Asked by: Alan Brown (Scottish National Party - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Households Below Average Income statistics, how many households were categorised as living in poverty after housing costs in each year since 2000.
Answered by David Rutley
Table 1: Households in poverty after housing costs
| Relative Poverty AHC (millions) | Relative Poverty AHC (percentage) | Absolute Poverty AHC (millions) | Absolute Poverty AHC (percentage) |
2000/2001* | 5.9 | 24.4% | 7.4 | 30.3% |
2001/2002* | 5.7 | 23.7% | 6.6 | 27.2% |
2002/2003 | 5.7 | 22.9% | 6.4 | 25.8% |
2003/2004 | 5.4 | 21.8% | 5.9 | 23.7% |
2004/2005 | 5.1 | 20.5% | 5.4 | 21.6% |
2005/2006 | 5.3 | 21.0% | 5.5 | 21.7% |
2006/2007 | 5.6 | 22.2% | 5.6 | 22.1% |
2007/2008 | 5.6 | 22.0% | 5.5 | 21.5% |
2008/2009 | 5.6 | 21.6% | 5.5 | 21.3% |
2009/2010 | 5.7 | 21.9% | 5.5 | 21.2% |
2010/2011 | 5.5 | 21.0% | 5.5 | 21.0% |
2011/2012 | 5.6 | 21.0% | 5.8 | 21.8% |
2012/2013 | 5.6 | 21.0% | 5.9 | 22.0% |
2013/2014 | 5.7 | 21.1% | 5.9 | 21.6% |
2014/2015 | 5.8 | 21.3% | 5.6 | 20.4% |
2015/2016 | 6.0 | 21.8% | 5.5 | 20.0% |
2016/2017 | 6.3 | 22.5% | 5.6 | 20.0% |
2017/2018 | 6.0 | 21.9% | 5.4 | 19.4% |
2018/2019 | 6.1 | 21.8% | 5.4 | 19.6% |
2019/2020 | 6.3 | 22.3% | 5.1 | 18.2% |
*Data before 2002/2003 is for Great Britain. Data from 2002/2003 onwards is for the United Kingdom.
This government prefers to look at absolute poverty over relative poverty as relative poverty can provide counter-intuitive results. Relative poverty is likely to fall during recessions, due to falling median incomes. Under this measure, poverty can decrease even if people are getting poorer. The absolute poverty line is fixed in real terms, so will only ever worsen if people are getting poorer, and only ever improve if people are getting richer.
Asked by: Alan Brown (Scottish National Party - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 7 March 2022 to Question 129842 on Pensioners: British Nationals Abroad, how many people in receipt of a UK pension currently reside in the Falkland Islands.
Answered by Guy Opperman
There are 79 people in receipt of a UK State Pension residing in the Falkland Islands, according to the latest available data.
Asked by: Alan Brown (Scottish National Party - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether Ukrainian refugees will be able to claim assistance with housing costs in their universal credit claim or claim housing benefit, including in circumstances where a sponsor is receiving the £350 per month support package.
Answered by David Rutley
Sponsors for the Homes for Ukraine scheme should not charge rent to the people they are hosting. We appreciate people’s generosity and we know there will be costs associated with helping out, so we are offering an optional ‘thank you’ payment of £350 per month to sponsors.
Ukrainian evacuees who are supported through the Homes for Ukraine scheme will be able to apply for housing costs support in Housing Benefit or Universal Credit if they have a rental liability when they move on from the scheme.
Asked by: Alan Brown (Scottish National Party - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the £350 payments made under the Homes for Ukraine scheme will be treated as an income for means tested benefits.
Answered by David Rutley
We are ensuring that those who have stepped up to sponsor a Ukrainian individual or family do not see their household benefit entitlements affected as a result. Payment of the £350 ‘thank you’ payment can be disregarded as a payment of local welfare provision made by local authorities.