Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what repayment support is given to claimants who take out a hardship payment.

I have interpreted your question to refer to Universal Credit Hardship Payments, which are made on the understanding that they are recoverable from the customer. Repayment support is available in several ways when a hardship payment is made.

Recovery of a Universal Credit Recoverable Hardship Payment can only start when the claimant’s award is not subject to a sanction or fraud penalty reduction.

There are established processes to consider hardship if the proposed rate of repayment cannot be afforded. The claimant will be asked to provide evidence to support their position, for example, bank statements, and details of their income and expenditure. Their financial circumstances can then be taken into account and a possible reduction in repayment considered. Suspension of repayment may also be considered under certain circumstances such as unexpected extra expenditure.

As a means to support claimants into work, recovery of a Hardship Payment is suspended for any Assessment Period where the claimant’s earnings at least equal their individual Conditionality Earnings Threshold.