Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in Dunfermline and West Fife did not receive the first cost-of-living benefit instalment due to them receiving a nil award during the relevant universal credit assessment period.

Between the 14 and 20 July, the department processed over 7.2m cost of living payments worth around £2.4 billion. In total, over eight million families will be eligible for this payment, with around one million eligible because they receive tax credits and no other eligible benefits. These families will receive their first instalment from HMRC in the autumn, and the second instalment in the winter. Further information is available at: 7.2 million Cost of Living payments made to low-income families - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) and at: Cost of Living Payment - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Universal Credit households can receive a nil award for various reasons. The majority of nil awards are due to household earnings. Other reasons that can cause or contribute to a nil award include; capital, other income, other benefits, sanctions and fraud penalties.

There were 800 households containing 1,000 claimants in Dunfermline and West Fife who have not received the first Cost of Living Payment due to a nil award.

Notes:

1. Figures have been rounded to the nearest hundred.

2. Great Britain level figures have been provided.

3. Nil awards have been defined as households that received a £0 Universal Credit payment and had no deductions for advance repayments, third party debts or government debts and had no money paid directly to their landlord by Universal Credit.

4. Figures are provisional and are subject to retrospective change as later data becomes available.

5. The methodology used is different to those used to derive the Official Statistics Household series and therefore, figures may not be comparable.

6. The methodology and data source may be slightly different to those used to derive entitlement to the Cost-of-Living Payment.