Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South 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 maximise take-up of Severe Disability Premium among eligible recipients of (a) Pension Credit and (b) employment and support allowance.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
The severe disability premium in Employment and Support Allowance and the additional amounts for persons severely disabled in State Pension Credit are not separate benefits in themselves but are payable as part of the award to those who are eligible, i.e. those severely disabled people who live independently and who are most likely to need to purchase care. When a claim to either benefit is made, the claimant is asked questions, for example if they are in receipt of a qualifying disability benefit or if anybody is caring for them, which helps to determine if the premium or the additional amount is payable. Once entitled to the benefit, claimants are required to report any change of circumstance including ones which may lead to the awarding of the premium or the additional amount. The Department also makes use of the information that it holds to prompt enquiries of the claimant as to possible entitlement to the premium or the additional amount. There is information for claimants about the severe disability premium and the additional amount for persons severely disabled on the relevant pages of www.gov.uk.
Asked by: Jeff Smith (Labour - Manchester, Withington)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the report published by the Trussell Trust on 5 October 2018 entitled The next stages of Universal Credit, what steps the Government plans to take to ensure that people switching to universal credit do not fall into food poverty.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
We work closely with The Trussell Trust and welcome their feedback. It is worth noting that much of their analysis was carried out before the improvements we announced at Autumn Budget 2017, and which were introduced earlier this year. The comprehensive and wide-ranging package worth £1.5 billion to help people in their first assessment period included, the abolition of waiting days, the introduction of advances up to 100% of a claimant’s indicative award (repayable over a period of up to 12 months), and a two week transitional payment for those previously claiming Housing Benefit.
The Trust welcomed our changes in the Budget saying they would “ease the pressure on thousands of households on very low incomes” and “shows that Government is listening”.
Earlier this month, we announced a new partnership with Citizens Advice and Citizens Advice Scotland to deliver Universal Support. We want to make sure that the most vulnerable people get the best possible support when claiming Universal Credit. Citizens Advice will help deliver a high-quality and consistent service to people claiming Universal Credit, to assist them manage their claim, get paid on time and budget effectively. This was welcomed by the Trussell Trust.
As part of the managed migration regulations which will come before Parliament in the autumn, we have proposed transitional protection for the 500,000 individuals currently receiving the Severe Disability Premium. It should also be noted that in the legacy benefits system there are £2.4bn of unclaimed benefits not taken up by people who need them, because they do not know about them. These regulations will ensure that 700,000 more households will get paid their full entitlement under Universal Credit.
We do not underestimate the challenge that managed migration represents and we are working closely with stakeholders to design the best solution. Our focus will be on safeguarding claimants and ensuring a smooth transition with uninterrupted support. The draft regulations have been out for consultation with the Social Security Advisory Committee and will be subject to scrutiny and approval by Parliament. During 2019 we will test and refine our processes on a small scale to ensure they are working well before we take on larger volumes from 2020 onwards, and complete the process in 2023.
Asked by: Neil Gray (Scottish National Party - Airdrie and Shotts)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has made an assessment of the potential effect on vulnerable claimants of moving three million people manually on to universal credit; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
We intend to build safeguards into the managed migration process to ensure that people will not have a break in their benefit entitlement and will ensure that claimants are supported. Managed migration will begin with a testing period commencing in 2019, in which up to 10,000 claimants will be migrated, ensuring our process are working effectively before we take on larger volumes from 2020 onwards.
We have already implemented a number of measures this year to assist claimants during the transition to their first Universal Credit payment, including the removal of waiting days, a Universal Credit Transitional Housing Payment (which provides a two week Housing Benefit run-on), 100% advances and a longer repayment period.
The Department is working with a wide range of stakeholders to ensure that the managed migration process works for everyone, especially vulnerable claimants. As part of this, earlier this month we held a large scale stakeholder event, engaging with over 70 organisations, including those representing vulnerable claimant groups, seeking their detailed input on the managed migration process.
Over £2.4bn in benefits are currently unclaimed and Universal Credit ensures that vulnerable claimants receive the money they are entitled to. More severely disabled people will receive higher payments under Universal Credit, with around 1 million disabled households gaining on average about £110 more per month.
