Asked by: Jonathan Reynolds (Labour (Co-op) - Stalybridge and Hyde)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 20 July 2021 to Question 33906 on Universal Credit: Disability, whether any assessment was subsequently made of the impact of removing the uplift to the standard allowance in Universal Credit on the financial security of disabled claimants.
Answered by Chloe Smith
As the uplift was introduced as a temporary measure, no such assessment has been made.
The Chancellor announced a six-month extension to the temporary £20 per week uplift at the Budget on 3 March to support households affected by the economic shock of Covid-19. Universal Credit has provided a vital safety net for six million people during the pandemic, and the temporary uplift was part of a COVID support package worth a total of £407 billion in 2020-21 and 2021-22.
Asked by: Jonathan Reynolds (Labour (Co-op) - Stalybridge and Hyde)
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 number of DWP assessors (a) challenging or (b) overturning clinical judgements made by medical professionals about a claimant's terminal illness.
Answered by Chloe Smith
The DWP currently provides a balanced and compassionate approach to supporting those approaching the end of their lives. The approach is based on clinical judgement and evidence provided by a relevant clinician like GPs or Specialist Nurses.
A claim made under the Special Rules for Terminal Illness is in most cases supported by evidence from the claimant’s clinician submitted in a DS1500 form. These contain information relating to diagnosis, clinical features and past or current treatment. While they have never been a requirement for a claim under the terminal illness rules, they remain the quickest and most appropriate route to gather evidence to support entitlement in these cases.
Providers use healthcare professionals to provide advice to DWP decision makers about benefit entitlement. They may contact clinicians to obtain clinical information if either a claim has been made under the SRTI but no DS1500 has been provided or for clarification of information provided in the DS1500. The provider healthcare professional will review all available evidence before making a recommendation to DWP decision makers about eligibility.
Asked by: Jonathan Reynolds (Labour (Co-op) - Stalybridge and Hyde)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 26 October 2021 to Question 60405, on Universal Credit, what proportion of Government debt resulting in deductions taken from universal credit entitlements is as a result of advances.
Answered by David Rutley
To clarify, Advances are not Government debt. They are a claimant’s benefit entitlement paid early, allowing claimants to access 100% of their estimated Universal Credit payment upfront. They ensure nobody has to wait for a payment in Universal Credit and those who need it are able to receive financial support as soon as possible. Claimants can receive up to 100% of their estimated Universal Credit award if required, resulting in 25 payments over a 24-month period.
For Universal Credit claims with a payment due during May 2021:
1) Government debt includes: DWP Benefit Overpayment (fraud and non-fraud), Tax Credit Overpayment (fraud and non-fraud), Housing Benefit Overpayment (fraud and non-fraud), Social Fund Loan, Recoverable Hardship Payment, Administrative Penalty, Civil Penalty, Eligible Loan Deductions, Integration Loan.
2) Claims may have a deduction for both a Government debt and a repayment of an advance.
3) The above figures exclude deductions for Third Party debt; they also exclude sanctions and fraud penalties which are reductions of benefit rather than deductions.
4) Data for May 2021 has been provided in line with the latest available Universal Credit Household Statistics.
5) Figures are provisional and are subject to retrospective change as later data becomes available.
As noted in PQ 60405, on average, claimants with these deductions paid 15% of their Standard Allowance towards them. We have reduced the normal maximum rate of deductions in Universal Credit from 30% to 25% of a claimant’s Standard Allowance, enabling claimants to take home more of the award.
Customers can contact the Department if they are experiencing financial hardship to discuss a reduction in their rate of repayment, depending on their financial circumstances, whilst work coaches can also signpost claimants to other financial support.
Asked by: Jonathan Reynolds (Labour (Co-op) - Stalybridge and Hyde)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claimants have had deductions made from their universal credit entitlement as a result of an advance or other Government debt in each of the last 12 months for which data is available.
Answered by David Rutley
The information requested is provided in the attached spreadsheet.
We reduced the normal maximum rate of deductions in Universal Credit from 40% to 30% to 25% of a claimant’s Standard Allowance enabling them to retain more of the award. These changes were implemented from October 2019 to April 2021. These positive measures were put in place to support claimants to manage financial difficulties. Processes are in place to ensure deductions are manageable and customers can contact DWP Debt Management if they are experiencing financial hardship to discuss a reduction in their rate of repayment, or a temporary suspension, depending on financial circumstances.
From 3rd April 2020, deductions from Universal Credit for some government debt, such as Tax Credits, benefit overpayments and Social Fund Loans were suspended for 3 months, which resulted in many claimants seeing an increase in the amount they received, while allowing staff to prioritise processing the unprecedented number of new benefits claims. They restarted in a phased approach from July 2020.
Asked by: Jonathan Reynolds (Labour (Co-op) - Stalybridge and Hyde)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many universal credit claimants are being deducted the maximum amount of 25 per cent of their standard allowance from their entitlement as a result of an advance or other Government debt.
Answered by David Rutley
For Universal Credit claims with a payment due during May 2021, 506,000 (10% of all claims) had a deduction of 25% of their standard allowance as a result of an Advance or Government debt.
We reduced the normal maximum rate of deductions in Universal Credit from 40% to 30% to 25% of a claimant’s Standard Allowance enabling them to retain more of the award. These changes were implemented from October 2019 to April 2021. These positive measures were put in place to support claimants to manage financial difficulties. Protocols are in place to ensure deductions are manageable and customers can contact DWP Debt Management if they are experiencing financial hardship to discuss a reduction in their rate of repayment, or a temporary suspension, depending on financial circumstances.