DWP Central Freedom of Information Team
e-mail: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxx.xxx.
gov.uk
Annex A
Our Re
f: VTR 1768
29/5/15
Dear JG Colgan,
Thank you for your Freedom of Information (FoI) request received on 28 April 2015. You
asked:
In a recent television interview between the (current) Prime Minister (Mr D Cameron)
and Mr David Marr, The PM stated there was a "Hardship Fund" available for claimants
in severe financial difficulties.
Please advise
1: if this is a Central Gov't administered fund?
2: What are the eligibility criteria?
3 : Who is not allowed to claim this?
4: Total number of applicants for the past 5 years.
5: Total number of successful applicants during past 5 years
6: Total number of unsuccessful applicants and sub grouped into totals of Reason for
Rejection?
Is there a similar hardship benefit administered by Local Councils and what are the
qualifying criteria?
There is no single central government ‘hardship fund’ as such – instead there are various
sources of support depending on the claimant’s needs and circumstances that together offer
help to those in ‘hardship’. Support includes:
Hardship
payments
Hardship
loans
Social Fund budgeting loans
The Regulated Social Fund – Cold weather payments, Funeral payments etc
UC
Budgeting
Advances
UC
Benefit
Advances
Legacy benefit Short Term Benefit Advances
Local Authority/Devolved Administration local support
Since 2013 local authorities and the devolved administrations of Scotland and Wales have
been responsible for providing local support for vulnerable people in their areas. Each area will
have their own eligibility criteria so questions about the support provided should be directed to
the relevant local authority and devolved administration.
For hardship payments specifically, there is a centrally administered fund for Universal Credit,
Job Seeker’s Allowance (JSA) and Employment Seeker’s Allowance (ESA). The detailed
eligibility criteria are set out in the publically available links below:
JSA:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/410846/dmgch3
5.pdf
ESA: (para 53095 onwards)
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/411107/dmgch5
3.pdf
UC:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/372080/adml1.p
df
Data on JSA awards was last published in September 2012 which stated "the number of
hardship awards made between April 2011 and March 2012 was about 64,000"
(https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/222972/hardshi
p_adhoc_2011_2012.pdf). A commitment was made to publish updated figures in May 2015
during the Work and Pensions Select Committee review of sanctions in February 2015.
Yours sincerely,
DWP Central FoI Team
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