Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of (a) clothes banks and (b) clothes bank users in each year since 2015.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department does not hold official statistics on the number of registered food banks. Food banks are independent organisations, often run by charities, faith groups, or community organisations, and are not regulated or registered centrally by the Government.
Statistics on food bank use are published annually in the Households below average income statistics report and are only available from 2021/22 onwards. The most recent publication is available here: Households below average income: for financial years ending 1995 to 2024 - GOV.UK
The Government is committed to tackling poverty. We know that good work can significantly reduce the chances of families falling into poverty. Our Get Britain Working White Paper sets out our reforms to the system to enable greater participation, progression and productivity in the labour market.
We are committed to reviewing Universal Credit to make sure it is doing the job we want it to, to make work pay and tackle poverty. We have already introduced the Fair Repayment Rate, reducing the Universal Credit overall deductions cap from 25% to 15% of a customer’s standard allowance, giving 1.2m households an average of £420 per year. In addition, we will increase the Universal Credit Standard Allowance from April 2026, estimated to be worth £725 annually by 2029/30 in cash terms.
To further support struggling families, we provided £742 million to extend the Household Support Fund (HSF) in England until 31 March 2026. Enabling local authorities to continue to provide vulnerable households with immediate crisis support towards the cost of essentials, such as energy, water and food. The Devolved Governments receive consequential funding through the Barnett formula to be spent at their discretion.
Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of (a) food banks and (b) food bank users in each year since 2015.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department does not hold official statistics on the number of registered food banks. Food banks are independent organisations, often run by charities, faith groups, or community organisations, and are not regulated or registered centrally by the Government.
Statistics on food bank use are published annually in the Households below average income statistics report and are only available from 2021/22 onwards. The most recent publication is available here: Households below average income: for financial years ending 1995 to 2024 - GOV.UK
The Government is committed to tackling poverty. We know that good work can significantly reduce the chances of families falling into poverty. Our Get Britain Working White Paper sets out our reforms to the system to enable greater participation, progression and productivity in the labour market.
We are committed to reviewing Universal Credit to make sure it is doing the job we want it to, to make work pay and tackle poverty. We have already introduced the Fair Repayment Rate, reducing the Universal Credit overall deductions cap from 25% to 15% of a customer’s standard allowance, giving 1.2m households an average of £420 per year. In addition, we will increase the Universal Credit Standard Allowance from April 2026, estimated to be worth £725 annually by 2029/30 in cash terms.
To further support struggling families, we provided £742 million to extend the Household Support Fund (HSF) in England until 31 March 2026. Enabling local authorities to continue to provide vulnerable households with immediate crisis support towards the cost of essentials, such as energy, water and food. The Devolved Governments receive consequential funding through the Barnett formula to be spent at their discretion.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what mechanisms are in place to ensure that individuals whose immigration status no longer entitles them to public funds are automatically removed from benefit systems; and how many such removals have taken place in each of the last five years.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Universal Credit systems carry out daily automatic checks against Home Office data to identify any changes in immigration status, and subsequently, DWP caseworkers stop claims where the individual no longer has an immigration status that permits recourse to public funds.
However, the department does not hold data on the number of benefit claims disallowed after a review.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many non-UK nationals are in receipt of (a) Universal Credit, (b) legacy working-age benefits and (c) child-related benefits by nationality.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department publishes Universal Credit (UC) immigration status and nationality statistics as part of the Universal Credit statistics publication. These statistics can be found on https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/universal-credit-statistics-29-april-2013-to-9-october-2025. The number of people on Universal Credit who are non – Common Travel Area nationals, for each month from April 2022 to October 2025, is in Table 1 of the following data tables: Universal Credit immigration status and nationality statistics to October 2025.
The information requested for parts (b) and (c) are not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he will make an assessment of the potential merits of linking Unique Property Reference Numbers to Universal Credit claims to help tackle fraud.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department is considering external data sources, including Unique Property Reference Numbers, that could be used to help address fraud and error that occurs in Universal Credit.
Asked by: Helen Whately (Conservative - Faversham and Mid Kent)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what data his Department holds on the number of people who have newly claimed Universal Credit in each of the last 5 years, broken down by (a) health-related reasons for claiming and (b) the searching-for-work conditionality group.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
However, monthly statistics for the number of People on Universal Credit in Great Britain are published regularly on Stat-Xplore. This data is available by conditionality regime and claim duration.
