Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 18 May 2021 to Question 1170 on Social Security Benefits, what her Department's rationale is for not undertaking an assessment of the adequacy of financial support provided to people who have moved from (a) severe disability premium and (b) other legacy benefits to universal credit; and if her Department will undertake such an assessment in order to better understand whether that financial support is adequate.

There is no objective way of deciding what an adequate level of benefit should be as everyone has different requirements. Income related benefit rates are not made up of separate amounts for specific items of expenditure such as food or fuel charges. There are no plans to undertake such an assessment.

The Government has given a commitment that no eligible claimant who has had no change of circumstances and who claims Universal Credit as part of the move to Universal Credit process will have a lower entitlement to Universal Credit than they had to their total legacy benefits at the point they claim. To ensure this commitment is met, Transitional Protection will be awarded where necessary.

Payments will continue to be available to those entitled to a relevant legacy benefit that includes a severe disability premium (SDP) and who move to Universal Credit following a change of circumstances on or after the removal of the SDP Gateway on 27 January 2021. These payments are subject to claimants continuing to meet the SDP qualifying criteria at the time they make their new Universal Credit claim. The transitional SDP element will be set at the same levels as now.