Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what measures are in place to support claimants receiving employment and support allowance in their transition to universal credit.

Once passed, our managed migration regulations will ensure that anyone we move onto Universal Credit, without a change of circumstance, will have their existing benefit entitlement safeguarded. As part of this we will also be providing on-going protection for 500,000 claimants receiving the Severe Disability Premium.

Earlier this month, we announced a new partnership with Citizens Advice and Citizens Advice Scotland to deliver a new approach to Universal Support, initially up to March 2020. Our new partnership will ensure that all those who need to make a claim and need extra support can access it.

Our focus is always on safeguarding claimants and ensuring a smooth transition with uninterrupted support. Our plans, under discussion with stakeholders, already include a mechanism to ensure that, before the existing benefits are stopped, agents will check for evidence of complex needs or vulnerability or disability to safeguard these claimants.