Source · Select Committees · Work and Pensions Committee
Recommendation 12
12
Rejected
Paragraph: 66
The evidence we received was overwhelmingly in favour of some form of initial, non-repayable payment...
Recommendation
The evidence we received was overwhelmingly in favour of some form of initial, non-repayable payment for new Universal Credit claimants. That would give new claimants the money they need for basic living essentials like food and heating, without requiring them to repay a debt to the Department from their future Universal Credit payments. We agree that new claimants should receive a form of Universal Credit: the wait for a first payment 79 “starter payment” when they first apply for Universal Credit. But we heard a wide range of proposals for how such payments should work and the level at which they should be set.
Government response summary AI-generated
The government discusses existing repayable Advances for financial support, the Breathing Space scheme, and increased funding for debt advice, but does not commit to the recommended non-repayable 'starter payment'.
Paragraph Reference:
66
Government Response
The government responded to this report on 12 January 2021. No passage in that response could be matched to this conclusion. Read the response document ↗