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 potential merits of taking steps to improve the accessibility of Universal Credit for students, in the context of the cost-of-living crisis.

No such assessment has been made. Financial support for students comes from the system of student loans and grants designed for their needs and any ongoing assessment of that level of support is a matter for the Department of Education and the devolved administrations. Although students cannot normally satisfy the entitlement conditions for Universal Credit, exceptions are made where students have additional needs that are not met through the student support system, for example, those who are responsible for a child.