Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people of what nationality claiming an out of work benefit are not UK citizens; and what the cost to the public purse is of such benefits.

The Department does not hold data on the current nationality of all those claiming benefits. DWP policy responsibility lies in establishing a customer’s eligibility to claim benefits. For non-UK / Irish citizens, an individual’s specific nationality does not play a role in this and the Department therefore does not consistently collect nationality information at the point of benefit claim.