Social Security Benefits: Prisoners and Prisoners on Remand

(asked on 17th January 2020) - View Source

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) women and (b) men (i) serving custodial sentences and (ii) remanded in custody received housing benefit or the housing element of universal credit during their time in custody in each of the past two years.


Answered by
Will Quince Portrait
Will Quince
This question was answered on 27th January 2020

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.

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