Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Covid-19: Support for People on Legacy Benefits

Monday 17 May 2021 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The Department has introduced a package of temporary welfare measures, paying out over 100 billion in welfare support this year and increasing local housing allowance rates by nearly 1 billion.
  • The Government have focused support on Universal Credit and working tax credit claimants due to their higher risk of being affected by the economic shock of covid-19.
  • Legacy benefit recipients can make a new Universal Credit claim to benefit from the 20 increase.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Marion Fellows SNP
Benefits & Welfare
Context

During the pandemic, many individuals on low incomes and those receiving legacy benefits faced significant challenges. The Trussell Trust reported that 62% of working-age population referred to food banks were disabled.

Question

What steps her Department is taking to support people on legacy benefits during the covid-19 outbreak? I am concerned about the decision to deny people on legacy benefits the same £20 uplift as those on universal credit, which will be challenged in the High Court. This continues to exclude 2 million disabled people despite extra costs faced due to the pandemic. Will the UK Government finally provide necessary support?

Answer from Will Quince

The Department has introduced a package of temporary welfare measures, paying out over £100 billion in welfare support this year and increasing local housing allowance rates by nearly £1 billion. Benefits have been raised by £100 million from April 2021 to retain value against prices. We spend more than £57 billion annually on benefits for disabled people, an extra £4 billion in real terms.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific commitment to provide support for disabled people excluded from the £20 uplift

How: It Is The Policy Of The Department Not To Comment On Live Litigation.

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Q2 Marion Fellows SNP
Benefits & Welfare
Context

The Trussell Trust reported that 62% of working-age population referred to food banks were disabled. The Tories' decision to deny these individuals the same £20 uplift as those on universal credit will be challenged in the High Court.

Question

Will the UK Government provide necessary support for disabled people who are excluded from the £20 uplift? This is an injustice and needs to be addressed without waiting for judicial review.

Answer from Will Quince

The Government have focused support on UC and working tax credit claimants due to their higher risk of being affected by the economic shock of covid-19. I will not comment on live litigation, but legacy benefit recipients can make a new universal credit claim to benefit from the £20 increase.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific agreement that judicial review should be necessary for addressing the injustice

How: It Is The Policy Of The Department Not To Comment On Live Litigation.

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Q3 Vicky Foxcroft Lab Lewisham North
Benefits & Welfare
Context

Ministers have been repeatedly asked about the lack of uplift to legacy benefits, which now faces judicial review. The government's decision is seen as discriminatory against disabled people.

Question

Do Ministers see that they are discriminating against millions of disabled people on these benefits? This needs to be sorted. Does the Minister agree that it should not take a judicial review to tackle this injustice?

Answer from Will Quince

I am not going to comment on live litigation, but I would say that legacy claimants can make a new UC claim and benefit from the £20 a week increase. The Government encourage anybody to go on gov.uk and use one of the independent benefit calculators to check carefully their eligibility before they apply.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific agreement that judicial review should be necessary for addressing the injustice

How: It Is The Policy Of The Department Not To Comment On Live Litigation.

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How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)