Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Answer of 23 November to Question 191872, how many people receiving universal credit who do not have a bank account are paid through (a) a Post Office Card account, (b) someone else's bank account, (c) the Government's payment exception service and (d) other means; and what those other means are.

Payment into a bank, building society or credit union is the preferred way for Universal Credit to be paid. This reflects the notion of Universal Credit mirroring the world of work. For example, an employer would usually require a bank account for a salary to be paid into. The Post Office card account and the Government Payment Exception Service cannot be used for the receipt of wages and have no direct debit facility to support payment of housing costs and other bills.

In April 2018 3,211 claims were receiving payments in to a Post Office Card Account and 15 claims were receiving payments via the Government Payment Exception Service method.

In addition, there are a number of claimants receiving payments into another individual’s bank account but it is not possible to disaggregate this information from a wider dataset which includes, for example, accounts held in a person’s maiden name.