Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Eligibility Verification Notices the Department for Work and Pensions plans to issue during the initial test-and-learn phase.

The Department is currently in a test-and-learn phase and does not have a fixed target for the number of Eligibility Verification Notices (EVNs) to be issued during this period. The Department can confirm that the first EVN has been issued, and it is expected that further EVNs will be issued during the test-and-learn phase.

However, before issuing an Eligibility Verification Notice, the Department must be satisfied that doing so is necessary and proportionate and the Department must complete a necessity and proportionality assessment before an EVN can be issued to a financial institution.