Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent steps her Department has taken to ensure that new universal credit claimants are paid on time.

Processing Universal Credit claims and ensuring people are paid quickly is a key priority for the Department; our latest data shows over 90% of new claimants have received their payments on time and in full.

There have been over 3 million Universal Credit claims made since mid-March and there are currently 5.6 million people on Universal Credit. Universal Credit has clearly stood up to the challenges associated with the surge in claims following the outbreak of COVID-19, demonstrating scalability and resilience are part of its design. Millions more are able to access welfare which is fairer and more generous than the legacy benefit system.

The Department will continue to closely monitor its services across the country as we double the number of work coaches in Jobcentres before the end of the financial year, to strengthen our employment support offer through our ‘Plan for Jobs’.