Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made on the preparedness of her Department to (a) process a potential increase in the number of universal credit applications and (b) provide support to those applicants in an adequate time frame in the event of an increase in unemployment as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.

The Department continues to keep the services it provides to customers and the resources to support that service under review: this includes our response to the effect of COVID-19 on the labour market.

We are rapidly making provision, in line with public health guidance, for jobseekers to be offered face-to-face appointments with our work coaches, as we re-open our jobcentres across the country.

We have already committed to the doubling of the number of work coaches, the majority of these [13500] roles will be new posts.

The ‘Job Finding Support’ online service will provide tailored support for those who have lost their job to improve their employability, as well as skill-matching them with employers.