Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps are being taken to ensure those being migrated onto Universal Credit will receive transitional protection.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department is committed to ensuring that all eligible customers moving from legacy benefits to Universal Credit receive the Transitional Protection to which they are entitled. Transitional Protection is a safeguard designed to support a smooth financial transition from legacy benefits to Universal Credit for those required to move. Customers who make a Universal Credit claim in response to a Migration Notice, and who would otherwise receive a lower award on Universal Credit than they received on their legacy benefit, will receive Transitional Protection. To be eligible for Transitional Protection, customers must claim Universal Credit by the deadline set out in their Migration Notice, or within one month of that deadline (the “grace period”). The Department keeps detailed records of all customers who have been issued with a Migration Notice and their associated deadlines to ensure eligible customers are correctly identified.
Asked by: Alex Ballinger (Labour - Halesowen)
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 provide support for people who are disabled and on benefits when their condition deteriorates; and what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing an assessment mechanism to allow people to change from Limited Capability for Work to Limited Capability for Work-Related Activity.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Individuals claiming Employment and Support Allowance or the health element of Universal Credit are encouraged to report any changes to their health condition to DWP immediately, whether an improvement or deterioration.
If an individual with Limited Capability for Work reports a deterioration or new condition, the mechanism for determining if they have Limited Capability for Work-Related Activity is a Work Capability Assessment (WCA) reassessment.
If, at reassessment, they are found to have Limited Capability for Work and Work-related activity and they are entitled to a higher rate of benefit, that rate will be backdated to the date they notified DWP of the change to their condition.
Asked by: Zarah Sultana (Your Party - Coventry South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Government's response to Recommendation 4 of the Work and Pensions Committee's Get Britain Working, Reforming Jobcentres report, how he plans to work with Universal Credit claimants and advice and advocacy organisations to ensure that the claimant commitment pathfinder tests are informed by their insights and experience.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The claimant commitment pathfinder is being developed using direct insight from Universal Credit claimants and work coaches. Through structured user research activity and ongoing feedback, we are assessing how the new approach operates in practice and whether it provides a clearer and improved experience from both a user and operational perspective.
This engagement forms part of wider improvements to conditionality and claimant communication set out in the Government’s response to Recommendation 4. We are committed to publishing evaluation findings in line with Government Social Research processes.
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, pursuant to UIN 107421, if he will provide a nationality breakdown of people with Universal Credit claims that failed the Habitual Residence Test.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Andrew Ranger (Labour - Wrexham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he plans to review how shared care arrangements are reflected in the child maintenance and benefits systems for separated parents; and what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of support available to parents who share custody of their children on an equal or near-equal basis but are not designated as the main carer for the purposes of benefit eligibility.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government recognises that shared care arrangements can play an important role in supporting children to maintain relationships with both parents after separation.
In the child maintenance system, shared care is reflected in the maintenance calculation. Where a child stays overnight with the paying parent for at least one night a week on average, the amount of maintenance due is reduced to reflect the care provided.
If the Child Maintenance Service is satisfied that both parents have equal day-to-day care for the child, in addition to sharing overnight care, there is no requirement for either parent to pay child maintenance.
Across the social security system more broadly, entitlement to benefits is generally based on the identification of who has main responsibility for the child, reflecting the need for a clear and administrable basis for determining entitlement. This approach applies consistently across benefits such as Child Benefit and Universal Credit.
As part of wider work on Child Maintenance reforms, we are working to modernise the Child Maintenance calculation to ensure that it is fair, better reflects the cost of raising children today and encourages willing and able compliance.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
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 raise awareness of the disabled child addition to Universal Credit among eligible claimants.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
DWP’s digital Universal Credit (UC) application pathway uses automated prompts to ask claimants proactively whether any children are disabled. Where this is confirmed, the system guides them through the relevant eligibility criteria, helping ensure the correct addition is applied at the point of claim. This is currently the primary mechanism to identify likely eligibility and raise claimant awareness at the point of claiming UC.
Claimants are informed through routine DWP communications of the importance of reporting any changes of circumstances. This would include where a child becomes disabled after the initial claim or a disabled child joins the household.
DWP maintains extensive internal and public‑facing guidance concerning the Disabled Child Addition. This guidance is refreshed and reviewed regularly and enables DWP Staff to answer customer queries, as well as customers to self-serve via gov.uk.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether payments received by a surrogate mother in the UK are treated as income for the purposes of benefits assessments.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Surrogacy payments in the United Kingdom should only be for reasonable expenses. They are not taken into account as income for Universal Credit purposes. If any of the surrogacy payment is unspent in the period it is paid for, then this can be treated as capital if not spent by the end of the next assessment period. The normal capital rules apply to the build-up of unspent income if capital exceeds £6,000.
