Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Benefit Claimants: Cost of Living Increases

Monday 8 November 2021 · 2 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 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Government will increase the national living wage by 6.6% to 9.50 an hour starting April 2022.
  • The household support fund in England has been introduced with 421 million to aid those in need over the winter period.
  • Manchester has received a 6.4 million allocation from the household support fund.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Jeff Smith Lab Manchester Withington
Benefits & Welfare
Context

The question is prompted by the increased costs of living faced by benefit claimants, leading to reliance on food banks and a surge in demand.

Question

What steps her Department is taking to help support benefit claimants with increased costs of living. The recent changes to benefits have led to increased reliance on food banks among constituents.

Answer from David Rutley

From next April, the national living wage will rise by 6.6% to £9.50 an hour. This real-terms pay increase will leave more money in the pockets of hard-working people. The Government are taking action to make work pay for low-income households on universal credit by reducing the universal credit taper rate and increasing the work allowance.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific demand for addressing food bank reliance was not directly addressed, focusing instead on general measures like wage increases and benefit adjustments.

How: Changed Subject To Broader Measures

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Q2 Jeff Smith Lab Manchester Withington
Benefits & Welfare
Context

The question is prompted by a visit to the Fallowfield and Withington food bank, which is expecting increased demand due to recent changes in benefits.

Question

On Friday, I visited the Fallowfield and Withington food bank. It is as busy as ever and expecting a surge in demand as a result of the recent changes to benefits. If Government support for people on benefits is adequate, why does the Minister think that so many of my constituents are having to rely on food banks?

Answer from David Rutley

We recognise that there are people who will require support over the winter period, which is why we have introduced the £421 million household support fund in England. I am sure that the hon. Member will welcome the £6.4 million that has been allocated to Manchester.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific question about food bank reliance was not directly addressed, focusing instead on general measures like the Household Support Fund.

How: Changed Subject To Broader Measures

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