Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Public Health, Start
for Life and Primary Care (): Universal Credit supports over 6 million people,
providing critical financial support and tailored Work Coach
services that meet the needs of individual customers. It removes
the ‘cliff edge' for those working up to 16 hours, allowing
customers to increase their earnings, whilst supported by a
generous taper rate. This ensures that it pays to work and gives
customers increased financial security as they move into work.
In April 2022 we estimated that there were 2.6 million households
on legacy benefits in scope to ‘Move to Universal Credit'. Since
July 2022, we have smoothly migrated over 275,000 households from
legacy benefits, predominantly Tax Credit households, to
Universal Credit. By the end of March 2024, we had issued
Migration Notices to over 540,000 households - exceeding our
ambition to send 500,000 Migration Notices by that point.
On 19 April, the Prime Minister announced that we would build on
this strong delivery and accelerate the movement of the remaining
Employment and Support Allowance and Employment and Support
Allowance with Housing Benefit customers to Universal Credit. Our
exact delivery approach and timelines will be informed by
detailed planning and ongoing engagement with stakeholders.
Backed by additional funding from the Treasury, we expect plans
to be agreed by Summer 2024. Our current planning assumption is
that we would begin notifying this group in September 2024, with
the aim of notifying everyone to make the move by December 2025.
DWP officials have already written to all Chief Executives of
Local Authorities and members of the well-established Universal
Credit stakeholder network comprising over 200 representatives
across the charity, welfare rights and social rented sector
landlord community. We also wrote to officials in the Devolved
Administrations and to Citizens Advice given its important role
as a delivery partner for Help to Claim.
We estimate that around half of Employment and Support Allowance
customers will receive over £100 a month more on Universal
Credit, as well as benefitting from the improved work incentives
and better labour market support it provides.
The Government has given a commitment that, at the point of
transition, no eligible customers who are invited to ‘Move to
Universal Credit' and whose circumstances remain the same will
have a lower entitlement to Universal Credit than they had to
legacy benefits. Where necessary, eligible customers will be
awarded Transitional Protection.
Accelerating the ‘Move to Universal Credit' allows us to build on
the strong progress to date, utilising the expertise and
knowledge of key programme and operational staff, to transition
these households.
The Department has also developed and tested a new ‘Enhanced
Support' journey for Income Support and Employment and Support
Allowance customers who require additional assistance. This
process is now in place for these customer groups and involves
outbound telephony, system checks and home visits, tailored to
individual needs.
The Department has full confidence in its ability to successfully
move the final group of legacy benefit customers to the simpler,
more effective support system that is Universal Credit.
