Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the oral Statement of 22 July 2019, Official Report, column 1146, what steps her Department is taking in line with the listen-and-adapt, evidence-based approach in managing the migration of legacy benefit claimants onto universal credit.
Answer
The pilot that had been active in Harrogate was suspended as the Department focused on delivering its part of the Government’s ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
As we restart managed migration this year, our approach will initially focus on improving our understanding across a number of key areas, to ensure we can move people over to Universal Credit smoothly. While noting the differing circumstances of legacy claimants, we want to understand how to best notify claimants about their move. We will consider where barriers to the service may exist and the different levels of support required to make a successful claim.