Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Mark Pawsey and Greg Smith

Monday 5th December 2022 Commons Chamber

[Mark Pawsey (Rugby) (Con)]

7. What assessment he has made of the potential merits of reducing the universal credit taper rate on the levels of people’s incomes.

[Greg Smith (Buckingham) (Con)]

11. What assessment he has made of the potential merits of reducing the universal credit taper rate on the levels of people’s incomes.

[The Minister for Employment (Guy Opperman)]

We reduced the earnings taper to 55% last December and we increased the work allowance by £500 a year. As a consequence, 1.7 million households will benefit from these measures, which mean that they keep, on average, around an extra £1,000 a year. That encourages in-work progression as claimants are clearly better off in work.