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1002760

	registered interest
	date	06/11/2018
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Universal Credit: Telephone Services
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what process is used by her Department to estimate the (a) average call duration and (b) amount of calls taken by case managers working on universal credit; and if she will publish the results of such estimates for each year for which information is available.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow South West
	tabling member printed	Chris Stephens
	uin	188875
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/11/2018 answer text <p>Data can be extracted from the Universal Credit Full Service system to establish the average number of calls per day and the average duration.</p><p> </p><p>We have no plans to collect or publish this data routinely given the costs involved in maintaining it to official statistics standards.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 12/11/2018 18:05:10 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	4463 label Biography information for Chris Stephens

1002761

	registered interest
	date	06/11/2018
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Universal Credit: Telephone Services
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate her Department has made of the number of case managers working on universal credit who are seconded to the national telephony team for each shift; and if she will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow South West
	tabling member printed	Chris Stephens
	uin	188876
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/11/2018 answer text <p>We currently have 400 colleagues assigned to Universal Credit national tier telephony. We retain the flexibility to adjust the number of colleagues working on some of the core functions within Universal Credit to accommodate fluctuations in demand and the number of colleagues deployed to National Tier telephony will vary month on month as required.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 12/11/2018 18:02:05 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	4463 label Biography information for Chris Stephens

1011516

	registered interest
	date	21/11/2018
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Universal Credit: Telephone Services
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average waiting time is for a person calling the universal credit helpline to be connected to an agent.
	tabling member constituency	Wirral West
	tabling member printed	Margaret Greenwood
	uin	194163
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/11/2018 answer text <p>Universal Credit is a 24 hour, seven day a week digital service that allows claimants to check their Universal Credit benefit payments, notify us of changes and record notes via an online journal facility. We also see claimants regularly face-to-face in jobcentres and they can contact us via the telephone outside of these appointments. In addition, this summer we introduced a new approach where established claimants who call the Universal Credit helpline are connected directly to the person or team who are dealing with the case.</p><p> </p><p>The average waiting time for a person calling the Universal Credit Full Service helpline in the month of October 2018 was 3 minutes and 58 seconds.</p><p> </p><p>Our Average Speed of Answer (ASA) measure is the average customer wait time from the point of entering a queue to connection to an agent. This excludes any time spent in pre-queue messaging and any wait time for calls ultimately abandoned by callers prior to answer.</p><p> </p><p>Notes:</p><p> </p><p>Data Source: BT - OPMIS and Historical Management Information (GI2 – HMI)</p><p>Outsourced partner data is included.</p><p>The data supplied is derived from unpublished management information, which was collected for internal Departmental use only and has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. The data should therefore be treated with caution.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 28/11/2018 10:31:50 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma previous answer version 87211 answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	4400 label Biography information for Margaret Greenwood

1037789

	registered interest
	date	08/01/2019
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Universal Credit: Telephone Services
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 1 November 2018 to Question 185101, if she will publish the agent led processes and supportive lines available to universal credit helpline staff to assist claimants.
	tabling member constituency	Midlothian
	tabling member printed	Danielle Rowley
	uin	206444
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/01/2019 answer text <p>Agent Led Processes (ALP’s) are low level business processes, designed to work as part of the Universal Credit service. They are embedded into the service and do not stand alone as separate guidance or instructions to staff.</p><p> </p><p>The “Digital Channel Product” is a guide which has been developed for Service Centre staff to use during telephone calls, to encourage claimants to check and use their online account as an alternative method of contacting the Department. The product gives staff some suggested ways to introduce a discussion regarding the online digital service with claimants.</p><p> </p><p>In addition to this product, call handlers have access to comprehensive Universal Credit guidance. Universal Credit guidance is published in the House of Commons Library and the Department is committed to refreshing this at regular intervals.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 11/01/2019 14:38:08 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	4628 label Biography information for Danielle Rowley

1039058

	registered interest
	date	10/01/2019
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Universal Credit: Telephone Services
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 1 November 2018 to Question 185101 on Universal Credit: Telephone Services, if she will publish the (a) supportive lines and (b) agent led processes used by universal credit call centre staff, in addition to the Digital Channel Product.
	tabling member constituency	Midlothian
	tabling member printed	Danielle Rowley
	uin	207307
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/01/2019 answer text <p>Universal Credit is tailored to the individual needs of the claimant and the Department has chosen not to develop scripts or supportive lines for call handlers over and above the Digital Channel product.</p><p> </p><p>Agent Led Processes (ALP’s) are low level business processes, designed to work as part of the Universal Credit service. They are embedded into the service and do not stand alone as separate guidance or instructions to staff. It is therefore not possible to split them out into individual processes for sharing purposes.</p><p> </p><p>Call handlers have access to comprehensive Universal Credit guidance. Universal Credit guidance is published in the House of Commons Library and the Department is committed to refreshing this at regular intervals.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 15/01/2019 17:19:20 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	4628 label Biography information for Danielle Rowley

824656

	registered interest
	date	17/01/2018
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Universal Credit: Telephone Services
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the universal credit helpline is properly resourced to cater for the volume of calls it is receiving.
	tabling member constituency	Barnsley Central
	tabling member printed	Dan Jarvis
	uin	123457
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/01/2018 answer text <p>The Department for Work and Pensions operates a virtual telephony platform which enables it to manage fluctuating call demands by increasing or decreasing the number of agents it uses to handle calls.</p><p> </p><p>Every week the Department matches the required capacity and resources to its telephony forecast to ensure it meets demand and delivers a good service across all channels. This capacity is set up to scale up in line with new claims as the service expands further this year.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 22/01/2018 16:38:59 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	4243 label Biography information for Dan Jarvis

