Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the implementation in parts of Northern Ireland of universal credit; and if she will make a statement.

The Department for Communities in Northern Ireland has responsibility for the delivery of Universal Credit in Northern Ireland, which it does with the support of DWP and the Universal Credit Programme.

Universal Credit has been introduced in Northern Ireland for new claims on a phased geographical basis by post code groups aligned to front office locations. This process started from September 2017.