Verification process for universal credit is facing ‘capacity challenges’ as almost half a million claims are made in just nine days

While online journey is holding up 'brilliantly well', DWP Permanent Secretary tells Select Committee he doesn't know how the next stages are going to progress

The DWP's Permanent Secretary Peter Schofield has confirmed that the verification process for universal credit is facing 'capacity challenges' as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, with almost half a million claims having been made in just nine days.

Giving evidence to the Work and Pensions Select Committee this morning - covering the DWP's response to the outbreak - Mr Schofield confirmed that the Department is implementing its business continuity plan in response to the 'unprecedented crisis' involving - 

• the deployment of all those in universal credit operations onto claims and payments;
• moving staff from frontline service delivery in other benefits onto universal credit;
• redeploying functional staff to the frontline; and 
• moving staff from other departments over to universal credit.

Highlighting that there have been 477,000 claims for universal credit in the last nine days, Mr Schofield said - 

'The online journey is holding up brilliantly well [but] I don't know how the next stages in the journey are going to progress.'

In addition, acknowledging that the verification process - required after an online claim has been submitted - is facing 'capacity challenges', Mr Schofield clarified that there are two methods which can be used - 

• the online verify process run by the Cabinet Office (and sub-contracted to 'partner organisations') which has experienced a surge from which it is recovering; and
• verification by the Department - while some claimants have been waiting 'quite a while' on the phone to make an appointment with the jobcentre, the DWP has begun to trial a process of making outbound calls instead and plans to roll this out further.

However, Mr Schofield added that - 

'... this is a rapidly evolving situation, we don't know what the numbers are going to look like over the coming days ...'

A transcript of the Work and Pensions Committee Oral evidence session, The DWP’s response to the coronavirus outbreak, HC 178 Wednesday (25 March 2020) is available from parliament.uk