DWP completes Universal Credit roll-out

Verification and digital skills hurdles

There have also been issues with claimants making online applications through the digital system.

It is designed to rely on the Government Digital Service’s (GDS) Gov.uk Verify identity assurance system when claimants make their applications online, but this has not gone as smoothly as planned. In January 2018, Computer Weekly revealed that most claimants were unable to use Verify successfully, which means Jobcentre staff still need to manually check people’s identities.

The NAO put the figure of claimants able to confirm their identity at 38%. Speaking to Computer Weekly last month, Cheryl Stevens, deputy director of identity and trust services at DWP, admitted UC was achieving a lower success rate than Verify’s 44% average.  

This means that perhaps as many as 60% of claimants need a face-to-face session at a jobcentre. Observers can only speculate at the extra costs associated with staff, time and resources for DWP in setting up 60% of users manually, instead of the originally anticipated 90% use of Verify.

Another issue has been around digital skills. The United Nations Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, Philip Alston, has raised concerns over UC and its digital approach. In his report, published in November 2018, he said there was a belief within DWP that claimants are online and digitally skilled, which completely contradicts view from some officials and organisations.  

He added that although job centres offer online access, he found there was very little digital assistance available “and official policy is to keep ‘face-to-face’ help at a minimum”, again putting the digitally excluded at a disadvantage.

Alston’s report also highlighted problems with the process of data collection in UC: “The collection of data via the online application process and interactions with the online journal provide a clear stepping stone for further automation within DWP.”

Benefits are automatically calculated through information DWP receives from HMRC on earnings. However, Alston highlighted the potential for automation errors, which could have a huge impact on claimants.

“Because the default position of DWP is to give the automated system the benefit of the doubt, claimants often have to wait for weeks to get paid the proper amount, even when they have written proof that the system was wrong,” his report said.

Despite concerns, DWP has remained steadfast in its plans to roll out the new benefits system.