Oral Answers to Questions

Steve Double Excerpts

Monday 13th May 2019 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

We look forward to an update in due course and we are grateful to the hon. Gentleman.

[Steve Double (St Austell and Newquay) (Con)]

18. What steps her Department has taken to increase working people’s income through universal credit in this financial year.

[The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Amber Rudd)]

That is such a relevant question from my hon. Friend. The key difference between the legacy system and the universal credit system is that work coaches provide such a tailored, individual service, which will give his constituents the additional support they need to make sure they get the best financial reward from their work this year.

[Steve Double]

Cornwall has a higher than average number of self-employed people—about 60% higher than the English average. Being self-employed and claiming universal credit can present a number of challenges, particularly in the early years when starting out. What specific help are we giving to self-employed people who need to claim universal credit?

[Amber Rudd]

It is good to hear from my hon. Friend quite how enterprising his county is. I reassure him that work coaches provide additional support to allow those who want to become self-employed to do so via the new enterprise allowance, which provides mentoring support and additional financial support. We announced in the last Budget a one-year grace period from the minimum income floor for claimants joining universal credit with an existing business. All these efforts try to make sure that his constituents, and other people throughout the country, are able to set up their businesses and work self-employed and get access to universal credit.