Oral Answers to Questions

Andrew Jones Excerpts

Monday 14th September 2020 Commons Chamber

[Will Quince]

I thank the hon. Lady for her question. The Department has an ongoing positive relationship with a range of food bank providers. It has regularly engaged with them throughout the coronavirus pandemic and will continue to do so. We quickly introduced welfare changes worth an additional £9.3 billion, and worked closely with other Government Departments on the cross-Government taskforce on food and other essential supplies. Further to my earlier answer, the hon. Lady will have to wait for future fiscal events where benefit rates are set.

[Andrew Jones (Harrogate and Knaresborough) (Con)]

Harrogate was one of the first areas to see a full pilot for universal credit, and we are the location for the legacy benefits managed migration trial. The pandemic has led to an increase in claim numbers, but the team performance really has risen to the challenge. Will the Minister tell me how he ensures that not just the operational capacity of our jobcentres is maintained, but that best practice is shared so that everybody works at the pace of the best?

[Will Quince]

My hon. Friend rightly pays tribute to the incredible team at Harrogate Jobcentre Plus. As he knows, we have seen a surge of over 3 million claims since mid-March, and I agree that UC has stood up to the challenge, with payment timeliness remaining high at over 90%. We will continue to closely monitor our services across the country and will continue to keep staff numbers under review. As he also knows, we have committed to doubling the number of work coaches.