Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce a new income support cash benefit for low-income families for which the job retention scheme and universal credit are not sufficient to prevent them from falling into poverty.

In response to COVID-19, the Government has announced an unprecedented package of measures to protect millions of people’s jobs and incomes. This includes over £6.5 billion of extra support through the welfare system. It is one of the most generous business and welfare packages by any government so far in response to COVID-19.

This includes widening the scope of Statutory Sick Pay and making accessing benefits easier for those affected by COVID-19.

The Government has introduced further measures to support those on low-incomes, including:

• a £20 per week increase to the Universal Credit standard allowance and Working Tax Credit basic element which will be in place for one year;
• a temporary relaxation of earnings rules (the Minimum Income Floor) for self-employed Universal Credit claimants; and
• an increase in the Local Housing Allowance rates for Universal Credit and Housing Benefit claimants to the 30th percentile of market rents, benefitting over one million households who will gain on average an additional £600 per year.