Asked by: Lord Bishop of Durham (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many families are subject to the benefit cap.
Answered by Baroness Buscombe
Households can have their benefits capped either under Housing Benefit, or under Universal Credit, and the latest statistics were published in February 2019, covering households capped to November 2018.
Point-in-time caseload: Number of households capped by family type at November 2018, GB
| Total | Single, no child dependant | Single, with child dependant(s) | Couple, no child dependant | Couple, with child dependant(s) |
Housing Benefit | 52,650 | 3,540 | 38,850 | 40 | 10,210 |
Universal Credit | 9,810 | 1,600 | 5,920 | .. | 2,290 |
Data Sources: DWP 100% Single Housing Benefit Extract and DWP Universal Credit Official Statistics Database
Table Notes:
The Housing Benefit caseload data is taken from DWP Stat-Xplore, whilst the Universal Credit caseload data is taken from the official statistics caseload tables, published on 7th Feb 2019.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Durham (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the sample size used to inform the design of the benefit cap policy.
Answered by Baroness Buscombe
The rationale behind the benefit cap policy is set out in the Impact Assessment, which supported the Welfare Reform and Work Act 2016. The final update was published in August 2016 and is attached.
DWP and HMRC administrative data was used to inform the design of the benefit cap policy, and sample data was not used.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Durham (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of households subject to the benefit cap that have moved into work in comparison with the number of households that have moved into work that are not subject to that cap.
Answered by Baroness Buscombe
The Department published its evaluation of the original benefit cap levels “Benefit cap: Analysis of Outcomes of capped claimants” in December 2014. From the findings the Government estimated that capped households were 4.7 percentage points (41%) more likely to flow into work after a year compared to similar uncapped households.
Households working more than 16 hours a week and eligible for working tax credits or entitled to Universal Credit and earning at least £542 (£569 from April 2019) a month are exempt from the benefit cap.
Statistics published on 7 February 2019 show that in November 2018, out of a total of 196,840 capped Housing Benefit awards since May 2013, 55,360 were no longer capped because they had moved into work. In addition, out of a total of 19,660 Universal Credit awards capped since October 2016, 2,420 were no longer capped because they had earnings above the earnings threshold (currently £542). These figures will include some households that would have moved into work in the absence of the cap.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Durham (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the report by the Social Metrics Commission A new measure for poverty for the UK, published in September 2018, what steps they are taking to ensure working parents with more than two children and who are claiming Universal Credit are not being pushed further into poverty due to the cost of childcare.
Answered by Baroness Buscombe
The Government is committed to supporting parents with moving into work, and as part of this we have increased the level of support for childcare costs from 70% in legacy benefits to up to 85% in Universal Credit. This means that working families claiming Universal Credit can reclaim up to 85% of their eligible childcare costs each month up to £646.35 for one child and £1,108.04 for two or more children. The Universal Credit childcare policy aligns with the wider government childcare offer, which includes free childcare hours and tax free childcare. This offer means that reasonable childcare costs should not form a barrier to work.
Where upfront childcare costs or deposits may prevent a claimant from starting work, jobcentres have been instructed to use the Flexible Support Fund to support the transition into work. When parents have good reason for late reporting of their childcare costs, the Department is piloting a more flexible approach to enable parents to be reimbursed at a later point.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Durham (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to their decision to extend the policy to provide Universal Tax Credit to a maximum of two children to new Universal Credit claimants from February 2019, whether there will be an exception for families with three or more children who were born before 6 April 2017.
Answered by Baroness Buscombe
Since 6 April 2017 families with third and subsequent children born on or after this date are able to claim additional support through Child Tax Credit or Universal Credit for their first two children only. This maximum support will also apply to entirely new claims to Universal Credit on or after 1 February 2019, regardless of the date of birth of their children.
Claimants that are already receiving support for those born before 6 April 2017 will continue to do so. If they subsequently move to or reclaim Universal Credit (following a break in claim of less than 6 months) they will receive the child element for the same number of children they were previously. This will apply both if they naturally migrate following a significant change of circumstances or are moved as part of managed migration, so long as they remain responsible for the same children.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Durham (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to amend the ordering restriction on the exemption from the two-child limit for children born as a result of non-consensual conception.
Answered by Baroness Buscombe
We currently have no plans to make further amendments to the policy.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Durham (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effect on childcare providers of payment in arrears of Universal Credit.
Answered by Baroness Buscombe
The information on childcare costs incurred by families claiming Universal Credit is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
DWP has not carried out an assessment of the effect on childcare providers of payment in arrears of Universal Credit.
Where claimants start work or increase their working hours, we offer extra support to enable them to pay upfront childcare costs: for example, claimants may be eligible to receive an advance of their future Universal Credit entitlement, which is interest free and can be repaid over a period of 12 months. Work coaches work with our claimants to ensure that where this is taken up, that repayments are manageable.
For claimants ineligible to receive a budgeting advance, the Flexible Support Fund may also offer assistance. This fund allows us to provide flexible and discretionary non-repayable support to claimants in financial need to move into work and can be used to help claimants to meet upfront childcare costs so that they can accept offers of work.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Durham (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that the maximum amount of childcare costs supported through Universal Credit reflects the cost of full-time childcare for children under three.
Answered by Baroness Buscombe
The information on childcare costs incurred by families claiming Universal Credit is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
DWP has not carried out an assessment of the effect on childcare providers of payment in arrears of Universal Credit.
Where claimants start work or increase their working hours, we offer extra support to enable them to pay upfront childcare costs: for example, claimants may be eligible to receive an advance of their future Universal Credit entitlement, which is interest free and can be repaid over a period of 12 months. Work coaches work with our claimants to ensure that where this is taken up, that repayments are manageable.
For claimants ineligible to receive a budgeting advance, the Flexible Support Fund may also offer assistance. This fund allows us to provide flexible and discretionary non-repayable support to claimants in financial need to move into work and can be used to help claimants to meet upfront childcare costs so that they can accept offers of work.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Durham (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many families claiming Universal Credit incur childcare costs above £760.42 per month for one child or £1303.57 for two or more children.
Answered by Baroness Buscombe
The information on childcare costs incurred by families claiming Universal Credit is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
DWP has not carried out an assessment of the effect on childcare providers of payment in arrears of Universal Credit.
Where claimants start work or increase their working hours, we offer extra support to enable them to pay upfront childcare costs: for example, claimants may be eligible to receive an advance of their future Universal Credit entitlement, which is interest free and can be repaid over a period of 12 months. Work coaches work with our claimants to ensure that where this is taken up, that repayments are manageable.
For claimants ineligible to receive a budgeting advance, the Flexible Support Fund may also offer assistance. This fund allows us to provide flexible and discretionary non-repayable support to claimants in financial need to move into work and can be used to help claimants to meet upfront childcare costs so that they can accept offers of work.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Durham (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what training is being provided to Job Centre Plus staff to assist refugees during the twenty eight day move-on period.
Answered by Baroness Buscombe
All DWP staff have access to operational instructions that explains DWP support available to refugees, including the 28 day move on process. During rollout of the supported handover, between Home Office and DWP (for refugees requiring help in making a DWP benefit claim), further communications, including a memo, were issued to improve awareness of the process and alert staff of the instructions to follow. As part of our continuous improvement activity we are considering what future products may be required to support refugees.