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 his department is taking to reduce levels of youth unemployment in Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government is committed to transform young people’s prospects by ensuring every one of them has the chance to earn and learn through the Youth Guarantee.
On 16th March, the Government announced a further £1 billion investment in young people, resulting in a total £2.5 billion over the next three years into the Youth Guarantee and additional investment in the Growth and Skills Levy. This investment will support almost one million young people and create up to 500,000 opportunities to earn and learn.
This includes the delivery of eight Youth Guarantee Trailblazers in England, expansion of Youth Hubs to more than 360 areas across Great Britain and introduction of a new Youth Guarantee Gateway in Jobcentres, providing more intensive support to 16-24 year olds.
This investment will also create around 300,000 more opportunities to gain workplace experience and training. It will also help unlock up to 200,000 more employment opportunities, through a new £3,000 Youth Jobs Grant for employers who hire 18–24-year-olds who have been on Universal Credit for over six months, a new £2,000 apprenticeship incentive for small and medium sized employers hiring 16–24-year-olds and the Jobs Guarantee scheme, providing long-term unemployed 18–24-year-olds with a fully funded six month job. Together these measures demonstrate the Government’s commitment to supporting employers, partners and young people across Great Britain.
The Department works closely with local partners to ensure support for young people reflects local labour market needs. In Harpenden and Berkhamsted, support is provided in the St Albans Jobcentre, which has specialist work coaches who work with young people claiming Universal Credit.
At a local level, St Albans Jobcentre works closely with local colleges and training providers to commission tailored support programmes for young people, including provision focused on confidence building and mental health support.
The information on geographic youth unemployment figures is published and available at: https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/default.asp Guidance for users can be found at: https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/home/newuser.asp
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 assessment he has made of levels in youth unemployment in Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government is committed to transform young people’s prospects by ensuring every one of them has the chance to earn and learn through the Youth Guarantee.
On 16th March, the Government announced a further £1 billion investment in young people, resulting in a total £2.5 billion over the next three years into the Youth Guarantee and additional investment in the Growth and Skills Levy. This investment will support almost one million young people and create up to 500,000 opportunities to earn and learn.
This includes the delivery of eight Youth Guarantee Trailblazers in England, expansion of Youth Hubs to more than 360 areas across Great Britain and introduction of a new Youth Guarantee Gateway in Jobcentres, providing more intensive support to 16-24 year olds.
This investment will also create around 300,000 more opportunities to gain workplace experience and training. It will also help unlock up to 200,000 more employment opportunities, through a new £3,000 Youth Jobs Grant for employers who hire 18–24-year-olds who have been on Universal Credit for over six months, a new £2,000 apprenticeship incentive for small and medium sized employers hiring 16–24-year-olds and the Jobs Guarantee scheme, providing long-term unemployed 18–24-year-olds with a fully funded six month job. Together these measures demonstrate the Government’s commitment to supporting employers, partners and young people across Great Britain.
The Department works closely with local partners to ensure support for young people reflects local labour market needs. In Harpenden and Berkhamsted, support is provided in the St Albans Jobcentre, which has specialist work coaches who work with young people claiming Universal Credit.
At a local level, St Albans Jobcentre works closely with local colleges and training providers to commission tailored support programmes for young people, including provision focused on confidence building and mental health support.
The information on geographic youth unemployment figures is published and available at: https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/default.asp Guidance for users can be found at: https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/home/newuser.asp
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 9 March to Question 115912 on Department for Work and Pensions: Telephone Services, how many claimants have been put into housing arrears as a result of being migrated from ESA to Universal Credit.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department does not hold the requested data. When someone transitions from Housing Benefit their first payment of Universal Credit will be made 5 weeks later. To help bridge this gap, an additional payment of two week’s Housing Benefit is made, resulting in a customer receiving two weeks more Housing Benefit than if they had not moved. The Department is committed to supporting customers moving from Employment and Support Allowance to Universal Credit and aims to make this transition as smooth as possible. To help achieve this, Transitional Protection has been designed to prevent customers from experiencing a cliff-edge in their benefit entitlement and is applied to customers who would otherwise have a lower entitlement on Universal Credit than they previously received on their legacy benefits.