Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many errors there were in the processing of universal credit applications in (a) the UK, (b) London and (c) Bethnal Green and Bow in 2018-19.

The Department is committed to ensuring we are paying the right people the right amount of Universal Credit. We published a ‘Fraud and error in the benefit system: financial year 2018 to 2019 estimates’ report in May 2019 and this includes information and data across benefit types, including Universal Credit. It can be accessed online using the link below.

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/fraud-and-error-in-the-benefit-system-financial-year-2018-to-2019-estimates

Nationally, our latest published data shows that consistently around 85 per cent of new Universal Credit claimants are being paid in full and on time.

In the vast majority of cases, where full payment is not made on time, it is due to unresolved issues such as: claimants not accepting their Claimant Commitment or passing identity checks, or having outstanding verification issues, such as housing costs and self-employed earnings. Verification is a necessary part of any benefits system, and taxpayers expect these measures to be in place.