Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what criteria her Department is using to assess whether the roll-out phase of universal credit is successful.

The roll-out of Universal Credit Full Service began in May 2016. Since then, 235 jobcentres have successfully gone live with the Full Service.

Universal Credit is all about getting people into work and, for those already in work, increasing their income through more work. Research shows that Universal Credit is working and people are 4% more likely to find work within the first six months than under Jobseeker’s Allowance. In addition Universal Credit claimants spent around 50% more time looking for a job than they did under Jobseeker’s Allowance, and 86% of people on Universal Credit were actively looking to increase their hours, compared to just 38% of people on Jobseeker’s Allowance.

Further information on the labour market impacts of Universal Credit can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/643952/understanding-how-universal-credit-influences-employment-behaviour.pdf