Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Universal Credit claimants had their award reduced through the earnings taper in each of the last five years; and how many claimants experienced monthly reductions of (a) less than £100, (b) £100 to £249, (c) £250 to £499 and (d) £500 or more.

The department does not hold information about Universal Credit awards reduced by the earnings taper at claimant level.

UC awards are affected by the amount that households earn, rather than the number of hours that they work. The department holds information on the earnings levels of individuals on UC, but information on the number of hours worked for those in employment is not collated.