Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if her Department will make it its policy to collect data on what sectors Universal Credit claimants work in, including the number of claimants who are (a) gainfully self-employed and (2) in the start-up period.

The Department does not routinely collect data on the sectors in which Universal Credit claimants work, including self-employed work. However, we are currently exploring what additional information we could collect to help Work Coaches support claimants in their search for work.