Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to universal credit claimant feedback in the file entitled 54. I - Paper BTL02 – UC Claimants: In Their Own Words, reviewed by the Universal Credit Programme Board at its meeting on 21 March 2019, whether she plans to make an assessment of the potential merits of the provision of non-digital options for people to manage their universal credit claims.

For those claimants who are unable to access or use our digital services, there is already assistance available to make and maintain their Universal Credit claim using the Freephone Universal Credit helpline.

Throughout the pandemic, Jobcentres have remained open for anyone who needed face-to-face support and could not be helped in any other way. Since 12 April 2021, Jobcentres in England and Wales have resumed full face to face services, returning to normal opening hours from 9am to 5pm. Jobcentres in Scotland have restarted the same full face to face service since 26 April 2021. All Jobcentre Plus offices across the country have Wi-Fi and computers available for claimants to access the internet.