Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to ensure (a) serving prisoners and (b) people remanded in custody do not receive social security benefits to which they are not entitled by reason of being in custody.

The Department is routinely notified by Prison Services in England, Wales and Scotland when offenders enter custody, including those on remand. We have specialist teams to identify claimants who are in receipt of Universal Credit and Legacy working age benefits so that the appropriate action can be taken.

Serving prisoners and those remanded can continue to receive the housing element of Universal Credit if they are due to serve 6 months or less in prison and were in receipt on of these payments on entry to prison.

The Department does not centrally collect data for claimants who are serving a custodial sentence, or who are remanded, in prison and in receipt of housing benefit, or the housing element of Universal Credit. To provide this would incur a disproportionate cost.