Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to Treasury's Answer on 18 December 2020 to Question 127577 on Social Security Benefits: Coronavirus, with reference to the recommendations on uplift of legacy benefits in the report published by Scope in May 2020, entitled Disabled People and the Coronavirus, and with reference to the scheduled cessation of the universal credit £20 uplift in April 2021, if she will (a) commission and (b) review research on the potential merits of extending the covid-19 universal credit uplift to recipients of legacy benefits; and if she will make a statement.

There are no plans to extend the temporary £20 uplift to legacy benefits. Claimants on legacy benefits can make a claim for Universal Credit (UC) if they think they will be better off and should check carefully their eligibility and entitlements under UC before applying, as legacy benefits will end when claimants submit their UC claim and they will not be able to return to them in the future. For this reason, prospective claimants are signposted to independent benefits calculators on GOV.UK. Neither DWP nor HMRC can advise individual claimants whether they would be better off moving to UC or remaining on legacy benefits. There are special arrangements for those in receipt of the Severe Disability Premium, who will be able to make a new claim to Universal Credit from 27 January 2021.