Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of reduction in the Transitional Severe Disability Premium Element on the ability of severely disabled people receiving Universal Credit to meet other daily living costs.

Transitional Protection is designed to ensure that, at the point of moving onto Universal Credit, eligible customers do not see a reduction in their overall entitlement compared to their previous legacy benefits. These rules apply equally to the Severe Disability Premium Transitional Protection.

All forms of Transitional Protection are a temporary measure and will adjust over time as other elements of a customer’s Universal Credit award change.

Any reduction in the value of Transitional Protection occurs gradually and is offset by increases in underlying Universal Credit entitlement, for example through uprating or the addition of new elements. This means that a customer’s overall monetary entitlement does not decrease as a result of Transitional Protection reducing and will increase once Transitional Protection has fully eroded.

Universal Credit also provides additional support for disabled people, including through elements for those with limited capability for work and work-related activity, which may be included in awards where applicable.