Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether advance payments for Universal Credit are working.
Advances are available to all new claimants of Universal Credit. Our latest internal data shows around 60 percent of eligible new claims to Universal Credit received an advance in October 2018. Subject to some fluctuation, this rate of advance take up has been broadly consistent. This shows that claimants are being made aware of advances and that our advance system is being utilised so people get help when they need it.