Written questions

Universal Credit

Commons · Question 115787 · Tabled 25 Feb 2026 · Department for Work and Pensions · Official record

Answered 9 Mar 2026

Question

Asked by Gregory Campbell

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what analysis his Department has undertaken on the reasons for increases in the numbers of successful applications for Universal Credit in the last three years.

Answer

Answered by Sir Stephen Timms, 9 Mar 2026

People moving from old legacy benefits onto Universal Credit - almost four in every five - account for the vast majority of the increase over the past year. This is a transition we inherited from the previous government, alongside a system that writes peo...