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Select Committee · Work and Pensions Committee

Benefit levels in the UK

Status: Closed Opened: 30 Mar 2023 Closed: 23 May 2024 11 recommendations 8 conclusions 2 reports

In our July 2022 report, The cost of living , we heard evidence which suggested that a root cause of the financial challenges households faced “lay in the fundamental inadequacy of social security support”. We therefore recommended that the Government should “review the adequacy of benefit levels and publish its findings”. The Government responded that …

Clear

Reports

2 reports
Title HC No. Published Items Response
Second Report - Benefit levels in the UK HC 142 21 Mar 2024 19 Responded
EasyRead Report - Benefit levels in the UK — 21 Mar 2024 0 —

Recommendations & Conclusions

2 items
11 Conclusion Second Report - Benefit levels in the UK Acknowledged

Government decisions to uprate working-age benefits and Local Housing Allowance welcomed.

We welcome the Government’s decision to take a consistent decision and uprate all working-age benefits for 2024–25 by the September 2023 CPI inflation rate of 6.7%. We also welcome the Chancellor’s announcement in the 2023 Autumn Statement that Local Housing Allowance rates will be reset at the 30th percentile of …

Government response. The government acknowledged and noted the committee's welcome for its decision to uprate working-age benefits and reset Local Housing Allowance rates.
Department for Work and Pensions
17 Recommendation Second Report - Benefit levels in the UK Acknowledged

Make a commitment to annually uprate Local Housing Allowance to retain its 30th percentile value.

The evidence is clear that support for housing costs cannot be viewed in isolation from wider support provided through other benefits. When and if claimants experience a shortfall in rent, this can impact other parts of household budgeting and erode income otherwise intended for daily living costs. The Government should …

Government response. The government made a vague commitment, stating the Secretary of State has committed to reviewing Local Housing Allowance rates annually, taking into account local rents and the broader fiscal context, but not explicitly committing to annual uprating at the 30th …
Department for Work and Pensions

Oral evidence sessions

7 sessions
Date Witnesses
6 Dec 2023 Katherine Green · Department for Work and Pensions, Katie Farrington · Department for Work and Pensions, Rt Hon Mel Stride · Department for Work and Pensions View ↗
13 Sep 2023 Adam Butler · StepChange, Brian Dow · Rethink Mental Illness, Duncan Shrubsole · Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales, Emily Holzhausen OBE · Carers UK, Jane Tully · Money Advice Trust, Katherine Hill, Tom Pollard · New Economics Foundation View ↗
19 Jul 2023 Andrew Harrop · Fabian Society, Céline Jaeggy · UNEDIC, Emily Farchy · Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Iain Mansfield · Policy Exchange, Kristoffer Lundberg · Ministry of Health and Social Affairs, Sweden, Mike Brewer · Resolution Foundation, Rebecca Deegan · Association of British Insurers View ↗
28 Jun 2023 Balbir Chatrik · Centrepoint, Ben Beadle · National Residential Landlords' Association, Ben Twomey · Generation Rent, Dr Carin Tunåker · University of Kent, Francesca Albanese · Crisis, Prof Peter Kemp · Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford, Sheila Haig · City of Edinburgh Council, Timothy Douglas · Propertymark View ↗
14 Jun 2023 Deven Ghelani · Policy in Practice, Dr Stephen Brien · Social Security Advisory Committee, Matthew Oakley · Social Metrics Commission, Peter Whiteford · Crawford School of Public Policy, The Australian National University, Rt Hon Sir Iain Duncan Smith MP View ↗
17 May 2023 Ciara Fitzpatrick · Northern Ireland Cliff Edge Coalition, David Stickland · Benefits Training Company, Dr Steffan Evans · Bevan Foundation, James Taylor · Scope, Ken Butler · Disability Rights UK, Kirsty McHugh · Carers Trust UK, Professor Stephen Sinclair · Scottish Poverty and Inequality Research Unit (SPIRU), Tom Lee · Child Poverty Action Group View ↗
8 Mar 2023 Ashwin Kumar · Manchester Metropolitan University, Donald Hirsch · abrdn Financial Fairness Trust, Iain Porter · Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Nicholas Timmins · Institute for Government, Peter Kelly · The Poverty Alliance, Robert Joyce · Institute for Fiscal Studies, Ryan Shorthouse · Bright Blue View ↗

Correspondence

4 letters
DateDirectionTitle
21 Feb 2024 — Correspondence with the Secretary of State relating to Benefit levels in the UK
14 Dec 2023 — Correspondence with the Secretary of State relating to Benefit levels in the UK
15 Nov 2023 — Correspondence with the Secretary of State relating to benefit deductions
25 Oct 2023 — Correspondence to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and the Chancell…