Progress in implementing Universal Credit

Public Accounts Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 10 Jan 2024 Closed: 28 May 2024 Parliament page
There are currently around six million people receiving Universal Credit (UC) benefit payments, launched in 2010 to replace six-means-tested benefits for working-age households. At the end of 2022, some 2.5m households remained on legacy benefits, with the Department for Work & Pensions (DWP) starting to scale up moving people onto … Read more
5 Recommendations
31 Conclusions
1 Report
1 Oral session
3 Letters
1 Event
Activity timeline 7 events
11 Jul
2025
Report published
8 May
2024
Correspondence
26 Apr
2024
Report published
26 Apr
2024
Correspondence
15 Apr
2024
Correspondence
11 Mar
2024
Oral evidence
11 Mar
2024
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Grimond Room, Portcullis House
Oral evidence sessions 1 session
11 Mar 2024
View on parliament.uk
Progress in implementing Universal Credit
Helga Swidenbank · Department for Work and Pensions Neil Couling CB CBE · DWP Services and Fraud Peter Schofield CB · Department for Work and Pensions
Title HC No. Published Items Response
Twenty-Ninth Report - Progress in implementing Universal Credit HC 458 26 Apr 2024 36 Responded
Recommendations & Conclusions
1 result
Clear
10 Conclusion Deferred
Twenty-Ninth Report - Progress in …
DWP asserts UC outperforms Jobseeker’s Allowance despite inability to measure direct economic benefits
The Department told us that it could not measure the economic benefits of extra people being in work as it could not create two versions of the economy – one with UC and one without. However, it said that its … Read more
Government Response
The government acknowledges the difficulty of evaluation, reaffirms existing evidence, and states that a post-project review will take place six months after the Universal Credit transformation program closes to assess benefits realised.
HM Treasury
View details
Government Response AI assessment · 32 of 5 classified
Accepted 21
Deferred 1
Rejected 10
Total 5 recs + 31 conclusions
Correspondence 3 letters
8 May 2024 Correspondence from Peter Schofield CB, Permanent Secretary, Department for Work and Pensions, re Acceleration of Universal Credit rollout, dated 1 May 2024
Parliament page
26 Apr 2024 Correspondence dated 26 April 2024 from the Chair to Peter Schofield CB Permanent Secretary Department for Work and Pensions relating to the inquiry Progress in implementing Universal Credit
Parliament page
15 Apr 2024 Correspondence from Peter Schofield CB, Permanent Secretary, Department for Work and Pensions, re Progress in implementing Universal Credit, dated 22 March 2024
Parliament page