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Business without Debate

Volume 716: debated on Tuesday 21 June 2022

Delegated LegislatioN

With the leave of the House, we shall take motions 2 and 3 together.

Motion made, and Question put forthwith (Standing Order No. 118(6)),

Local Government

That the draft Local Government (Exclusion of Non-commercial Considerations) (England) Order 2022, which was laid before this House on 25 May, be approved.

Energy

That the draft Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (Amendment) Regulations 2022, which were laid before this House on 11 May, be approved.—(Marcus Jones.)

Question agreed to.

Committees

With the leave of the House, we will take motions 4 and 5 together.

Ordered,

Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee

That Matt Vickers be discharged from the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee and Sara Britcliffe be added.

Petitions Committee

That Katherine Fletcher be discharged from the Petitions Committee and Scott Benton be added.—(Sir Bill Wiggin, on behalf of the Committee of Selection.)

Petition

Universal Credit Deductions

Many of my constituents in the Carmyle area have been in touch to raise awareness of research from the Child Poverty Action Group that shows that approximately 5,000 households in the constituency claiming universal credit are receiving on average £58 less each month. That affects 4,400 children in Glasgow East, including in Carmyle.

The petition states:

The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urge the Government to reduce Universal Credit deductions and allow families to access more of their Universal Credit award.

Following is the full text of the petition:

[The petition of residents of the constituency of Glasgow East,

Notes that analysis by CPAG shows that in the constituency of Glasgow East there are approximately 5,000 households claiming Universal Credit who are receiving on average £58 less each month than they are entitled to because of automatic deductions; declares that these deductions affect an estimated 4,400 children; further that immediate changes to universal credit deductions must be made in order to allow families to access more of their universal credit award, which will in turn ease the pressures of the cost of living crisis on struggling families; further that having to repay a universal credit advance which sustains claimants through the five week wait for the first universal credit payment, is the most common reason for a deduction; further that every month, families across the east end of Glasgow lose a total of £153,000 from their UC payments to service advance debts to the DWP; further that a further £31,238 is paid by UC claimants to HMRC for historic tax credit overpayments; further that the British Government should reduce the maximum deduction rate for government debts to 5 per cent of the UC standard allowance, in line with other creditors; further that the British Government should also reduce the cumulative level of deductions taken from peoples’ benefits from the current 25 per cent down to 15 per cent, and further that this cost-neutral intervention would provide up to £53 more a month for a couple and up to £33 more a month for a single person or lone parent.

The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urge the Government to reduce Universal Credit deductions and allow families to access more of their Universal Credit award.

And the petitioners remain, etc.]

[P002738]