Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the forthcoming changes to Universal Credit Health element for new applicants from 2026 on costs to local government.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department set out its plans to monitor and evaluate the changes in the published Impact Assessment.
Around 4 million households will benefit overall from Government’s decision to increase the Universal Credit (UC) standard allowance – estimated to be worth £725 annually by 2029/30 in cash terms based on Spring Statement 2025 economic assumptions - £250 annually above inflation for a single household aged 25 or over.
For existing UC Health Element recipients and customers with severe, lifelong conditions the combined rate of the UC standard allowance and the UC Health Element will rise at least in line with inflation every year for the next four years.
Asked by: Margaret Mullane (Labour - Dagenham and Rainham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has prepared an impact assessment on the decision to freeze the local housing allowance.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Secretary of State considers a range of factors when reviewing Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates. This includes the impact of the current rental market, the Government’s goals on housing, and the wider fiscal context. In April 2024, LHA rates were increased to the 30th percentile of local market rents costing £1.2bn in 2024/25 and £7bn over 5 years. LHA rates have been maintained at 2024/25 levels for 2025/26. The impacts of this are described in the explanatory memorandum for the legislation:
The Secretary of State considers LHA rates annually in the Autumn. Autumn Budget decisions will be taken in the round, considering the Government’s missions and the challenging fiscal context.
Asked by: Kevin Bonavia (Labour - Stevenage)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 9 September 2025 to Question 72603 on Universal Credit: Veterans, how many veterans in each district council in Hertfordshire (a) claim Universal Credit (UC), (b) are in receipt of the housing element of UC and (c) pay the housing element of UC to private landlords.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) started collecting data on the Armed Forces status of Universal Credit (UC) claimants in Great Britain (GB) in April 2021.
By May 2025 data was held on the armed forces status of approximately 81% of the GB UC caseload. Armed forces status is self-reported by claimants and is not verified by the Ministry of Defence or Office for Veterans’ Affairs. A claimant’s status can be recorded as “currently serving”, “served in the past”, “not served” or “prefer not to say”.
Data is not held on the total number of UC claimants who are currently serving in the Armed Forces or who have served in the past, but data is held on those who have identified themselves so far.
The housing element of Universal Credit is paid to the claimant household rather than individuals.
The following table shows (a) the number of claimants who have identified themselves as veterans in each district council in Hertfordshire, and the number of households containing at least one claimant who has identified themselves as a veteran in each district council in Hertfordshire that are (b) are in receipt of the housing element of UC and (c) have a tenure type of the Private Rented Sector.
District council | The number of claimants who have identified themselves as veterans as of May 2025 | The number of households receiving the housing element of Universal Credit, containing at least one claimant who has identified themselves as a veteran as of May 2025 | The number of households receiving the housing element of Universal Credit, with a tenure type of the Private Rented Sector, containing at least one claimant who has identified themselves as a veteran as of May 2025 |
Broxbourne | 40 | 30 | 10 |
Dacorum | 90 | 60 | 20 |
East Hertfordshire | 60 | 40 | 10 |
Hertsmere | 40 | 20 | 10 |
North Hertfordshire | 80 | 50 | 10 |
St Albans | 40 | 30 | 10 |
Stevenage | 60 | 40 | 10 |
Three Rivers | 50 | 40 | 10 |
Watford | 50 | 30 | 10 |
Welwyn Hatfield | 60 | 40 | 10 |
Total Hertfordshire | 530 | 380 | 100 |
*NB columns may not sum to totals due to rounding
1. Figures are for Great Britain. Data is not collected on the Armed Forces status of UC claimants in Northern Ireland.
2. Figures in the table have been rounded to the nearest ten in line with Department’s Official Statistics rounding policy: Background information note: DWP benefits statistical summary - GOV.UK.
3. Further information on the caseload definition used for the UC official statistics can be found on Stat-Xplore: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/
For the purposes of answering these questions:
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of changes to the Universal Credit Health Element on poverty among disabled people.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department published an updated assessment of the poverty impacts of the health/disability benefit changes announced at Spring Statement with revisions to reflect the proposed changes since tabled. This estimates that there will be 50,000 fewer individuals in relative poverty after housing costs in 2029/30 as a result of the changes.
The assessment is available at: Spring statement social security changes – updated impact on poverty levels in Great Britain, July.
