Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of aligning Universal Credit rules with legacy social security provisions in cases where a single claimant dies, in the context of the final payment dates for those benefits.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

No assessment has been made.

Universal Credit is paid for the whole month based on the circumstances on the last day of a customer’s Assessment Period (AP). In the sad circumstances where a customer dies, and the death occurs before the last day of the Assessment Period, there is no entitlement to Universal Credit in that month.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the accessibility of (a) the Life in the UK Test and (b) naturalisation application costs for older spouses of British citizens on the route to settlement and citizenship; and what steps she is taking to ensure such applicants are not disadvantaged due to (i) age, (ii) language ability and (iii) financial circumstances.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

All applicants currently applying for citizenship are required to demonstrate Knowledge of Language and Life (KoLL) in the UK unless they are either aged under 18, aged 65 or over, or have a medical condition that prevents them from doing so.

Where someone cannot reasonably be expected to prepare for or pass the Life in the UK test on medical grounds, the requirement can be waived.

If a candidate needs assistance to access the test or needs special adjustments at a test centre, candidates can contact the provider of the tests to make arrangements, at no extra cost.

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Durham Miners' Gala 2025

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