Social Security Benefits: Coronavirus

(asked on 8th June 2020) - View Source

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of uprating (a) disability and (b) carer benefits to reflect potential additional costs for people who are (i) shielding and (ii) clinically vulnerable but not shielding during the covid-19 lockdown.


Answered by
Justin Tomlinson Portrait
Justin Tomlinson
This question was answered on 16th June 2020

The personal allowance in Employment and Support Allowance was increased by 1.7% from 6 April, following the Government announcement to end the benefits freeze in November 2019. The rates of additional-needs disability benefits and of carers’ benefits, which were not subject to the benefit freeze, were increased by the same percentage. Carers on low incomes can receive around an additional £1,950 a year through the Carer’s Element in Universal Credit, and those with health conditions and disabilities can receive an additional £4,100 through the Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity Element.

In addition, the Government has announced a suite of measures that can be quickly and effectively operationalised to benefit those facing the most financial disruption during the pandemic. This includes providing an uplift equivalent to £20 a week to the standard allowance in Universal Credit. The Universal Credit IT system is more flexible than the Department’s legacy systems. It also uses different technology from other DWP systems, and these older systems have complex interactions and interdependencies.

Taken together, DWP’s pandemic measures represent an injection of over £6.5 billion into the welfare system and, along with the other job and business support programmes announced by the Chancellor, represent one of the most comprehensive packages of support introduced by an advanced economy in response to COVID19.

Reticulating Splines