Transitional protection payments proposed in our managed migration regulation will also ensure there are no cash losers at the point of transition. These include protections for claimants receiving a Severe Disability Premium, to ensure they are not moved onto Universal Credit ahead of managed migration, and to provide financial support for those who have already moved over.
Asked by: Neil Gray (Scottish National Party - Airdrie and Shotts)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support her Department plans to provide to vulnerable claimants moving to universal credit under managed migration; and what steps she is taking to ensure those claimants do not lose income as a result of that transition.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
We intend to build safeguards into the managed migration process to ensure that people will not have a break in their benefit entitlement and will ensure that claimants are supported. Managed migration will begin with a testing period commencing in 2019, in which up to 10,000 claimants will be migrated, ensuring our process are working effectively before we take on larger volumes from 2020 onwards.
We have already implemented a number of measures this year to assist claimants during the transition to their first Universal Credit payment, including the removal of waiting days, a Universal Credit Transitional Housing Payment (which provides a two week Housing Benefit run-on), 100% advances and a longer repayment period.
The Department is working with a wide range of stakeholders to ensure that the managed migration process works for everyone, especially vulnerable claimants. As part of this, earlier this month we held a large scale stakeholder event, engaging with over 70 organisations, including those representing vulnerable claimant groups, seeking their detailed input on the managed migration process.
Over £2.4bn in benefits are currently unclaimed and Universal Credit ensures that vulnerable claimants receive the money they are entitled to. More severely disabled people will receive higher payments under Universal Credit, with around 1 million disabled households gaining on average about £110 more per month.
Transitional protection payments proposed in our managed migration regulation will also ensure there are no cash losers at the point of transition. These include protections for claimants receiving a Severe Disability Premium, to ensure they are not moved onto Universal Credit ahead of managed migration, and to provide financial support for those who have already moved over.
Asked by: Neil Gray (Scottish National Party - Airdrie and Shotts)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the potential effect on vulnerable claimants of the roll-out of universal credit under (a) current systems and (b) the managed migration process.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
We intend to build safeguards into the managed migration process to ensure that people will not have a break in their benefit entitlement and will ensure that claimants are supported. Managed migration will begin with a testing period commencing in 2019, in which up to 10,000 claimants will be migrated, ensuring our process are working effectively before we take on larger volumes from 2020 onwards.
We have already implemented a number of measures this year to assist claimants during the transition to their first Universal Credit payment, including the removal of waiting days, a Universal Credit Transitional Housing Payment (which provides a two week Housing Benefit run-on), 100% advances and a longer repayment period.
The Department is working with a wide range of stakeholders to ensure that the managed migration process works for everyone, especially vulnerable claimants. As part of this, earlier this month we held a large scale stakeholder event, engaging with over 70 organisations, including those representing vulnerable claimant groups, seeking their detailed input on the managed migration process.
Over £2.4bn in benefits are currently unclaimed and Universal Credit ensures that vulnerable claimants receive the money they are entitled to. More severely disabled people will receive higher payments under Universal Credit, with around 1 million disabled households gaining on average about £110 more per month.
Transitional protection payments proposed in our managed migration regulation will also ensure there are no cash losers at the point of transition. These include protections for claimants receiving a Severe Disability Premium, to ensure they are not moved onto Universal Credit ahead of managed migration, and to provide financial support for those who have already moved over.
Asked by: Neil Gray (Scottish National Party - Airdrie and Shotts)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to identify vulnerable claimants on legacy benefits who require additional support for managed migration to universal credit.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
We intend to build safeguards into the managed migration process to ensure that people will not have a break in their benefit entitlement and will ensure that claimants are supported. Managed migration will begin with a testing period commencing in 2019, in which up to 10,000 claimants will be migrated, ensuring our process are working effectively before we take on larger volumes from 2020 onwards.
We have already implemented a number of measures this year to assist claimants during the transition to their first Universal Credit payment, including the removal of waiting days, a Universal Credit Transitional Housing Payment (which provides a two week Housing Benefit run-on), 100% advances and a longer repayment period.
The Department is working with a wide range of stakeholders to ensure that the managed migration process works for everyone, especially vulnerable claimants. As part of this, earlier this month we held a large scale stakeholder event, engaging with over 70 organisations, including those representing vulnerable claimant groups, seeking their detailed input on the managed migration process.
