Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make it her policy to collect data on the number of home visits being proactively offered to claimants of universal credit that have (a) a cancer diagnosis and (b) other health needs that would require a home visit; and if she will make a statement.

The Department are continuously reviewing and improving the service for vulnerable people, including those with a cancer diagnosis, who need to claim Universal Credit to ensure that it is supportive and responsive to their needs.

Where claimants are unable to make or manage their Universal Credit claim online, telephone and face to face support in Jobcentres is available. Our staff already have the flexibility to respond to, or proactively suggest, that a home visit may be the best method of providing relevant support. The Department is committed to delivering what is right for a person’s circumstances and will conduct home visits when they are appropriate, recognising they are an important tool for those people with complex needs.