VerbatimParliament, as it happens

Universal Credit

Asked by Jim ShannonDemocratic Unionist PartyDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled Answered 10 June 2026UIN 5925

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average processing time is for new claims for Universal Credit.

Answered by Sir Stephen Timms

Monthly Universal Credit payment timeliness statistics for new claims are published in UC Households 6 - Payment Timeliness New Claims table in the Households on Universal Credit dataset on Stat-Xplore, and are currently available to February 2026.

Users can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest and, if needed, can access guidance on how to extract information. There is also a Universal Credit Official Statistics: Stat-Xplore user guide.

Verbatim has judged this answer against the question that was actually asked — answered, partly answered, or evaded. Sign in to see the verdict →

Open this question in Verbatim →

Every written question, searchable

155,000 questions tabled since the election, with the answer each department gave — and the ones still unanswered, with the clock running. Free to search.

Search written questions →Read on Verbatim