Recommendation 82

Throughout the inquiry we heard evidence from stakeholders who said the Universal Credit application system had coped with the quick expansions of applications over the past year. David Eiser of The Fraser of Allander Institute, an economic research organisation, noted that ‘in general the Universal Credit system seemed to cope pretty well with this surge in claims.’205 Suzanne Lavelle from Southside Housing Association also mentioned that the system had proved robust under the pressure of the weight of claims being made for Universal Credit in the first few months of the covid-19 pandemic. They said the system had ‘held up well for the people who have digital skills. The DWP has to be commended for the amount of work that has been put into processing the huge influx of claims that it had.’206