Guy Opperman: ...to help them develop their business. This includes Local Enterprise Partnership Growth Hubs which are funded by the Department of Business and Trade. Claimants who have self-employed earnings but who have been assessed as “not gainfully self-employed” can receive support to develop their self-employment through DWP’s contracted employment programmes if they meet the relevant...
Guy Opperman: We do not use the language used by the hon. Gentleman, but I will of course write to him.
Guy Opperman: ...of the Department in her work to ensure that we address those problems. Clearly, those matters are being addressed on an ongoing basis by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, but I can assure her that she has my full support.
Guy Opperman: I can tell my hon. Friend that there are no plans to change the assessment period and payment structure of universal credit, but I am very happy for him to sit down with officials and discuss his paper.
Guy Opperman: ..., Dame Maria. I congratulate the hon. Member for Glasgow South West (Chris Stephens)—my good friend, and I apologise for calling him that, as I realise he will get some opprobrium for it, but we are friends, albeit our views differ—on securing the debate. It is a pleasure to answer on behalf of the Government. We recognise the importance of supporting claimants to manage their...
Guy Opperman: ..., the hon. Member for Reading East (Matt Rodda), who is also a friend of mine. I am no longer the Pensions Minister, because I was shuffled off that mortal coil by the previous Prime Minister, but I am standing in as a deputy today. I apologise on behalf of the actual Pensions Minister, my hon. Friend the Member for Sevenoaks (Laura Trott), who has a long-standing engagement outside the...
Guy Opperman: ...that claimants are serving in or have served in in the past. Data is not held on the total number of UC claimants who are currently serving in the Armed Forces or who have served in the past, but data is held on those who have identified themselves so far. The way the data is collected means the claimants for whom an Armed Forces status is recorded are not representative of the UC...
Guy Opperman: ...I would probably need to respond on behalf of the Treasury, the Department for Education, the Department for Business and Trade and various other Departments that my hon. Friend rightly cited, but, bluntly, I am happy to set out the position as best I can. I endorse what she says about the Policy Exchange report, which is eloquent and well-made and makes some very good points. She and I...
Guy Opperman: As I think I have made clear, I do not accept the arguments about poverty. I am not aware of the specific LSE paper that the hon. Lady mentions, but I would make the simple point that in this country we have never given more welfare support or paid higher figures for pensioner support or disability support. Without a shadow of a doubt, there has been massive cost of living support, as I will...
Guy Opperman: Individuals who have a British National (Overseas) visa have the right to work and study in the UK, but in most circumstances would have a No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) condition attached to their visa. DWP has no powers to award Universal Credit to those with NRPF. They can apply to have their NRPF condition lifted by making a ‘change of condition’ application if they are...
Guy Opperman: It is an honour once again to present the case on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions in an estimates day debate. I have lost track of the number of times I have done this, but I have certainly done so on numerous occasions during my seven years at the Department. It is, first of all, my privilege to thank all DWP staff—whom I regard as a massive help and not a hindrance, as some...
Guy Opperman: ...your chairmanship, Sir George, and I congratulate the hon. Member for Slough (Mr Dhesi) on securing this debate. He and others have raised a number of policy issues that are not in my portfolio, but I will try to deal with them briefly if I can. In respect of housing, I am not the Housing Minister, but the hon. Member will be aware that in 2022-23, the Government are projected to spend...
Guy Opperman: ...Benefit claim to cease. A two-week Transition to UC Housing Payment will also be paid to those claimants who have been required to claim Universal Credit as part of the managed migration process but fail to do so by the deadline they have been given for making that claim.
Guy Opperman: ... 350 10% 490 12% Jan-23 400 12% 570 13% Feb-23 450 14% 640 15% Notes: 1. Numbers of households and individuals are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Households with a UC award of zero but whose claims have not yet closed are not included. 3. Claimants are counted as subject to the Minimum Income Floor if they are gainfully self-employed, not in a start-up period, and do not...
Guy Opperman: 310 Universal Credit households. Notes:Base: Those in receipt of Universal Credit at 2 April 2022‘affected’ includes households that have an exception in place but receive the UC child element due to their exception.Universal Credit figures are for GB only (as DWP do not administer Universal Credit in Northern Ireland)Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 and may not sum due to...
Guy Opperman: Data is not held on the total number of UC claimants who are currently serving in the Armed Forces or who have served in the past, but data is held on those who have identified themselves so far. The way the data is collected means the claimants for whom an Armed Forces status is recorded are not representative of the UC caseload as a whole. This means it is not yet possible to produce...
Guy Opperman: ...% Feb-23 111,000 27% 175,500 31% Source: Universal Credit Management Information Notes:Numbers of households and individuals are rounded to the nearest 100.Households with a UC award of zero but whose claims have not yet closed are not included.Claimants are counted as subject to the Minimum Income Floor if they are gainfully self-employed, not in a start-up period, and do not have...
Guy Opperman: ...in 2020/21, and figures for 2019/20 and 2021/22 exclude months in which the MIF was suspended. The latest month for which figures are available is February 2023.Households with a UC award of zero but whose claims have not yet closed are not included.From August 2021 onwards there has been a large increase in numbers and proportions subject to the Minimum Income Floor as 12 month start-up...
Guy Opperman: ...—an increase of 9.7% to £10.42 an hour from this April. That represents an increase of over £1,600 to the annual earnings of a full-time worker. There has been much criticism of the UK economy, but we have to bear it in mind that the UK has the fourth highest employment rate in the G7—higher than the US, France and Italy. Our unemployment rate remains low at 3.9%. We have more people...
Guy Opperman: An increased prevalence of disabilities within the UK population is a driver of the forecast; but more recent trends in health conditions have risen further than expected, which is reflected in the difference between caseload forecasts and outturn. To note, DWP only produce a forecast of claimants that receive the health element of Universal Credit and not a forecast of people with ill health.
