Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to paragraph 13 of the summary of the National Audit Office report, Universal credit: progress update, published on 26 November 2014, what contingency plans are in place to cover the £2.8 billion additional staff cost necessary to roll-out the current service for universal credit if the digital service is delayed.

As the NAO report makes clear, the £2.8bn figure is not a realistic assessment of the costs of running Universal Credit on a completely rolled out basis. Contingency plans are developed on an ongoing basis as part of the programme’s approach to integrated planning and risk management. The plans which cover all key areas of programme development and delivery are regularly assessed and refreshed as part of our ongoing governance of the Programme.