Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on living standards of universal credit claimants repaying advance payments.

No assessment has been made of how advances interact with living standards. This is because advances are designed to meet a claimant’s immediate short term financial need and are not intended to address living standards. However, Universal Credit advances can be paid to a claimant on the same day in an emergency to prevent them falling into financial hardship. In addition regulations are also in place to protect claimants from excessive benefit deductions.