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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2015-12-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to his Department’s report, Universal Credit Extended Gateway Evaluation, published on 6 December 2015, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the report’s finding on page 13, that 37 per cent of people claiming universal credit felt that their claimant commitment took account of their personal circumstances.

Priti Patel

The report shows that 85% of people claiming Universal Credit thought the Claimant Commitment took into account all or some of their personal circumstances. Of that, 37% thought that all of the requirements in their Claimant Commitment took into account their personal circumstances and an additional 48% felt that some of the requirements of their claimant commitment took their personal circumstances into account.

Universal Credit is having a positive impact on claimants’ movements into work. Other recently published research, ‘Estimating the Early Labour Market Impacts of Universal Credit’, demonstrates that UC has a substantial impact on the chances of people moving into work after they make a new claim. UC claimants were 8 percentage points more likely to get a job within 270 days of claiming than equivalent new claims to JSA made at the same time in similar areas by similar individuals.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2015-12-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to his Department’s report, Universal Credit Extended Gateway Evaluation, published on 6 December 2015, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the report’s finding on page 39, that participants in the study who were claiming universal credit were more flexible regarding the type of work they would consider at the outset than people claiming jobseeker’s allowance.

Priti Patel

The research finding that Universal Credit claimants appeared to be more flexible regarding the type of work they would consider is broadly consistent with other findings from the same research report that indicate that UC claimants are more engaged with the labour market than their JSA counterparts. UC claimants are spending longer on job search per week, and Universal Credit appears to be driving more active labour market behaviour, resulting in better labour market outcomes.

The key finding from another recently published report entitled, ‘Estimating the Early Labour Market Impacts of Universal Credit’, is that UC has a substantial impact on the chances of people moving into work after they make a new claim. UC claimants were 8 percentage points more likely to get a job within 270 days of claiming than equivalent new claims to JSA made at the same time in similar areas by similar individuals.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2015-12-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reasons the six pilot areas for Universal Support Delivered Locally were selected for an additional six months extension from September 2015.

Priti Patel

Following discussions with the external evaluation team it was agreed that an extension would enable the gathering of more robust evidence.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2015-12-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the forecast number of people who will (a) move into work, (b) move out of poverty, (c) have increased income and (d) have increased of income of more than £25 a week following transition to universal credit.

Priti Patel

Universal Credit (UC)is fundamentally different from the current legacy benefit system and supports more people into work and encourages them to earn more. We expect up to 300,000 more people to be in work as a result of UC.

The Government has committed to transitional arrangements as we reform the benefits and Tax Credit system. Those transferred by DWP from tax credits to UC will receive Transitional Protection. In addition, estimates of entitlements under UC of the sort requested are not available as they will vary depending on assumptions on the level of earnings.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2015-12-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will undertake a distributional analysis of the effect of recent changes to the work allowances within universal credit.

Priti Patel

We have no plans to publish further distributional analysis. Changes to work allowances are one part of a package of changes to the tax and welfare systems at the Summer Budget and Autumn Statement, which are intended to move Britain from a low wage, high welfare economy to a high wage, lower welfare economy.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2015-12-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, in which areas the digital service for universal credit is (a) in operation and (b) expected to be in operation by April 2016.

Priti Patel

The digital service is currently in operation in areas of Sutton, Croydon and London Bridge. Between January and April 2016 Hounslow, Musselburgh, Purley, Thornton Heath and Great Yarmouth will begin delivering the full Universal Credit service.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2015-12-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people within each of the four Universal Credit North West Pathfinder jobcentres who meet the eligibility criteria for claiming universal credit under the Pathfinder programme have started a claim for jobseeker’s allowance since the launch of universal credit in each of those jobcentres.

Priti Patel

The information requested is not available.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2015-12-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he (a) submitted and (b) received a response to (i) the strategic outline business case and (ii) the outline business case for universal credit from HM Treasury.

Priti Patel

The Strategic Business Case was submitted and signed off by HMT in 2014. As HMT colleagues stated at the PAC on 7 December (link below) the Outline Business Case was approved in December 2015 and the Full Business Case will be submitted in 2017.

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmselect/cmworpen/1082/1082.pdf

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2015-12-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans he has to evaluate the Universal Support Delivered Locally programme on completion of the pilot study.

Priti Patel

The assessment of the Universal Support trials is currently underway. The final evaluation will be published in late Spring 2016 and this will include the numbers of those who participated in the trials and the evaluation.