Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of transiting from tax credits to Universal Credit on people who live in accommodation tied to their work; and whether they undertook any consultation with ministers of religion or other cohorts particularly affected by these proposed changes.

Answered by Viscount Younger of Leckie

Universal Credit (UC) was legislated for in 2012. We continue to learn and iterate our approach as we progress the Move to UC activity and remain committed to ensuring that the transition works as smoothly as possible for all individuals. Latest findings of the Move to UC process were published here: Move to Universal Credit – insight on Tax Credit migrations and initial Discovery activity for wider benefit cohorts - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to address the fact that people living in tied accommodation are not eligible to claim Universal Credit if they own more than £16,000 of a property in which they do not live.

Answered by Viscount Younger of Leckie

People who own a second property that they do not live in, will have the equity value of that property taken into account as part of their capital when assessing their claim for Universal Credit. If this causes the total capital they hold to exceed £16,000 then they will no longer be eligible for Universal Credit support.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sharpe of Epsom on 8 May (HL4028), why they do not keep records on individuals who are not British citizens who have had their visitor or other visas rescinded because of criminal activities associated with public order offences since 7 October 2023.

Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The Home Office cannot provide a breakdown of the reasons why a British citizen would have their visa rescinded without conducting a manual review of all case files where a visa has been cancelled.

Undertaking such a review would incur a disproportionate cost to the public purse.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the review by Colin Bloom Does government 'do God?' An independent review into how government engages with faith, published on 26 April 2023, in particular, the recommendation that "more could be done to resource and equip policy makers and officials to increase their level of awareness and discernment regarding intrafaith issues concerning exploitation and abuse"; and what steps they are taking in response.

Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)

We are grateful to Colin Bloom for setting out his independent recommendations on how government can improve engagement with faith, both in terms of recognising the contribution of faith communities and addressing harmful practices where they occur.

As part of our work to consider the response to the recommendations in the Bloom Review, we have engaged with a broad range of faith and belief stakeholders to understand the nuances of the recommendations and their impact on faith and belief communities, and to help us understand how some of the recommendations might work in practice.

Government will carefully consider all recommendations of the review and will respond in due course. This will include considering the review’s recommendations in relation to faith-based exploitation and abuse, and the importance of faith literacy more broadly.

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