Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to increase the uptake of means-tested benefits among households with children in poverty in (a) Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency, (b) Hertfordshire and (c) England.

The Department provides extensive information on Universal Credit including on GOV.UK that supports customers to identify what support may be available. Additionally, we signpost potential customers to external benefit calculators where they can identify what they are likely to be eligible for. We also work closely with Citizens Advice who provide Help to Claim support by phone and on-line for customers to apply for Universal Credit.

Tackling child poverty is an urgent priority for this government, and the Ministerial Taskforce is working to publish a Child Poverty Strategy as soon as possible.