PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Universal Credit: Children (28 August 2020)

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many universal credit applications her Department has received from claimants citing that a third or subsequent child was conceived as a result of rape in each year since 2015; and how many of those applications were received in (a) each UK region and nation and (b) the Pontypridd constituency in each of those years.

Asked by:
Alex Davies-Jones (Labour)

The policy to provide support for a maximum of two children was implemented in 2017. Statistics related to the policy, by nation, was published in July 2020 and can be accessed at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/child-tax-credit-and-universal-credit-claimants-statistics-related-to-the-policy-to-provide-support-for-a-maximum-of-2-children-april-2020

The table below provides data on the Number of Households Exempt from the policy to provide support for a maximum of two children due to Non-Consensual Conception, at April 2019 and April 2020.

Apr-20	Apr-19
East Midlands	20	10
East of England	30	10
London	50	10
North East	10	10
North West	50	10
South East	40	10
South West	20	10
West Midlands	50	20
Yorkshire and The Humber	30	10
Scotland	30	10
Wales	20	0
TOTAL (GB)	360	90

Notes:

1. Regional information is only available for approximately 97% of data
2. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10
3. A number of households have exemptions in more than one category. They are counted once in each appropriate category and only once in the total

Due to Statistical disclosure controls data is not available for 2018 or at constituency level, to avoid the release of confidential data.

Answered by:
Will Quince (Conservative)
3 September 2020