Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department plans to review the loss of transitional protection under Universal Credit for claimants who form a couple, including where one partner acts as a carer.

Transitional Protection is designed to give customers notified to move to Universal Credit time to adjust. It is not intended to permanently replicate legacy benefits and ends when there is no longer a meaningful comparison between a household’s final legacy benefit and Universal Credit awards, such as due to a relevant change in circumstances.

The relevant change of circumstances that end the Transitional Element include a sustained decrease in earnings, formation of a new benefit unit, such as a couple separating or a single customer becoming a member of a couple, or where a Universal Credit claim terminates.

There are no plans to review this loss of transitional protection even if one partner is a carer.