Poverty: Newport West

(asked on 16th September 2020) - View Source

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what fiscal steps he is taking to tackle poverty in Newport West constituency.


Answered by
Steve Barclay Portrait
Steve Barclay
Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
This question was answered on 21st September 2020

The Government is committed to tackling poverty through a long-term, sustainable approach that focuses on employment, whilst ensuring everyone is supported by the welfare system in their time of need. Today, we are rightly focused on how we can support people through Covid-19.

We have put in place an unprecedented package of support – including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme, and a package of welfare measures which the Office of Budget Responsibility estimates to be worth over £9bn, helping to protect incomes, jobs, and support those most in need. This package of temporary welfare measures includes a £20 per week increase to the Universal Credit standard allowance, and an increase in Local Housing Allowance rates to the 30th percentile of market rents.

In its Plan for Jobs, the Government has announced unprecedented support to help unemployed people find a job. The support is available across Great Britain and includes measures that will be delivered at a local level through DWP’s extensive network of over 600 Job Centre Plus branches.

In addition to this, on 24 July, we made an upfront guarantee to the Welsh Government guaranteeing that they will receive at least £4bn in additional resource funding for this year.

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