Recommendation 24

The Department says that claimants who are struggling can already defer repayments of their Advance for three months. But the evidence we have heard from charities who work with claimants is that this option is not effectively communicated. Without reliable data on how often it is used, it is impossible to know how well this measure is working in practice. The Department should collect and publish data on how many people have requested a deferral of their Advance repayments, and how many of these requests were granted. It should also ensure that work coaches are proactively informing claimants of this option both at the time of their claim and during the repayment period. This should form part of the personal budgeting support we have recommended.