Source · Select Committees · Scottish Affairs Committee
Recommendation 89
89
On top of having a device and a good internet connection a claimant is also...
Conclusion
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
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
The Department considers the existing resource to be sufficient. There is already assistance available to help claimants to make and maintain their Universal Credit claim using the Freephone Universal Credit helpline. Throughout the pandemic, Jobcentres have remained open for anyone who needed face- to-face support and could not be helped in any other way. Jobcentres in Scotland resumed full face to face services, returning to normal opening hours from 9am to 5pm, on 26 April 2021. All Jobcentre Plus offices have Wi-Fi and computers available for claimants to access the internet. Work Coaches will continue to support those who need it to maintain their Universal Credit claim. To support DWP’s ongoing commitment in helping claimants, it has recruited an additional 1,152 Work Coaches in its Jobcentres in Scotland. DWP agreed to fund Citizens Advice Scotland to deliver Help to Claim for another year (up to 31 March 2022) to provide support to people to make a new claim to Universal Credit. If Citizens Advice Scotland Advisers identify that a Help to Claim client cannot make their Universal Credit claim on-line, then they will support the claimant to make a claim by phone. Through Help to Claim, DWP has also funded Citizens Advice Scotland to provide Public Access Terminals to enable people who don’t have access to a device to go on-line to claim Universal Credit.