Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, the number of Universal Credit claimants who have a level of deduction from the standard allowance (a) at the 40 per cent and (b) above the 40 per cent level.

Of all Universal Credit Full Service awards in January 2018:

(a) 6% had a total deduction amount (either to a third party, for an advance, or for a fraud penalty) which equalled 40 per cent of the standard allowance

(b) Less than 0.5% had a total deduction amount which exceeded 40 per cent of the standard allowance. In these cases, a priority order is applied so that deductions for rent or fuel costs are applied first, in order to protect claimant welfare.

If a claimant is in financial difficulty as a result of the level of deductions being made they can contact the Department to request that a reduction in deductions be considered.