For the past 35 years benefits have been increased by the relevant price index for the 12 months to September and that convention was followed for 2022/23 and benefits were increased by 3.1%.

The Government has always been clear that the £20 increase to Universal Credit was a temporary measure to support those households most affected by the economic shock of Covid-19.

The Government understands the current cost of living pressures many are facing and has taken action to support and help families with a total package worth £37 billion in 2022-23. This includes the the £400 being paid to all domestic electricity customer millions of the lowest income households will get £1,200 of one-off support in total this year to help with the cost of living.

The Energy Bills Support Scheme has been doubled to a one-off £400 grant, and not recovered in future years. Energy suppliers will deliver this support to households with a domestic electricity meter over six months from October. This support is in addition to the £150 Council Tax rebate for households in England in Council Tax bands A-D, which was announced in February

Over 8 million households across the UK in receipt of eligible means tested benefits have started to receive a one-off Cost of Living Payment of £650, paid in two instalments from 14^th of July.

Local Housing Allowance (LHA) determines the maximum financial support available for renters in the private rented sector.

The Secretary of State has complied with her duties under the Equality Act 2010 in respect of her decisions on the LHA. Copies of the equality analysis for the decisions on LHA rates for 2021-22 and 2022-23 were placed in the House of Commons Library on 26 April 2022.

The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions is required to undertake an annual statutory review of benefits and pensions. She uses the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) in the year to September to measure inflation and average weekly earnings for the period May to July to measure earnings. The Office for National Statistics publish these figures in October.

The Secretary of State must increase certain benefits by at least the increase in prices or earnings. If she considers it appropriate, having regard to the national economic situation and any other matters which she considers relevant, she may increase others by such a percentage(s) as she thinks fit.

Her review will commence in the autumn and her decisions will be announced to Parliament in November in the normal way.

This year Government receipts are at a record high, and billions of pounds have rightly been announced in cost of living support. However, for those most in need—people on means-tested benefits—the support is somewhere between £1,000 and £1,200, which is roughly what they lost when the £20 universal credit uplift was withdrawn. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation has said that withdrawing the uplift would put half a million people into poverty. Citizens Advice has estimated that it has caused 2.3 million people to fall into debt. Times were tough during the covid crisis, but they are going to get tougher this year, so will the Minister look at the £20 that has been taken from universal credit, with a view to returning it by the time of the financial statement in the autumn?

The Secretary of State for Work is required by law to undertake an annual review of benefits and pensions, and Consumer Price Index in the year to September is the latest figure that she can use to allow sufficient time for the required legislative and operational changes before new rates can be introduced at the start of the new financial year.

All benefit up-rating since April 1987 has been based on the increase in the relevant price inflation index in the 12 months to the previous September.

The Secretary of State’s decisions regarding benefits and pensions uprating for this financial year were announced to Parliament on 25 November 2021. And the increase of 3.1% from April 2022 was debated and approved by both Houses of Parliament earlier this year.

No assessment has been made.

The Secretary of State undertakes an annual review of benefits and pensions, and the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) in the year to September this approach has been in place since 1987 is the latest figure that the Secretary of State can use to allow sufficient time for the required legislative and operational changes before new rates can be introduced at the start of the new financial year.

CPI has been the default inflation measure for the government’s statutory annual review of benefits since 2011.

CPI has a basket of goods and services that is relevant to pensioners and benefit recipients, is the target level of inflation used by the Bank of England and is an internationally recognised measure.

National Statistics on the number of children in low income are published annually in the “Households Below Average Income” publication. Latest statistics, covering up until 2020/21, on the number of children in low income in the UK can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1064433/hbai-summary-results.ods

The latest statistics show that in the UK in 2020/21 there were 200 thousand fewer children in absolute poverty, before housing costs, than in 2009/10.

This Government is committed to reducing child poverty and supporting all low-income families, and believes work is the best route out of poverty. With around 1.32 million vacancies across the UK our focus is firmly on supporting people into and to progress. Our multi-billion-pound Plan for Jobs, which has been expanded by £500 million, and Way to Work is a concerted drive across the UK to help half a million currently out of work people into jobs by the end of June 2022.

We are giving the lowest earners a pay rise by increasing the National Living Wage by 6.6% to £9.50 from April 2022, and making permanent changes to Universal Credit, worth £1000 a year on average, to two million in-work claimants.

We recognise that some people require additional support and from April, the government is providing an additional £500 million to help households with the cost of essentials, on top of what we have already provided since October 2021, bringing the total funding for this support to £1 billion.

The Secretary of State undertakes an annual review of benefits and pensions with reference to the Consumer Prices Index (CPI). All benefit up-rating since April 1987 has been based on the increase in the relevant price inflation index in the 12 months to the previous September. The relevant benefits are increasing by 3.1% from April.

The latest statistics on the number and proportion of children who are in low income families by local area, covering the seven years, 2014/15 to 2020/21, can be found in the annual publication: Children in low income families: local area statistics 2014 to 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). In the Birmingham, Yardley constituency 32.3% (9,058) of children were in families in absolute low income before housing costs in 2021.

