Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they plan to take to ensure that, in any year with 53 Mondays, the housing element of Universal Credit accounts for all rent which is payable by those who pay rent on a weekly basis.

Weekly rental liabilities do not map directly onto the monthly assessment cycle of Universal Credit. This creates budgeting complexities for customers as they will be required to make only four payments of rent in some months but five payments in others. This problem exists in all years, not just those with 53 Mondays. The Government will consider this issue as part of its wider work on Universal Credit.