Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the number of advance payments that have been applied for as a result of the roll-out of universal credit.

Applications for a Universal Credit advance can be made in a number of ways: in person, by telephone and also online. To identify and collate the total number of applications made would incur disproportionate cost.

Advances are available to all Universal Credit claimants who need them as part of a package of support to manage their transition to Universal Credit. Also, as promised last November, following the Autumn Budget, we have now introduced new functionality for advances to be claimed through a claimant’s online Universal Credit account.