Universal Credit

Oral Answers to Questions — Work and Pensions – in the House of Commons at on 13 May 2019.

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Photo of Tom Pursglove Tom Pursglove Conservative, Corby

What steps she has taken to tailor universal credit to claimants’ needs.

Photo of Alok Sharma Alok Sharma The Minister of State, Department for Work and Pensions

Under universal credit, our work coaches provide vital one-to-one support to all claimants. Work coaches receive appropriate training to ensure that they can offer support to claimant groups with a variety of characteristics.

Photo of Tom Pursglove Tom Pursglove Conservative, Corby

As I understand it, the test and learn approach has been crucial to improving the system and getting it right for individual claimants. What key lessons have been learned and what steps have been taken to address them?

Photo of Alok Sharma Alok Sharma The Minister of State, Department for Work and Pensions

My hon. Friend is absolutely right: the test and learn approach has allowed us to adapt the delivery of universal credit to support claimants more fully. Examples include: abolishing the seven-day waiting period; the introduction of 100% advances; the landlord portal; and the flexible support fund being used to cover initial childcare costs.

Photo of Rupa Huq Rupa Huq Labour, Ealing Central and Acton

It is no coincidence that, as universal credit has hit Ealing in the past year, food bank use has doubled. Ealing Churches winter night shelter and Ealing soup kitchen report unprecedented demand, and six deaths have been reported among users of the soup kitchen in the past year. Are the Government not ashamed that Christian charities are having to mop up thanks to the gaps in their policy, and when will they put in place the National Audit Office’s recommendation to look into hardship as well as spouting statistics at us?

Photo of Alok Sharma Alok Sharma The Minister of State, Department for Work and Pensions

Of course there is a range of reasons why people make use of food banks, but what is important is that the DWP makes sure that we get funds to claimants in a timely manner. The Secretary of State has already talked about the 100% advances and the two-week housing benefit run-on, and, of course, there will be additional run-ons coming on in 2020.

Photo of Stephen Kerr Stephen Kerr Conservative, Stirling

I have constituents in Stirling who would like to take up work or to extend their hours of work but cannot afford to pay the upfront costs of childcare. Can the Minister tell the House what is being done to help parents with upfront costs of childcare?

Photo of Alok Sharma Alok Sharma The Minister of State, Department for Work and Pensions

My hon. Friend raises a very important point. Under universal credit, up to 85% of childcare costs can be covered and, as the Secretary of State announced earlier this year, we are making the flexible support fund available so that funding can be provided up front to take care of childcare costs, which will help people get into work.

Photo of Mike Amesbury Mike Amesbury Shadow Minister (Work and Pensions) (Employment)

It is welcome that the Secretary of State has finally responded to pressure and abolished three-year sanctions, but failure to scrap this punishing regime entirely means, as we have heard across the House today, that many people including children will still suffer. Six months is a long time to go without money, so will she go the extra mile and abolish punitive sanctions altogether?

Photo of Alok Sharma Alok Sharma The Minister of State, Department for Work and Pensions

I welcome the fact that the hon. Gentleman has, in turn, welcomed what the Secretary of State has announced—it has absolutely been the right thing to do. Sanctions are not put forward indiscriminately; a very clear procedure takes place, and right now less than 3% of those who are on universal credit and under conditionality are getting a sanction. The average sanction rate is 31 days.