Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the reasons for differing rates of home visits to universal credit applicants in different geographical areas; and if she will make a statement.

Home visits are available to support claimants in making and maintaining their Universal Credit claims. No assessment has been made regarding the differing rates of home visits in different geographical areas as home visits are given based solely on the circumstances of the claimant.

To ensure all claimants are supported, the Department has allocated additional funding for the home visiting service. This year we have allocated £1 million of funding for the home visiting service. For 2019/20 the total fund allocated will rise to just under £2 million, and will continue to increase to over £5.5 million per year by 2023/24, reflecting the increase in the total number of claimants of Universal Credit whether through managed migration or from other sources.