With almost 1.32 million vacancies across the UK, our plan for tackling poverty is firmly focussed on supporting people to move into and progress in work. Our approach is based on clear evidence about the importance of parental employment - particularly where it is full-time – in substantially reducing the risks of child poverty and in improving long-term outcomes for families and children.

The latest statistics show that in the UK in 2020/21 there were 200,000 fewer children in absolute poverty, before housing costs, than in 2009/10 and 540,000 fewer children in workless households.

This plan includes our multi-billion-pound Plan for Jobs has been expanded by £500 million and Way to Work, which is a concerted drive across the UK to help half a million currently out of work people into jobs by the end of June 2022. We have recruited around 13,500 additional work coaches who are all trained to develop a detailed knowledge of their local labour market and to offer claimants the tailored support they need to take advantage of new opportunities wherever they live in the UK.

We recognise that some people require additional support and from April, the government is providing an additional £500 million to help households with the cost of essentials, on top of what we have already provided since October 2021, bringing the total funding for this support to £1 billion. Under the first round of funding, Birmingham City Council was allocated £12,791,135.04 of funding, and they are provisionally allocated the same amount again for the extension of the fund.

The increase in benefits is linked to the rate of inflation to September 2021 which is published in October. This is the latest date the Secretary of State can use to deliver the required legislative and operational changes before new rates can be introduced at the start of the following financial year.

The Secretary of State undertakes an annual review of benefits and pensions. CPI in the year to September (published by the Office for National Statistics in October) is the latest figure the Secretary of State can use to allow sufficient time for the required legislative and operational changes to be made before new rates can be introduced at the start of the new financial year.

All benefit up-rating since April 1987 has been based on the increase in the relevant price inflation index in the 12 months to the previous September, as happens now. Using the same benchmark every year ensures consistency over time, allowing uprating to balance out over a number of years.

For up-rating 2022/23 the Secretary of State announced the outcome of her annual review to Parliament on 25 November 2021 and from April 2022 benefits and pensions will increase by 3.1%.

No assessment has been made.

The latest statistics on the number and proportion of children who are in low income families by local area, covering the six years, 2014/15 to 2019/20, can be found in the annual publication: Children in low income families: local area statistics 2014 to 2020 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)(opens in a new tab).

This Government is committed to reducing child poverty and supporting all low-income families, and believes work is the best route out of poverty. In 2019/20, children in households where all adults were in work were around six times less likely to be in absolute poverty (before housing costs) than children in a household where nobody works.

We are giving the lowest earners a pay rise by increasing the National Living Wage by 6.6% to £9.50 from April 2022, and making permanent changes to Universal Credit, worth £1000 a year on average, to two million in-work claimants.

To support low income families further, we have increased the value of Healthy Start Food Vouchers to £4.25, helping eligible low income households buy basic foods like milk, fruit and vitamins. We are also investing over £200m a year from 2022, to continue our Holiday Activities and Food programme which is already providing enriching activities and healthy meals to children in all English Local Authorities. The Chancellor has extended the Household Support Fund to £1 billion to help vulnerable families.

There are currently no plans to use Office for National Statistics Household Cost Indices to up-rate Universal Credit. The Household Cost Indices to be published by Office for National Statistics in May are experimental statistics and still in development.

The Secretary of State undertakes an annual review of benefits and pensions, and the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) in the year to September this approach has been in place since 1987 is the latest figure that the Secretary of State can use to allow sufficient time for the required legislative and operational changes before new rates can be introduced at the start of the new financial year.

CPI has been the default inflation measure for the government’s statutory annual review of benefits since 2011.

CPI has a basket of goods and services that is relevant to pensioners and benefit recipients, is the target level of inflation used by the Bank of England and is an internationally recognised measure.

The increase in benefits is linked to the rate of inflation in September 2021 which is published in October. This is the latest figure that the Secretary of State can use to allow sufficient time for the required legislative and operational changes before new rates can be introduced at the start of the new financial year. Benefits and pensions will rise by 3.1% in April.

As a result of my Food Insecurity Bill, the family resources survey now reports on food insecurity. The survey found that one of the key reasons, even pre-pandemic, that people could not afford to eat was that benefits were grossly inadequate. Does the Secretary of State think that the pitiful 3.1% increase in benefits, when inflation will peak at 8%, is going to make people more or less able to afford to eat?

The Secretary of State undertakes an annual review of benefits and pensions based on the Consumer Prices Index (CPI), which measures inflation in the year to September.

UC standard allowances will be up-rated in April-22 in line with the September-21 CPI figure of 3.1%. A full list of how each UC element will be uprated can be found at: https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-9439/CBP-9439.pdf.

In 2022/23 spend on UC will be around £1.1bn higher because of the uprating of the UC standard allowances and various UC elements.

I refer the Hon. Member to my response to Parliamentary Question 126529 answered 25^th February 2022.

I refer the Hon. Member to my response to Parliamentary Question 127316 answered 25^th February 2022.

I refer the Hon. Member to my response to Parliamentary Question 127316 answered 25^th February 2022.

I refer the Hon. Member to my response to Parliamentary Question 126529 answered 25^th February 2022.