Recommendation 89

On top of having a device and a good internet connection a claimant is also expected to have the necessary IT skills to access the Universal Credit system. A digital-literacy barrier was highlighted in the evidence we heard. Neil Cowan of The Poverty Alliance noted that for people with IT or literacy issues it becomes ‘almost impossible to make applications and to manage their claims online.’220 Nina Ballantyne from Citizens Advice Scotland went further in suggesting that the system was too complicated even for people who were experienced in using digital systems. They said that even the ‘digitally savvy are still having trouble making and maintaining a claim just because the system is so complex and unfamiliar, particularly for new people claiming Universal Credit.’221