Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has made a recent assessment of the potential impact of the cost of living crisis on trends in the number of serving armed forces personnel who are claiming Universal Credit.

The data we hold reflects the fact that month, on month DWP is asking more Universal Credit (UC) claimants about their Armed Forces status. They do not necessarily indicate more demand for UC from serving personnel or veterans due to rises in the cost of living or any other factor.

Both veterans and serving personnel may be able to benefit from cost-of-living measures already put in place by the Government, this includes the new “Energy Price Guarantee” which will ensure that a typical household in Great Britain pays an average £2,500 a year on their energy bill from 1 October 2022. The consumer saving will be based on usage, but a typical household will save at least £1,000 a year (based on current prices from October).

Also included is the over £37bn of cost-of-living support announced earlier this year which includes the £400 non-repayable discount to eligible households provided through the Energy Bills Support Scheme as well as additional targeted support for those on lower incomes.