Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the evidential basis is for her oral contribution of 11 February 2018, Official Report, column 594, that food bank use had increased in the initial roll-out of Universal Credit because people had difficulty in accessing money on time; and if she will make a statement.

The proportion of new claims to Universal Credit Full Service receiving full payment on time in January 2017 was 55%. Since then Waiting Days have been abolished, advances increased from 50% to 100% and a two week run on of housing benefit was introduced. Latest figures for full payment on time in the first assessment period for November 2018 show an increase to 86% from the 55% recorded in January 2017.

Between 2017 and 2018, the number of people making a claim to Universal Credit rose by 132%. Trussell Trust data for the same period shows an increase in the number of foodbank parcels issued to Universal Credit claimants of 90%. So while there may have been difficulties in early 2017, what we may be observing now is a substitution effect as legacy claims are replaced by Universal Credit claims, rather than an increase directly attributing to Universal Credit.