Asked by: Lord Field of Birkenhead (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the difference in weekly benefit income is for a claimant who is migrated to universal credit from an employment and support allowance claim which entitles them to Severe Disability Premium.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
For legacy benefit claimants in receipt of Severe Disability Premium, any difference in entitlement under Universal Credit depends on the claimant’s individual circumstances.
Claimants currently only move from existing benefits to Universal Credit through natural migration when they experience a significant change in their circumstances that triggers a new claim to benefit. Their entitlement is then calculated on the rules of their new benefit.
When we start to move legacy claimants to Universal Credit from 2019 as part of the managed migration process, they will receive transitional protection if their overall Universal Credit entitlement would be less than under the old system, provided that their circumstances remain the same.
Asked by: Ruth George (Labour - High Peak)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if her Department will collate centrally information on the number of people claiming (a) enhanced disability premium, (b) severe disability premium or (c) enhanced and severe disability premiums alongside a payment of income-based employment and support allowance as of May 2017.
Answered by Sarah Newton
The Department intends to release an ad-hoc statistics publication for Employment and Support Allowance people in receipt of severe and enhanced disability premiums in the future.
Asked by: Ruth George (Labour - High Peak)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people were receiving (a) severe disability premium, (b) enhanced disability premium or (c) severe and enhanced disability premiums as of May 2017.
Answered by Sarah Newton
The information available for Income Support, Pension Credit and Jobseeker’s Allowance claimants in May 2017 who were in receipt of severe and enhanced disability premiums is in the table below:
Income Support, Pension Credit and Jobseeker’s Allowance claimants in receipt of the severe disability premium and enhanced disability premium, May-2017, Great Britain
| Income Support | Pension Credit | Jobseeker’s Allowance |
Severe Disability Premium Only | 10,450 | 502,110 | 10,000 |
Enhanced Disability Premium Only | 21,990 | - | - |
Both Severe and Enhanced Disability Premium | 6,520 | - | - |
Source: DWP 100% and 5% Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study data
Notes
The Department intends to release an ad-hoc statistics publication for Employment and Support Allowance recipients in receipt of severe and enhanced disability premiums.
The information requested is not readily available for Housing Benefit and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Thangam Debbonaire (Labour - Bristol West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to ensure that recipients of employment support allowance with the severe disability premium do not have payments reduced when they move to an area where universal credit has been implemented.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
We have always said that claimants who move over to Universal Credit as part of the managed migration process will not see a cash loss as a result of the change. This is provided that their circumstances remain the same.
Claimants who naturally move to Universal Credit will do so because they have had a change of circumstances. In such cases claimants will continue to have their new welfare support entitlement calculated on the rules of their new benefit.
DWP continue to evaluate this policy as it is delivered.
Asked by: Thangam Debbonaire (Labour - Bristol West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to ensure that recipients of employment support allowance with the severe disability premium do not have payments reduced when they move to an area where universal credit has been implemented.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
We have always said that claimants who move over to Universal Credit as part of the managed migration process will not see a cash loss as a result of the change. This is provided that their circumstances remain the same.
Claimants who naturally move to Universal Credit will do so because they have had a change of circumstances. In such cases claimants will continue to have their new welfare support entitlement calculated on the rules of their new benefit.
DWP continue to evaluate this policy as it is delivered.
Asked by: Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party - Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people claiming the severe disability premium as of April 2017 were in the (a) support group of employment and support allowance and (b) work-related activity group for employment and support allowance.
Answered by Sarah Newton
The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
Such information that is available for Jobseeker’s Allowance, Income Support and Pension Credit claimants in May 2017 who were in receipt of disability premiums are shown in the following table.
Income Support, Pension Credit and Jobseeker’s Allowance claimants in receipt of the disability premium, severe disability premium and enhanced disability premium, May-2017, Great Britain
| Income Support | Pension Credit | Jobseeker’s Allowance |
Disability Premium | 77,800 | 90 | 36,900 |
Severe Disability Premium | 16,970 | 502,110 | 10,000 |
Enhanced Disability Premium | 28,510 | - | - |
Source: DWP 100% and 5% Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study data
Notes
Asked by: Stephen Kinnock (Labour - Aberavon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reasons people who are in receipt of employment and support allowance and who live with a relative are unable to claim a disability premium if they meet all other relevant assessment criteria.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
The Enhanced Disability Premium is automatically payable as part of income-related ESA to people who are in the support group, whether or not they live with a relative.
In addition, income-related ESA claimants may qualify for a Severe Disability Premium if they live alone or as part of a couple who both receive a qualifying benefit. The Severe Disability Premium is intended for those severely disabled people who live independently, and who are therefore most likely to need to purchase care.
No premiums are payable as part of contribution based ESA.
Asked by: Debbie Abrahams (Labour - Oldham East and Saddleworth)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many recipients in the (a) work related activity group and (b) support group were also in receipt of the severe disability premium in (i) 2013-14, (ii) 2014-15 and (iii) 2015-16 to date.
Answered by Priti Patel
The information requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Luciana Berger (Liberal Democrat - Liverpool, Wavertree)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 14 December 2015 to Question 19359, what support his Department plans to provide under universal credit that is currently provided by the Severe Disability Premium.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
When we formulated Universal Credit (UC) in 2010, we determined that the Severe Disability Premium was a payment for care costs rather than daily living costs so are not part of Universal Credit. Costs for care are picked up through the social care system.
Under UC the more severely disabled claimants will receive more targeted support. They will receive the Limited Capability for Work and Work Related Activity element of UC, which is the same level of support that is provided under Employment Support Allowance. Eligibility for these elements will be determined following the outcome of a Work Capability Assessment.