Written Answers to Questions - Northern Ireland Assembly

Friday 20 July 2012 Written Answers
Passported Benefits
Mr McCallister asked the Minister for Social Development for an update on (i) the consultative
forum established to consider the issues of passported benefits; and (ii) the Social Security Advisory
Committee established to carry out a review of the implications of a change to passported benefits.
(AQW 13604/11-15)
Mr McCausland:
(i) The Universal Credit consultative forum provides the opportunity for senior officials to consider
and advise on cross departmental policy issues arising from the introduction of Universal Credit.
This includes reviewing potential eligibility criteria and the technical solutions required to deliver
specific passported benefits.
Via the consultative forum, my department has facilitated the analysis of potential costs and the
impact on entitlement of identified demographics. This analysis will assist affected departments
to determine the eligibility criteria that Ministers may choose to apply to the specific passported
benefits for which they are responsible.
(ii) The Social Security Advisory Committee was commissioned to complete a review of passported
benefits in Great Britain and how they would interact with Universal Credit. At my request, this
review was subsequently extended to include Northern Ireland. All departments that currently
deliver passported benefits in Northern Ireland, and a number of customer representative groups,
responded to the consultation. A report detailing the Committee’s findings was published on 27
March 2012.
The report provided an analysis of current delivery across the UK and highlighted various
methodologies that could be adopted for determining eligibility to the major passported benefits
alongside the advantages and disadvantages of the detailed options. The report has been useful to
inform discussions on the eligibility and delivery of passported benefits in Northern Ireland.
Universal Credit
Mr McCallister asked the Minister for Social Development for his assessment of the projected
additional uptake of benefits through Universal Credit, due to the simplifications which will be
introduced to the rules governing the new benefit.
(AQW 13605/11-15)
Mr McCausland: It is estimated that up to 46,000* households will be newly taking up or taking up
more benefit as a direct result of Universal Credit. This is due to changes in entitlement, increases in
take-up, and the integrated nature of the Universal Credit system.
This figure is made up of three main groups:
■ Cases who were not entitled to current system benefits but are entitled and take up Universal
Credit. For example in work, claimants aged under 25 who are not currently eligible for Working
Tax Credits but will be eligible for Universal Credit.
■ Cases who are entitled to current system benefits but do not take up any of their entitlement to
these benefits in the current system, who are then expected to claim Universal Credit when it is
introduced, due to an increase in entitlement or a simpler claim process.
■ Cases who take up less than their full entitlement to current system benefits, but will receive the
full amount of Universal Credit they are entitled to due to the integrated system. For example, a
claimant may be entitled to Income Support and Housing Benefit but only claim Income Support.
Under Universal Credit, a claimant will be assessed for all the elements at one time and will
automatically receive the Housing Element if they are entitled to it.
* Source of information: Northern Ireland version of the Department for Work and Pensions Policy Simulation
Model.
WA 630