Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the difference in weekly benefit income is for a claimant who is migrated to universal credit from an employment and support allowance claim which entitles them to Severe Disability Premium.

For legacy benefit claimants in receipt of Severe Disability Premium, any difference in entitlement under Universal Credit depends on the claimant’s individual circumstances.

Claimants currently only move from existing benefits to Universal Credit through natural migration when they experience a significant change in their circumstances that triggers a new claim to benefit. Their entitlement is then calculated on the rules of their new benefit.

When we start to move legacy claimants to Universal Credit from 2019 as part of the managed migration process, they will receive transitional protection if their overall Universal Credit entitlement would be less than under the old system, provided that their circumstances remain the same.