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1148992

	registered interest
	date	14/10/2019
	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
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent estimate she has made of the number and proportion of universal credit applicants who struggle to regularly access the internet.
	tabling member constituency	Leigh
	tabling member printed	Jo Platt
	uin	353
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/10/2019 answer text <p>Our Universal Credit Claimant Survey, found that 98 per cent of claimants have internet access and did claim online, and the majority of those said they found the claim process overall to be straightforward. This can be accessed at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-credit-full-service-claimant-survey" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-credit-full-service-claimant-survey</a></p><p> </p><p>The Department is committed to making the application process for Universal Credit as quick and easy as possible to ensure that claimants receive their award at the earliest opportunity.</p><p> </p><p>Citizen’s Advice and Citizen’s Advice Scotland have been delivering the ‘Help to Claim’ service since April 2019, supporting claimants with making a new claim to Universal Credit. The Citizens Advice Help to Claim service offers tailored, practical support to help people make a Universal Credit claim up to receiving their first full correct payment on time, and is available online, on the phone and face-to-face through local Citizen’s Advice services.</p><p> </p><p>All Jobcentre Plus offices across the country have Wi-Fi and computers available for claimants to access the internet. For those that are still unable to access or use digital services, or are not able to travel, assistance to make and maintain their claim is available via the Freephone Universal Credit helpline. In certain circumstances, a home visit can be arranged to support a claimant in making and maintaining their claim</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 17/10/2019 14:10:54 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4673 label Biography information for Jo Platt

1136718

	registered interest
	date	03/07/2019
	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
	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 3 July 2019 to Question 269775, whether the practice of loansharks applying on behalf of an individual for a universal credit advance payment which is then issued as a loan to the individual is being investigated by her Department.
	tabling member constituency	Leigh
	tabling member printed	Jo Platt
	uin	272943
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/07/2019 answer text <p>Any exploitation of advance payments is not acceptable, and takes advantage of a process designed to support claimants during their first assessment period. We are seeking to identify the perpetrators and will take appropriate prosecution action.</p><p>The Department is committed to reducing fraud and works hard to identify perpetrators of fraud. We have a dedicated team of investigators working on this issue and we regularly raise awareness with our front line staff who understand the risks and raise concerns as appropriate.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 08/07/2019 16:58:38 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	4673 label Biography information for Jo Platt

1134870

	registered interest
	date	26/06/2019
	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
	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 25 June 2019 to Question 267343 on Universal Credit, if her Department will (a) investigate the practice of loansharks applying on behalf of an individual for a universal credit advance payment which is then issued as a loan to the individual and (b) review the application process for universal credit advance payments to tackle such practices.
	tabling member constituency	Leigh
	tabling member printed	Jo Platt
	uin	269775
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/07/2019 answer text <p>The Department is committed to reducing fraud and error and considers information from a range of sources to progress our investigations. We work hard to identify perpetrators of fraud and ensure we take appropriate prosecution action.</p><p> </p><p>We routinely gather intelligence to assist our understanding of anyone seeking to abuse the safety net that Universal Credit offers. Any exploitation of advance payments is not acceptable, and we are seeking to identify the perpetrators and ensure we take appropriate prosecution action. We have a dedicated team of investigators working on this issue and we regularly raise awareness with our front line staff who understand the risks and raise concerns as appropriate through referrals to Fraud colleagues.</p><p> </p><p>We are committed to keeping all Universal Credit services and processes, including advance payments, under review and will make improvements to address any vulnerabilities in the system. The protection of our most vulnerable claimants remains of paramount importance to us.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 03/07/2019 15:23:34 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma previous answer version 126277 answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	4673 label Biography information for Jo Platt

1133718

	registered interest
	date	20/06/2019
	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
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to prevent loansharks applying on behalf of an individual for a universal credit advance payment which is then issued as a loan to the individual.
	tabling member constituency	Leigh
	tabling member printed	Jo Platt
	uin	267343
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/06/2019 answer text <p>The Department takes any suspicious or fraudulent activity very seriously, especially when it has the potential to impact our vulnerable claimants.</p><p> </p><p>We investigate any allegations of fraudulent activity quickly and look to establish the facts, communicating quickly with our staff and colleagues to ensure that awareness is raised. We also continuously work to improve our services and create more robust processes to help our claimants interact with us in an easier, yet secure way which protects the most vulnerable.</p><p> </p><p>We cannot provide details about current investigations, but we investigate promptly and will refer to the relevant authorities to seek prosecution where appropriate.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 25/06/2019 16:49:49 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	4673 label Biography information for Jo Platt