Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to increase Universal Credit payments in line with inflation; and what plans they have, if any, to make payments reflect more closely the Minimum Income Standard.

The Department will be conducting the annual review of benefit and pension rates later this year, as required by the Social Security Administration Act 1992. This will include many Universal Credit rates, though it will exclude the standard allowance which has been frozen at 2015/16 levels until the end of 2019/20, by the Welfare Reform and Work Act 2016.

The Government is committed to supporting people who cannot work or have additional needs as a result of illness or disability and has consistently increased the carer amount, Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity amount and higher disabled child addition in line with inflation since the introduction of Universal Credit. Additionally, although work allowances, have not been increased each year they were raised in line with inflation for 2018/19.