Written questions by O'Brien.

Pursuant to the Answer of 29 October 2024 to Question 11035, on Social Security Benefits, for which benefit lines the Department holds data on the nationality of claimants at the point of National Insurance number registration.

Information on the nationality of claimants at the point of National Insurance number (NINo) registration is not used for benefit purposes so is not held on any benefit lines. As detailed in the background information and methodology, the administrative data generated from the Adult NINo Allocation and Registration service is analysed to produce the quarterly statistical publication on ‘National Insurance number allocations to adult overseas nationals entering the UK’. The administrative data which underpins this publication is the Migrant Workers Scan (MWS) and it is sourced from the HMRC National Insurance and PAYE Service (NPS) which is not used for benefit purposes.DWP policy responsibility lies in establishing the eligibility of non-UK / Irish claimants to claim benefits. An individual’s specific nationality, either at the time of NINo registration or at the time of benefit claim, does not play a role in this. Eligibility differs by benefit but is usually determined by an individual’s immigration status, alongside their ability to meet the requirements of the Habitual Residence Test (for income-related benefits), the Past Presence Test (for disability benefits), and / or having the necessary National Insurance contributions (for contributions-based benefits).

How many and what proportion of people claiming Housing Benefit were (a) born and (b) not born in the UK.

The Department does not routinely collect data on the country of birth of individuals claiming any benefits. DWP policy responsibility lies in establishing a customer’s eligibility to claim benefits. An individual’s specific country of birth does not play a role in this and the Department therefore does not collect the country of birth information at the point of benefit claim.

How many and what proportion of people claiming Jobseekers Allowance were (a) born and (b) not born in the UK.

The Department does not routinely collect data on the country of birth of individuals claiming any benefits. DWP policy responsibility lies in establishing a customer’s eligibility to claim benefits. An individual’s specific country of birth does not play a role in this and the Department therefore does not collect the country of birth information at the point of benefit claim.

How many and what proportion of people claiming Employment and Support Allowance were (a) born and (b) not born in the UK.

The Department does not routinely collect data on the country of birth of individuals claiming any benefits. DWP policy responsibility lies in establishing a customer’s eligibility to claim benefits. An individual’s specific country of birth does not play a role in this and the Department therefore does not collect the country of birth information at the point of benefit claim.

How many and what proportion of people claiming Income Support were (a) born and (b) not born in the UK.

The Department does not routinely collect data on the country of birth of individuals claiming any benefits. DWP policy responsibility lies in establishing a customer’s eligibility to claim benefits. An individual’s specific country of birth does not play a role in this and the Department therefore does not collect the country of birth information at the point of benefit claim.

How many and what proportion of people claiming the Personal Independence Payment were (a) born and (b) not born in the UK.

The Department does not routinely collect data on the country of birth of individuals claiming any benefits. DWP policy responsibility lies in establishing a customer’s eligibility to claim benefits. An individual’s specific country of birth does not play a role in this and the Department therefore does not collect the country of birth information at the point of benefit claim.

How many and what proportion of people claiming Universal Credit were (a) born and (b) not born in the UK.

The Department does not routinely collect data on the country of birth of individuals claiming any benefits. DWP policy responsibility lies in establishing a customer’s eligibility to claim benefits. An individual’s specific country of birth does not play a role in this and the Department therefore does not collect the country of birth information at the point of benefit claim.

Pursuant to the Answer of 23 October 2024 to Question 9771 on Social Security Benefits, for which benefit lines the Department records data on the birthplace of people claiming (a) out of work and (b) other benefits.

The Department does not routinely collect data on the country of birth of individuals claiming any benefits. DWP policy responsibility lies in establishing a customer’s eligibility to claim benefits. An individual’s specific country of birth does not play a role in this and the Department therefore does not collect the country of birth information at the point of benefit claim.

How many people claiming out of work benefits were (a) born in the UK and (b) not born in the UK.

The Department does not consistently record data on the birthplace of those claiming out of work benefits across all benefit lines. DWP policy responsibility lies in establishing a customer’s eligibility to claim benefits. An individual’s place of birth does not play a role in this. The Department therefore does not consistently collect information on place of birth at the point of benefit claim.

What the average duration of phone calls to report hospital stays for claimants of (a) disability benefits, (b) low or no income benefits and (c) universal credit, including time spent on hold, was in each month since January 2010.

We do not hold the information requested.

How many phone calls to report hospital stays for claimants of (a) disability benefits, (b) low or no income benefits and (c) universal credit there were in each month since January 2010.

We do not hold the information requested.

Whether claimants of (a) disability benefits and (b) low or no income benefits can report a hospital stay via a phone call; and if her Department will take steps to introduce a tell me once system.

For Disability Benefits, the usual route for the customer to notify us of a hospital admission is either via phone or in writing. Universal Credit customers can report a hospital stay via a phone call, they can also report it digitally via a journal message on their Universal Credit account or via a third party or supporter if consent has been given. The Department is working on a digital channel for customers which will allow them to tell us about changes in one place. We do have plans to enable this going forward, but the work is not expected to be complete for at least another 12 months. Disability Benefits, other low-income benefits and later life services are in-scope for this work, but, at present, Universal Credit is not.