Asked by: Ben Coleman (Labour - Chelsea and Fulham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment has been made of the risk of harm, including financial hardship, distress, or loss of income, which may arise from the Universal Credit migration process.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department for Work and Pensions is committed to ensuring that the transition to Universal Credit works as smoothly and safely as possible for all individuals, including for disabled people.
Customers moving from DWP legacy benefits or Housing Benefit continue to receive their legacy benefits for two weeks following their move to Universal Credit to smooth the transition from fortnightly to monthly payments. Customers who under Universal Credit are entitled to a lower amount of benefit will have their current cash award transitionally protected at the higher award.
To support customers to make a claim to Universal Credit, we have put in place additional support arrangements for customers that face additional challenges. This includes:
These measures are part of our broader commitment to equality and inclusion, ensuring that no one is disadvantaged in accessing the support they are entitled to.
Asked by: Ben Coleman (Labour - Chelsea and Fulham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what protections are in place for claimants with disabilities during the Universal Credit migration process.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department for Work and Pensions is committed to ensuring that the transition to Universal Credit works as smoothly and safely as possible for all individuals, including for disabled people.
Customers moving from DWP legacy benefits or Housing Benefit continue to receive their legacy benefits for two weeks following their move to Universal Credit to smooth the transition from fortnightly to monthly payments. Customers who under Universal Credit are entitled to a lower amount of benefit will have their current cash award transitionally protected at the higher award.
To support customers to make a claim to Universal Credit, we have put in place additional support arrangements for customers that face additional challenges. This includes:
These measures are part of our broader commitment to equality and inclusion, ensuring that no one is disadvantaged in accessing the support they are entitled to.
Asked by: Ben Coleman (Labour - Chelsea and Fulham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how reasonable adjustments are assessed and implemented for disabled claimants undergoing migration to Universal Credit.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department for Work and Pensions is committed to ensuring that the migration to Universal Credit works as smoothly as possible for all individuals, including those with disabilities. We recognise that some claimants may require additional support to make and maintain their claim, and we provide a range of reasonable adjustments and tailored support in line with the Equality Act 2010.
Migration notices are issued in the appropriate format to meet any accessibility needs recorded for the customer on the legacy benefit system, such as braille, large print, British Sign Language (BSL), or email. Once a Universal Credit claim is made, customers can update their accessibility preferences directly through their online account.
For those who require additional support, the Department offers an Enhanced Support Journey to ensure legacy benefits do not end before a UC claim is completed. This includes proactive contact and, where necessary, home visits. Alternative channels are also available for claimants unable to use the online service, including telephone claims, face-to-face support in Jobcentres, and Video Relay Services for BSL users. Broader support needs—such as cognitive impairments or safeguarding requirements—are recorded and made visible to Work Coaches, Case Managers, and Visiting Officers to ensure tailored assistance throughout the migration process.
We also fund the Help to Claim service, delivered by Citizens Advice and Citizens Advice Scotland, which provides independent, practical support from the point of application through to the first correct payment. Where a claimant cannot manage their own claim, they can give explicit consent for Universal Credit to speak with a third party or appoint an appointee to formally manage the claim.
These measures form part of our broader commitment to equality and inclusion, ensuring that no one is disadvantaged in accessing the support they are entitled to.
Asked by: Ben Coleman (Labour - Chelsea and Fulham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the answer of 1 December to Question 94595, how many current Access to Work applications which have been allocated for an assessment are there for people identified as living with a (a) form of arthritis and (b) a musculoskeletal condition.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department does not hold data on the number of Access to Work applications allocated for assessment for people identified as living with (a) a form of arthritis or (b) a musculoskeletal condition. While the health condition is recorded on the customer’s record to ensure appropriate support is awarded this information is not collated for reporting purposes. Determining these figures would require a manual review of individual applications, which would incur a disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Ben Coleman (Labour - Chelsea and Fulham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment his Department has made of the readiness of the replacement digital service for the new Jobs and Careers Service.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department is working to ensure the new Jobs and Careers Service is delivered on schedule. The Department continues to engage with stakeholders and will communicate changes in a timely manner.
Asked by: Ben Coleman (Labour - Chelsea and Fulham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans his Department has to use AI-powered job-matching tools developed by the private sector to run the new digital service behind the new Jobs and Careers Service.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department for Work and Pensions is committed to reforming the Jobs and Careers Service to better support jobseekers and employers. The Department continues to monitor market innovations and will leverage the right technology, including AI, to deliver improved outcomes for citizens. Use of AI would be subject to rigorous assessment, procurement in line with government regulations, and alignment with the Department’s responsible AI framework.
Asked by: Ben Coleman (Labour - Chelsea and Fulham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the level of spending required to develop and run in-house the replacement digital service for the new Jobs and Careers Service.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
This information is not available at this time. The Jobs and Careers Service Programme is still being designed.
When the Business Case has His Majesty’s Treasury approval, an executive summary will be published in line with current practice.
Asked by: Ben Coleman (Labour - Chelsea and Fulham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the cost of ending the existing Find a Job digital service and transitioning to a new in-house replacement digital service for the new Jobs and Careers Service.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The full contract for running the Find a job and Disability Confident services includes exit fees, and is available online at: Find a Job Service extension - Find a Tender - GOV.UK
Asked by: Ben Coleman (Labour - Chelsea and Fulham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people living with a (a) form of arthritis and (b) musculoskeletal condition are waiting for a decision on their Access to Work claim.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department does not hold data on the number of individuals living with (a) a form of arthritis or (b) a musculoskeletal condition who are currently awaiting a decision on their Access to Work claim. Health conditions are only identified once an application has been allocated for assessment.
Asked by: Ben Coleman (Labour - Chelsea and Fulham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the accessibility of the Access to Work application process for people with (a) learning disabilities, (b) mental health conditions and (c) neurodivergent needs; and what steps his Department is taking to simplify the process.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
As part of the application process for Access to Work, we encourage individuals to provide as much information about their circumstances as possible, to help us understand how best to offer support which is tailored to their needs.
There is a variety of accessible contact methods which customers can utilise when making applications. These include telephone, textphone, Video Relay Service and email as a reasonable adjustment. Where a customer would like to use email to contact the department as a reasonable adjustment, they should let the Access to Work team know so the Case Manager can follow the appropriate procedure to ensure we can try to accommodate the request. Details can be found at Access to Work: factsheet for customers - GOV.UK
We will be reviewing all aspects of the Scheme now that the consultation has closed.