debts are repaid over a longer period.
  • Introducing, from July 2020 a two week transitional run on (similar to the Housing Benefit run-on introduced earlier this year) of income related legacy benefits (Income Support, income related Employment and Support Allowance and income based Jobseeker’s Allowance) for two weeks after a claim for Universal Credit has been made. This measure means that around 1.1 million households will see a one-off gain of approximately £200, between 2020/21 and 2023/24.
  • Commencing from July 2020, supporting the transition to Universal Credit for all self-employed people, by extending the 12-month grace period (the period before the Minimum Income Floor applies) to all gainfully self-employed people; giving claimants time to grow their businesses to a sustainable level. This will be implemented fully from September 2020.
  • An extension in the surplus earnings disregard exception for up to £2500 for another year from 2019 to 2020
Written Question
Universal Credit
Thursday 6th December 2018

Asked by: Baroness Meacher (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether people moving from legacy benefits to Universal Credit will be subject to a hard stop to their benefit payments.

Answered by Baroness Buscombe

The Universal Credit (Managed Migration) 2018 regulations which have been laid before Parliament for approval contain our proposed measures for the managed migration of claimants on legacy benefits to Universal Credit. These include:

  • Notifying claimants that they need to move to Universal Credit, and giving them a minimum of three months to make their claim. They can submit their application at any point during this period and will receive reminders if they have not done so, as the end of this period approaches;
  • Having unlimited flexibility to extend the period of time a claimant has to make a Universal Credit claim if there is a good reason;
  • The automatic backdating of all claims made once the above period has ended, if a Universal Credit claim is made within one calendar month after this. Transitional protection will also be applied to the Universal Credit award.

Our objective is to ensure that all legacy benefit claimants migrate safely across to Universal Credit and to that end we will also:

  • have a lengthy period of careful and robust testing before we move to scale;
  • work closely with a large and diverse group of stakeholders to design the process so that we can draw on their insight and experience;
  • be producing guidance for work coaches and case managers to identify and protect vulnerable claimants.
Written Question
Universal Credit
Wednesday 5th December 2018

Asked by: Baroness Meacher (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to identify individuals who will need support in making Universal Credit claims; and what support they will provide to all claimants.

Answered by Baroness Buscombe

All claimants, including those who are vulnerable or with mental health conditions, receive continuous tailored support through their personal work coaches, and all DWP staff working with claimants complete extensive training that prepares them for their role. Specific training is provided for working with different vulnerable groups, with guidance to signpost claimants to relevant support, and these circumstances will be recorded on a claimant’s online account.

We take a number of steps to identify individuals who will need support in making a claim to Universal Credit. For example, we identify claimants either prior to or at the initial claim stage, to discuss what support mechanisms need to be in place to make a claim. This can be through discussions with their Work Coach, the Universal Credit helpline and/or through home visits.

For those individuals identified as requiring support, Universal Support provides advice and assistance to help claimants manage their Universal Credit claim, with a focus on budgeting advice and digital support. Since 2017, Universal Support has been delivered by individual local authorities, funded by grants from DWP.

From April 2019 Citizens Advice (England and Wales) and Citizens Advice Scotland will take on the responsibility for delivering a strengthened Universal Support service, a move which will ensure a consistent and streamlined service for claimants across the country. This new partnership will ensure vulnerable claimants get the support they need to make a claim and manage their money.

Written Question
Funerals: Costs
Tuesday 4th July 2017

Asked by: Baroness Meacher (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to initiate a cross-departmental review of funeral poverty to make recommendations for reform.

Answered by Baroness Buscombe

Bereavement is a very distressing and difficult time. The Government is committed to working with local authorities, funeral directors and groups helping bereaved people to ensure that funeral services meet the needs of vulnerable people. It will continue to consider this issue in the context of discussions with these organisations.

Written Question
Funeral Payments
Wednesday 28th June 2017

Asked by: Baroness Meacher (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to match the ten-day target for the administration of Social Fund Funeral Payments pledged by the Scottish Government; and, if not, what plans they have to enable bereaved families to bury their relatives in the absence of any estate from which to draw funds to cover funeral costs.

Answered by Baroness Buscombe

The Department has no plans to change its clearance standard of 15 working days for Funeral Expenses Payments. The Department provides Funeral Expenses Payments to people who are arranging a funeral and who are in receipt of a qualifying income-related benefit. They make a significant contribution towards the cost of arranging a funeral, and are paid as swiftly as possible when all the necessary evidence has been provided. In most cases, payments are made directly to the funeral director who arranged the funeral.