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 (a) universal credit and (b) the roll-out of that benefit.

Universal Credit is now the main system of working age welfare support across the country. It is available in every Jobcentre, with a caseload of 2.8 million claimants, growing every month, now able to access the additional support and flexibilities it offers. This includes more help with childcare costs, a dedicated Work Coach and scrapping of the 16, 24 and 30 hours ‘cliff edges’. It will provide an extra £2.1bn a year to claimants once fully implemented and millions of people who move to Universal Credit from legacy benefits will be better off, including around a million disabled households who will gain on average around £100 per month.

Universal Credit claimants receive tailored support to ensure they get the right help to find work and increase their earnings. It is supporting the wider labour market which has a record number of people in work at 32.9 million – up by over 3.8 million since 2010.