A Bill to equalise the amount of the standard allowance included in an award of universal credit to which a claimant who has left care is entitled with the amount of that allowance to which a claimant aged 25 or over is entitled; and for connected purposes.
House of Lords
18 September 2025
May contain errors — check source documents for definitive information.
This bill would equalise the standard Universal Credit monthly allowance for care leavers with the amount paid to claimants aged 25 or over, by inserting “or a care leaver” into the age rules and defining who counts as a care leaver. A care leaver is someone aged 16–24 who has been looked after by a local authority for at least 13 weeks and is not currently looked after. It includes transitional provisions, would start three months after passage, and applies in England, Wales and Scotland. The bill originated in the Lords and is now at the 1st reading in the Commons.
The Bill started in the Lords and has completed its Lords stages (1st, 2nd, Committee, and 3rd readings). It has now moved to the Commons, where it is at the 1st reading stage.
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14 Mar 2025
Third reading - the final chance for the Lords to change the bill - took place on 14 March and no further amendments were made.
What happens next?
The bill now goes to the Commons for consideration.
The Committee’s Second Report scrutinises several Bills but focuses on two with substantial delegated powers: the Product Regulation and Metrology Bill and the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Bill. It criticises the former for relying on “skeleton legislation” that would let Ministers shape most of the regulatory regime through regulations, with little justification or parliamentary scrutiny, and calls for those powers to be removed or reined in (affirmative scrutiny where appropriate). For the latter, it flags a Henry VIII-style power to repeal sections 30A and 30B and seeks clarification on its intended use, recommending that any retained repeal power be subject to proper parliamentary procedure. The other listed Bills were noted as not containing delegations requiring scrutiny.
The Bill amends the Universal Credit Regulations so care leavers are treated as eligible for the standard monthly allowance at the same level as those aged 25 or over, by inserting “or a care leaver” into the age-based rules. It defines a “care leaver” as someone aged 16–24 who has been looked after by a local authority for at least 13 weeks (including some time at ages 14–15) and who is not currently looked after. The Act includes transitional provisions, is subject to parliamentary procedure, comes into force three months after passage, and applies to England, Wales and Scotland.
No recorded votes for this bill yet.
