Written Question·Department for Work and Pensions·UIN 117569
Universal Credit: Cost of Living
Tabled: 3 March 2026
Answered: 17 March 2026
Question
Margaret Mullane
Labour — Dagenham and Rainham
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of commissioning independent advice on the cost of essentials when setting the rate of the Universal Credit Standard Allowance.
Answer
Sir Stephen TimmsThe Government has taken important steps to improve the support available to help people with the cost of essentials. The Universal Credit Act will deliver the first sustained above inflation rise in the standard allowance of Universal Credit since it was...
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