Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in Romford are recipients of legacy benefits; how many of those people have made applications to transition to universal credit; and what steps her Department is taking to ensure that people are made aware of the transition to universal credit.

The data held for people in Romford who are on Legacy benefits is published at: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk. Data surrounding Universal Credit caseload growth at national, regional and constituency level is also published at: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk. Guidance for users is available at: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html. We do not centrally collate the number of claimants that have made a new claim to Universal Credit for claimants who move from existing legacy benefits, to Universal Credit.

Everyone who is required to move to Universal Credit will receive a migration notice informing them that they need to make a claim for Universal Credit. Customers will need to make a claim for Universal Credit within three months

The Department is committed to raising awareness among legacy benefit claimants of the transition to Universal Credit and helping them decide whether moving sooner would be right for them. The latest data estimates that 55%¹ of legacy claimants could be better off on Universal Credit. A national multi-channel advertising campaign launched in March. It targets tax credit customers and encourages them to use an independent benefits calculator and seek independent advice to find out if they could be better off and help them decide whether to move to Universal Credit voluntarily.

Following the publication of the Completing the Move to UC Strategy¹ and supporting analysis and case studies, the Department will work with stakeholder organisations to help raise awareness about voluntary moves across their networks.