Source · Select Committees · Scottish Affairs Committee
Recommendation 91
91
In 2018 the DWP responded to previous concerns about access and support for Universal Credit...
Conclusion
In 2018 the DWP responded to previous concerns about access and support for Universal Credit applications by funding the ‘Help to Claim’ service. This is administered in Scotland on DWP’s behalf by Citizens Advice Scotland. The Minister for Welfare 218 Q75 219 Q120 220 Q49 221 Q75 222 Q105 223 Q122 224 Q105 225 Southside Housing Association (WPS0023) 226 Q164 Welfare policy in Scotland 37 Delivery confirmed that the system across the UK was funded ‘to the tune of £39 million’227 and has helped 250,000 people access Universal Credit in the past year.228 However, in written evidence Citizens Advice Scotland said that a drawback with the Help to Claim service is that it ‘cannot support a person with claim maintenance’229 (including the actions above in the bulleted list) and only helps people with making an initial application for a claim.
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.