Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to his Statement of 13 October 2014, Official Report, column 18WS, on universal credit, when the last claim for legacy benefits or tax credits will be accepted.

As has already been announced, the current business case assumes for planning purposes that the last new claims to legacy benefits will be accepted during 2017.

Following this the stock of remaining legacy claims will progressively decline, and the Department will migrate the remaining claims to Universal Credit. Should there be no change in the labour market outlook or the pace at which claims are migrated, the current business case assumes for planning purposes the bulk of this exercise will be complete by 2019.

Universal Credit is being implemented in a safe and secure manner using a test and learn approach. Taking this approach has allowed us to accelerate our plans for national roll-out of Universal Credit to all Jobcentres and Local Authorities from February 2015, and will deliver £7 billion in economic benefits per year.