827958

	registered interest
	date	22/01/2018
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Universal Credit: Telephone Services
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average waiting time is for claimants calling the universal credit helpline.
	tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
	tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
	uin	123918
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/01/2018 answer text <p>Internal management information data indicates that between April and December 2017, the average speed of answer across all Universal Credit helplines was 4 minutes and 45 seconds.</p><p> </p><p>The Department operates a virtual telephony platform, which enables it to manage fluctuating call demands by increasing or decreasing the number of agents it uses to handle calls.</p><p> </p><p>Each week, the Department matches the required capacity and resources to its telephony forecast to ensure it meets demand and delivers a good service across all channels. This capacity is designed to scale up in line with new claims as the service expands further this year.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 30/01/2018 14:28:16 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

838569

	registered interest
	date	07/02/2018
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Universal Credit: Telephone Services
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the number of communications sent out by Jobcentre Plus that include reference to the premium rate universal credit helpline number since 18 October 2017.
	tabling member constituency	Weaver Vale
	tabling member printed	Mike Amesbury
	uin	127389
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/02/2018 answer text <p>The Universal Credit telephone numbers previously used by the Department were not premium rate numbers and it is misleading to refer to them in this way. The 0345 numbers that were in use were charged at local rate and are included in the call packages of most mobile and landline phone deals.</p><p> </p><p>Any customer who raised a concern about the costs of calling the Department was offered a call back. We have no evidence that people did not call because they believed the service was a premium rate number.</p><p> </p><p>To ensure that customers dial the correct numbers, the Department has embarked on an exercise to update all its products. The Department’s electronic media, such as SMS text messages and Gov.uk website, were updated as the new freephone numbers were introduced. System generated notifications for Universal Credit Full Service were updated on 28 November. System notifications for Universal Credit Live Service were updated between 28 November and 31 January 2018.</p><p> </p><p>During the period that our products were being updated, any calls to a 0345 number were played a message that told them that that number had been replaced with a Freephone number, whilst giving them the new Freephone number to use.</p><p> </p><p>The current monthly cost to the Department for playing the recorded messages to provide the new freephone numbers is approximately £300.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma grouped question UIN 127438 127440 127442 question first answered 20/02/2018 11:45:14 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	4667 label Biography information for Mike Amesbury

838618

	registered interest
	date	07/02/2018
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Universal Credit: Telephone Services
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate her Department has made of the number of people who did not call the Universal Credit helpline as a result of believing that it was a premium rate number.
	tabling member constituency	Weaver Vale
	tabling member printed	Mike Amesbury
	uin	127438
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/02/2018 answer text <p>The Universal Credit telephone numbers previously used by the Department were not premium rate numbers and it is misleading to refer to them in this way. The 0345 numbers that were in use were charged at local rate and are included in the call packages of most mobile and landline phone deals.</p><p> </p><p>Any customer who raised a concern about the costs of calling the Department was offered a call back. We have no evidence that people did not call because they believed the service was a premium rate number.</p><p> </p><p>To ensure that customers dial the correct numbers, the Department has embarked on an exercise to update all its products. The Department’s electronic media, such as SMS text messages and Gov.uk website, were updated as the new freephone numbers were introduced. System generated notifications for Universal Credit Full Service were updated on 28 November. System notifications for Universal Credit Live Service were updated between 28 November and 31 January 2018.</p><p> </p><p>During the period that our products were being updated, any calls to a 0345 number were played a message that told them that that number had been replaced with a Freephone number, whilst giving them the new Freephone number to use.</p><p> </p><p>The current monthly cost to the Department for playing the recorded messages to provide the new freephone numbers is approximately £300.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma grouped question UIN 127389 127440 127442 question first answered 20/02/2018 11:45:14 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	4667 label Biography information for Mike Amesbury

838620

	registered interest
	date	07/02/2018
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Universal Credit: Telephone Services
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the premium rate helpline number for universal credit is not included in communications by JobCentre Plus.
	tabling member constituency	Weaver Vale
	tabling member printed	Mike Amesbury
	uin	127440
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/02/2018 answer text <p>The Universal Credit telephone numbers previously used by the Department were not premium rate numbers and it is misleading to refer to them in this way. The 0345 numbers that were in use were charged at local rate and are included in the call packages of most mobile and landline phone deals.</p><p> </p><p>Any customer who raised a concern about the costs of calling the Department was offered a call back. We have no evidence that people did not call because they believed the service was a premium rate number.</p><p> </p><p>To ensure that customers dial the correct numbers, the Department has embarked on an exercise to update all its products. The Department’s electronic media, such as SMS text messages and Gov.uk website, were updated as the new freephone numbers were introduced. System generated notifications for Universal Credit Full Service were updated on 28 November. System notifications for Universal Credit Live Service were updated between 28 November and 31 January 2018.</p><p> </p><p>During the period that our products were being updated, any calls to a 0345 number were played a message that told them that that number had been replaced with a Freephone number, whilst giving them the new Freephone number to use.</p><p> </p><p>The current monthly cost to the Department for playing the recorded messages to provide the new freephone numbers is approximately £300.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma grouped question UIN 127389 127438 127442 question first answered 20/02/2018 11:45:14 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	4667 label Biography information for Mike Amesbury