Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the report, Rolling out Universal Credit, published by the National Audit Office on 15 June 2018, what data her Department collects on the additional cost incurred by local authorities in relation to the implementation of universal credit.

The DWP provides local authorities with New Burdens funding to take account of additional costs. Furthermore, local authorities are invited to provide the Department with data as evidence of additional costs in excess of those already covered by New Burdens and Universal Support funding.

In 2017/18 the DWP paid £13m in New Burdens funding. On top of this, 67 Local authorities received a total of £4.7m in extra payments to recognise additional costs in the early stages of roll out. The DWP has paid £14m in New Burden funding for 2018/19.