We will continue to carefully consider the impacts of reforms as we develop our detailed proposals for change.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that (a) vulnerable adults and (b) adults with learning difficulties are adequately supported in managing rent payments under Universal Credit in cases where direct payments to landlords have been cancelled and individuals are unable to manage the new arrangements independently.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Housing costs can be paid direct to landlords at any point during a Universal Credit claim where the claimant is vulnerable or has rent arrears or there is a risk of eviction. The need for such an arrangement may be identified by DWP staff or requested by the claimant, their appointee, caseworker or landlord.
Landlord payments are only removed where claimants are able to manage their own affairs or where they ask for this and we are satisfied that it’s in their best interests.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to help improve the financial security of people with a terminal diagnosis.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
This Government is committed to providing a financial safety net for those who need it.
The primary way the Department supports people nearing the end of life is through special benefit rules which are known as the Special Rules for End of Life (SREL). These enable people who have 12 months or less to live to get faster, easier access to certain benefits, without needing to attend a medical assessment or serve waiting periods and, in most cases, receive the highest rate of benefit. The Special Rules apply across Attendance Allowance, Disability Living Allowance, Employment and Support Allowance, Personal Independence Payment and Universal Credit. The rules are also used elsewhere, for example the Early Access to Financial Assistance Scheme, administered by the Pension Protection Fund.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made an assessment of the implications for his policies of the recommendations of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Hospice and End of Life Care’s report entitled Inquiry into the financial impact of a terminal diagnosis, published on 9 September 2025; and what steps he will take in response to those recommendations.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department supports people nearing the end of life through the Special Rules for End of Life. These enable people who are nearing the end of their lives to get faster, easier access to certain benefits, without needing to attend a medical assessment or serve waiting periods, and in most cases, receive the highest rate of benefit.
The Universal Credit Act 2025, ensures that all Special Rules for End of Life claimants will receive the higher LCWRA rate, no matter when they make their claim.
The Department values the insights and perspectives provided by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Hospice and End of Life Care and has noted the recommendations made in the report.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department plans to publish the decision making process behind the proposal to restrict access to the Universal Credit Health Element for under-22s.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The reasoning for this proposal, set out in the Pathways to Work green paper published in March, is the removal of a potential disincentive to work and the possibility that resources may be better spent on improving the quality and range of opportunities available to young people through the Youth Guarantee. We welcomed views on raising the age someone can access the Universal Credit health element to 22 as part of our Green Paper consultation, which closed on 30 June. We are considering responses and will set out our plans in due course.
Asked by: Darren Paffey (Labour - Southampton Itchen)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that (a) homeless people, (b) people in temporary accommodation and (c) other people who are eligible for, but are not in receipt of, the housing element of Universal Credit are able to confirm their entitlement to those benefits when (i) undertaking affordability checks and (ii) signing a tenancy agreement.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department for Work and Pensions is committed to ensuring that vulnerable adults and those with temporary accommodation are adequately supported in securing and managing their benefit. We offer a variety of support for these customers, much of which is tailored to customer’s individual needs.
As part of the process of claiming Universal Credit, we ask the claimant to provide details of the type of accommodation they currently live in, and will either:
.
In addition to above, we offer a holistic case management approach where our agents are expected to offer advice and support on a case-by-case basis. We continue to review and iterate our services to optimise the claimant experience.
Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of expanding the eligibility for the Youth Guarantee to include all 16–24-year-olds.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
As set out in the Get Britain Working White Paper, we are developing a Youth Guarantee to ensure young people can access high-quality training, apprenticeships, or personalised support to find work.
As a first step, we are working with eight Youth Guarantee Trailblazers across England which are testing innovative, locally led approaches to improve support for young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) or at risk of becoming NEET. This includes strengthening local coordination, through local leadership, and outreach to better connect young people with opportunities.
The Youth Guarantee Trailblazers have been extended for a further year, to continue supporting young people in 2026/27. The insights gained from the Trailblazers will inform the future design and delivery of the Youth Guarantee.
The government is committed to supporting young people to earn and learn. That is why we have announced that we will offer a guaranteed job to young people on Universal Credit, who are unemployed for over 18 months.
In parallel, we continue to deliver targeted support through the Youth Offer, which provides tailored assistance to young people aged 16-24 who are claiming Universal Credit. This includes a range of interventions designed to help young people move closer to employment, such as dedicated support from Youth Employability Coaches, access to Youth Hubs, and intensive guidance from Jobcentre Work Coaches during the first 13 weeks of a Universal Credit claim.
For those with more complex needs, specialist Youth Employability Coaches provide intensive, tailored support. These coaches work closely with Disability Employment Advisors, to ensure that interventions meet the specific needs of each young person.