Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of enabling working women in receipt of maternity allowance who have not met the qualifying period for Statutory Maternity Pay to claim full universal credit payments.

Universal Credit is a means tested system of support. Where claimants already receive Maternity Allowance to meet their living costs it is right that their Universal Credit award is adjusted to take account of the support that they are already receiving (as currently is the case with other DWP legacy means tested working age benefits).

Information about the number of women in receipt of maternity allowance who have applied for universal credit that have worked for less than 26 weeks continuous weeks is not available, and to provide it would incur disproportionate request.