Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Budget Statement of 11 March 2020, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of removing the universal credit minimum income floor for self-employed people that are not (a) self-isolating and (b) directly affected by covid-19 but see their income fall as a result of that pandemic.

We are temporarily relaxing the Minimum Income Floor (MIF) for all self-employed UC claimants affected by the economic impact of COVID-19 from 6 April, for the duration of the outbreak. This means a drop in earnings due to sickness or self-isolation or as a result of the economic impact of the outbreak will be reflected in claimants’ awards.