Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effect of false self-employment on benefit entitlements.

We do not make an assessment of the overall effect of ‘false self-employment’ on welfare benefit entitlements.

RSA Chief Executive Matthew Taylor is currently leading an independent review which will consider employment practices in the modern economy.

Universal Credit simplifies the benefits system by bringing together a range of working age benefits, providing support for both claimants who are not working and those who are working, whether employed or self-employed. UC claimants are required to provide evidence of their self-employment as a condition of receiving benefits.