Users can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest and, if needed, can access guidance on how to extract information and can refer to the Universal Credit Official Statistics: Stat-Xplore user guide.
Asked by: Helen Whately (Conservative - Faversham and Mid Kent)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of Universal Credit starts in each of the last 5 years were (a) new benefit claimants and (b) claimants transitioning from legacy benefits through managed migration.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
This information is not readily available however, as detailed in the DWP Statistical Work Programme and the Universal Credit statistics release strategy, the Department is developing a method to denote UC claimants given a migration notice from the Move to Universal Credit programme, and updates on this will be shared in the DWP Statistical Work Programme.
Asked by: Baroness Lister of Burtersett (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether Universal Credit should be increased for those aged under 25 who are living independently, in line with payments to those aged over 25.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
There are no plans to change the under 25 standard allowance rate.
This government is committed to rebuild opportunities for young people, so that every young person can fulfil their potential, and we are taking significant steps to support people to do so including through our Get Britain Working reforms. The under 25 standard allowance rate maintains the incentive for young people to find, and progress in work and the Department for Work and Pensions provides a range of support to help people into employment.
For those who live independently or have additional living costs, Universal Credit includes separate elements to support all eligible customers with these, including elements for housing, children, childcare costs, disabled people, and carers.
We continue to work in close partnership with other government departments to ensure that care leavers can access the right skills, opportunities and wider support, to move towards sustained employment and career progression. The Department provides a range of targeted additional support for care leavers including access to the higher one-bedroom Local Housing Allowance rate up to the age of 25, as well as tailored support through Jobcentre Plus. We review this regularly.
Asked by: Sarah Hall (Labour (Co-op) - Warrington South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to improve the migration process for claimants transitioning from income-related Employment and Support Allowance to Universal Credit; and what measures are in place to ensure that vulnerable individuals are adequately supported during this transition.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) reviews and amends its approach for migration to Universal Credit based on lessons learned from earlier migrations (Tax Credits, Income Support) and continues to refine support strategies for customers.
We recognise that many claimants making this transition have complex health conditions and additional needs, which can make the process particularly challenging. DWP is committed to ensuring that these individuals receive the support they need.
We have dedicated support mechanisms in place for customers with vulnerabilities. This includes clear communication, accessible guidance and personalised assistance where needed.
The Migration Notice itself signposts to our helpline, gov.uk website and ‘Help to Claim’, a service provided by Citizens Advice Bureau. Contact via these routes allows further support to be provided, based on individual need from the outset.
All Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) customers who have not made their claim to Universal Credit within two weeks of the deadline of their migration notice will automatically enter the Enhanced Support journey. This journey provides tailored and flexible assistance, including phone calls and home visits, to support the migration process.
We recognise that the digital nature of Universal Credit can pose significant challenges for claimants with learning disabilities, dyslexia, or limited digital literacy. To address this, we offer alternative access routes, including telephone support and face-to-face appointments, which can be arranged upon request. Additionally, Universal Credit statements and letters are written and formatted in plain English and undergo rigorous content design testing to ensure clarity and accessibility. DWP is regularly reviewing its correspondence templates to ensure that responses are concise, clear and free from unnecessary technical language while maintaining transparency and accuracy.
Furthermore, Jobcentre staff are trained to discuss complex needs and vulnerabilities. There is a facility in the Universal Credit account to record these, along with any agreed reasonable adjustments. Customers can request email communications, home visits, or support from an authorised representative (family member, friend, or adviser).
In addition to this, we also offer:
DWP continues to review and iterate our services to optimise our services and any further feedback is welcomed.
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 recent progress his Department has made on working with expert stakeholders to review the impact of four-weekly employer pay cycles on Universal Credit payments.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We are committed to reviewing Universal Credit, to make sure it is doing the job we want it to, to make work pay and tackle poverty. As part of the review we have considered the impact that fluctuating incomes including those paid on a four-weekly cycle has on households including engaging with expert stakeholders and those with direct experience. The Department is considering this insight and will provide updates on the review in due course.