Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

£20 Universal Credit Uplift

Monday 28 June 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 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Kirsten Oswald inquired about the potential effect of removing the 20 a week uplift to Universal Credit on child poverty in Scotland.
  • The UK Government responded that no assessment has been made due to the complexity and speculative nature of projecting the impact of such a policy on poverty levels.
  • The Government indicated its focus will shift towards supporting people's incomes by helping them return to work and increasing their earnings as restrictions are eased and the economy reopens.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Kirsten Oswald SNP
Scotland Benefits & Welfare Children & Families
Context

The question arises from concerns over the potential effects of removing a £20 weekly increase to universal credit, which has been linked to rising child poverty rates. This policy decision is under scrutiny given its implications for families already struggling.

Question

What recent assessment she has made of the potential effect of removing the £20 a week uplift to universal credit and working tax credit on child poverty in Scotland? The £20 increase has been crucial for many families, and there are concerns that removing it will exacerbate existing hardships.

Answer from Will Quince (Minister for Families)

No assessment has been made. Projecting the impact of an individual policy on poverty levels is complex and inherently speculative. It is difficult to isolate the specific impact of one policy and determine its effect on how many people fall below the poverty threshold, which itself changes over time.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific assessment of removing £20 uplift's impact on child poverty in Scotland was not provided

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Q2 Kirsten Oswald SNP
Benefits & Welfare
Context

The MP is querying the justification behind proceeding with a cut to universal credit, given the substantial opposition from multiple Select Committees, former government ministers, and anti-poverty charities. The cut is set to affect millions of families.

Question

Ploughing ahead with the scheduled cut to universal credit means ignoring advice from three Select Committees—the Scottish Affairs Committee, the Work and Pensions Committee, and the Lords Economic Affairs Committee—over 100 Tory MPs, former Tory Minister Lord Freud, and over 50 anti-poverty charities. How can the UK Government justify cutting £20 a week for millions of families already living on subsistence incomes?

Answer from Will Quince (Minister for Families)

Our expectation is that, as the vaccine is widely rolled out, restrictions will be lifted and our economy will reopen over the next few months. Therefore, the Government's focus will rightly shift towards supporting people's incomes by helping them back into work and to increase their earnings through progression as part of our comprehensive plan for jobs. We have consistently shown throughout the crisis that we will continue to assess how best to support individuals and businesses as the situation develops.

Not addressed: Justification for cutting universal credit despite opposition advice was not provided, instead focusing on future economic recovery plans

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Q3 David Linden SNP
Benefits & Welfare
Context

The MP references a Joseph Rowntree Foundation report stating that over half of working-age people receiving income-related benefits were already below the poverty line before the pandemic. This raises concerns about the current government's decision to proceed with significant benefit cuts.

Question

A Joseph Rowntree Foundation report stated that before the pandemic over half of working-age people receiving income-related benefits were already below the poverty line. We are at a critical juncture. This Tory Government can carry out one of the biggest cuts to benefits in decades, bringing the basic level of benefits back to early-1990s levels, or they can provide substantial long-term support to people, so which will it be?

Answer from Will Quince (Minister for Families)

As I said, our expectation is that as the vaccine roll-out gathers pace, as restrictions are eased, as our economy opens up and as our labour market starts to grow again over the next few months, it is absolutely right that our focus shifts towards supporting and empowering people back into work, because we know—all the evidence shows us—that work is the best route of poverty. We will do that through our £30 billion comprehensive plan for jobs.

Not addressed: Decision on significant benefit cuts versus long-term support was not addressed; instead focused on future economic recovery plans

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