Universal Credit

(asked on 28th March 2017) - View Source

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will introduce an interim payment for when a person opens a claim for universal credit.


Answered by
Damian Hinds Portrait
Damian Hinds
Minister of State (Education)
This question was answered on 5th April 2017

The Universal Credit assessment period and payment structure is a fundamental part of the design; it helps reduce welfare dependency by mirroring the world of work, where 75% of people are paid monthly.

The Department has a number of safeguards in place to help claimants transition to Universal Credit. Universal Credit Advances are available, which give the claimant up to 50% of their indicative monthly award, including housing costs, to support them until they receive their first monthly payment. We believe that this satisfies the same need as an interim payment.

We also work closely with landlords, Local Authorities and community organisations to ensure that claimants are supported in understanding their new responsibilities for housing costs, and verifying those costs quickly, which in turn enables the Department to make payments on time, and claimants to stay up to date with the payments to their landlord.

In addition, Work Coaches can use the Flexible Support Fund to help claimants access work opportunities soon after they have made their claim.

Reticulating Splines