To ask the Minister for Communities (i) to detail the communication she, and her Department, has had with the Department for Work and Pensions and the Treasury regarding the suspension of the Move to Universal Credit; (ii) when the Move to Universal Credit is expected to happen; and (iii) what plans she has to introduce transitional protections for people moved off legacy benefits before the Move to Universal Credit is introduced.

I am committed to protecting the vulnerable in our society and so officials in my Department engage regularly and closely with officials in DWP on all aspects of Universal Credit.

On the move to Universal Credit, a DWP pilot started in July 2019, with the aim of testing a number of possible approaches, including the calculation of transitional protection to support people through the next phase, known as Move to UC. I am aware that due to the Coronavirus outbreak and the need to meet the priority of responding to unprecedented demand and getting payment to those who need it as quickly as possible, the Move to UC pilot in Britain has been temporarily suspended.

While my Department had work ongoing in planning for a future Move to UC exercise, including monitoring closely the pilot in Britain, people here were not included in the DWP pilot. However, as a result of the pandemic my Department has also faced an unprecedented increase in demand for services with reduced staff capacity. All available resources are being directed to delivering essential frontline services to those who need them, in particular the most vulnerable in our communities. Resumption of non - essential activity including work on planning for the Move to UC phase here, will take place at an appropriate time.

The British Government has made a commitment that those people who make a claim to UC during the Move to UC phase will not receive less in Universal Credit at the outset than they would have in the previous legacy benefits - assuming their circumstances remain the same.

However, it is not appropriate to compare those who may move onto UC through Move to UC (with no change of circumstances) and those who move onto UC because of an event that triggers a new benefit claim. Where there is a change of circumstances, different amounts of benefit may be payable. Therefore, there is no ‘correct’ amount that can be calculated for transitional payments in comparison to what might be payable by way of transitional protection under Move to UC.

There are however additional payments of two weeks of Housing Benefit, known as a “run-on” which are already available to people moving to UC. Remaining people moving to UC under the Move to UC process will be eligible to receive a two-week Transitional Payment, in line with those claimants who migrate to UC because of a change of circumstances.

There will also be a two-week “run on” for people in receipt of income-based Jobseekers Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance or Income Support from 22 July 2020. The amount of these “run-ons” will be fixed according to the amount of the award payable immediately before claiming UC.

My Department is also currently making transitional payments to those who lost the Severe Disability Premium after moving from legacy benefits to UC.