To ask the Minister for Communities what discussions she has had with the Department for Work and Pensions on extending the £1,000 Universal Credit standard allowance uplift beyond March 2021.

As part of my Department’s strategy of supporting people affected by Covid-19 and the dramatic effect it is having on the economy and peoples’ employment, the standard allowance of Universal Credit (and working tax credit) has been increased for this financial year by £1,040 per year (£20 a week). This is in addition to the annual uprating of 1.7%. This means that for a single Universal Credit claimant aged 25 or over, the standard allowance will increase from £317.82 to £409.89 per month. This is the first increase in benefit entitlement in 5 years.

I continue to keep this matter and other developments across Universal Credit under review.