Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of exempting people impacted by domestic abuse from (a) the benefit cap and (b) repaying benefit advances.

There are no current plans to introduce new exemptions into the benefit cap policy.

Households receiving disability benefits and/or entitled to carer benefits are exempt together with households that earn at least £658 a month. Households may also be exempt for a period of nine months where the claimant, their partner or ex-partner has a sustained work history.

DWP recognises the pressures and challenges that this group face, which is why we have made Discretionary Housing Payments available to allow LAs to provide financial help with rental costs. In order to facilitate that, DWP has made it clear to LAs that we consider this group to be among those for whom DHPs should be a priority.

Universal Credit advances are a claimant’s entitlement paid early, repaid through future payments being automatically reduced. Making Universal Credit advances non-repayable for victims of domestic abuse would mean this cohort of claimants receiving greater entitlement than others, raising equality concerns from other groups of claimants. The Government has taken steps to support all new Universal Credit claimants receiving a new claim advance. In April 2021, the repayment period for new claim advances was doubled to give more flexibility.