Over £2.4bn in benefits are currently unclaimed and Universal Credit ensures that vulnerable claimants receive the money they are entitled to. More severely disabled people will receive higher payments under Universal Credit, with around 1 million disabled households gaining on average about £110 more per month.
Transitional protection payments proposed in our managed migration regulation will also ensure there are no cash losers at the point of transition. These include protections for claimants receiving a Severe Disability Premium, to ensure they are not moved onto Universal Credit ahead of managed migration, and to provide financial support for those who have already moved over.
Asked by: Neil Gray (Scottish National Party - Airdrie and Shotts)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that vulnerable claimants do not lose income when moving to universal credit through managed migration.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
We intend to build safeguards into the managed migration process to ensure that people will not have a break in their benefit entitlement and will ensure that claimants are supported. Managed migration will begin with a testing period commencing in 2019, in which up to 10,000 claimants will be migrated, ensuring our process are working effectively before we take on larger volumes from 2020 onwards.
We have already implemented a number of measures this year to assist claimants during the transition to their first Universal Credit payment, including the removal of waiting days, a Universal Credit Transitional Housing Payment (which provides a two week Housing Benefit run-on), 100% advances and a longer repayment period.
The Department is working with a wide range of stakeholders to ensure that the managed migration process works for everyone, especially vulnerable claimants. As part of this, earlier this month we held a large scale stakeholder event, engaging with over 70 organisations, including those representing vulnerable claimant groups, seeking their detailed input on the managed migration process.
Over £2.4bn in benefits are currently unclaimed and Universal Credit ensures that vulnerable claimants receive the money they are entitled to. More severely disabled people will receive higher payments under Universal Credit, with around 1 million disabled households gaining on average about £110 more per month.
Transitional protection payments proposed in our managed migration regulation will also ensure there are no cash losers at the point of transition. These include protections for claimants receiving a Severe Disability Premium, to ensure they are not moved onto Universal Credit ahead of managed migration, and to provide financial support for those who have already moved over.
Asked by: Lord Bassam of Brighton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the National Audit Office Rolling out Universal Credit, published 15 June, which states that of those transferred onto Universal Credit (1) 40 per cent are experiencing financial difficulties, (2) 25 per cent are unable to make online claims, and (3) 20 per cent are not paid in full on time; and what steps they intend to take to meet their legal obligations to those receiving in-work benefits.
Answered by Baroness Buscombe
The National Audit Office (NAO) report recognised that the Department’s agile approach allows it to adjust its plans based on what it learns and that some elements are working well. The report also recognised that payment timeliness has improved. We have already implemented policy changes to address many of the concerns raised in the report.
(1) The DWP Claimant Survey (which the NAO Report quoted) says that nearly seven out of ten claimants said they were confident managing their payments. We are investing up to £200 million into budgeting and digital support, to help claimants with the transition to Universal Credit and work coaches work closely with claimants, ensuring they can identify any vulnerabilities or specific needs, such as financial difficulties, at an early stage. We have listened to concerns and invested £1.5 billion in a package of measures to support claimants financially in the first assessment period, and recently announced we would be introducing further protection for people who receive the Severe Disability Premium.
(2) The Claimant Survey research also states that 98 per cent of claims are made online, and that nearly half of claimants had help from others or from their jobcentre adviser to do so. This shows that people get the support they need to make their claim. We knew that people would require digital support with the transition to Universal Credit, that is why, as above, we are investing up to £200 million. All jobcentres across the country have free Wi-Fi, and there are more than 8,000 computers available to support customers who need help with making their claim digitally and applying for jobs online. Work coaches will also assist anyone who needs assistance. If people cannot get online we have also a freephone helpline available.
(3) Around 80 per cent of new claims are paid in full and on time. In many cases, where full payment is not made on time by the end of the first assessment period, this is as a result of unresolved issues: some claimants have not signed their Claimant Commitment or passed identity checks, others have outstanding verification issues, such as for housing and self-employed earnings. Whilst their verification is on-going, many of these claimants receive a part payment. We know that, within five weeks of the payment due date, 95% of the claims are paid in full. As the NAO report acknowledges, we have taken steps to improve the verification processes (Paragraph 2.18). For example we have listened to feedback and built processes into the system to make it easier and quicker for people to verify their housing costs.