Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what additional financial support her Department is providing to claimants of universal credit whose partners are in receipt of the state pension during the covid-19 outbreak.

Couples where one member is receiving state pension and the other is of working age, who are not already claiming Pension Credit and/or Housing Benefit for pensioners, will be supported through Universal Credit where eligible.

The Government has announced a suite of measures to support those facing the most financial disruption during the pandemic. This includes increasing the standard allowance in Universal Credit by £86.67 per month (equivalent to £20 per week), on top of the planned annual uprating. This means that claimants may be up to £1,040 per year better off, depending on their circumstances. We have also made a number of other changes such as increasing Local Housing Allowance rates for Universal Credit and Housing Benefit claimants; putting an average of £600 into people’s pockets.