Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many (a) small, (b) micro and (c) large employers are signed up to the real-time information system for the purposes of universal credit; and how many claims for universal credit have been made through the real-time information system by December 2014.

Employers do not sign up to the HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) Real-Time Information (RTI) system specifically for the purposes of Universal Credit.

Claims to Universal Credit are made to DWP and the information provided by employers via RTI can be used for Universal Credit purposes as necessary.

It may be helpful to explain that since April 2013 the majority of employers have been required to report in real time, with virtually all schemes (1.9m) covering 48m employments now reporting through RTI.