Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has made an estimate of the additional costs incurred by (a) Wirral Council and (b) advice agencies in Wirral as a result of the roll-out of universal credit.

We work closely with local authorities to support them through the delivery of Universal Credit, and this includes providing additional funding to cover any costs where they can be evidenced and verified. For 2018/19 we have provided Wirral Council with £113,154, an increase of 8.5% on their 2017/18 funding of £104,331.

We do not hold data on additional costs for other agencies. However, we are working closely with many advice agencies and we continue to listen and respond to their concerns and implement changes through the design and development of Universal Credit. We also provide funding through local authorities to deliver Universal Support services to help claimants with the transition to Universal Credit.