Mike Crockart – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mike Crockart on 2014-03-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what consultation his Department has had with groups representing separated parents on steps to ensure universal credit makes shared parenting a financially viable option for parents who do not have family-based financial arrangements in place.

Esther McVey

Currently the child element will be awarded to the parent with whom the child or qualifying young person normally lives. Where separated parents both share the care of a child or qualifying young person they are expected to jointly nominate which of them has the main responsibility.

Where parents are unable to come to an agreement themselves, a determination will be made. This will take account of where the child normally lives and who has the main day to day responsibility.

The proposed approach to Universal Credit was set out in a White Paper "Universal Credit: Welfare that Works" and in draft Regulations upon which a wide range of organisations responded to in the consultation exercise carried out by the Social Security Advisory Committee.