Secretary of State confirms managed migration will resume without amendment to draft regulations

The Work and Pensions Secretary, Therese Coffey, confirmed on 4 July 2022 that her department would resume the managed migration of claimants from legacy benefits to Universal Credit and complete the move by 2024¹. In a statement responding to the Social Security Advisory Committee (SSAC), she said the department had not amended the draft regulations, because the committee had made no recommendations on them¹.

Managed migration moves claimants of legacy benefits onto Universal Credit without a change of circumstances¹. The process began with a pilot from July 2019, limited to no more than 10,000 claimants and expected to take around 12 months¹. In late March 2022, SSAC published minutes of its December 2021 meeting and correspondence with DWP ministers over plans to drop the 10,000-case limit and proceed through a "Discovery Phase"¹. The department will begin the move with 500 claimants in Bolton and Medway¹. SSAC has said the process has the potential to affect adversely up to 1.7 million households¹.

On the three-month migration notice period, Coffey told the Work and Pensions Select Committee in May 2022:

"For the first groups of claimants in this initial phase of discovery, I have decided the department will not terminate any benefits if the claimant fails to claim within the three-month period given. Instead, if these claimants have failed to engage with the department, DWP will make a minimum of a one-month extension to the deadline outlined in their notice. In this time, we will undertake proactive engagement with the claimant to understand why they have not claimed."

On the regulations, she said:

"The Department welcomes the Committee's focus on the regulation regarding the removal of the 10,000 limit on the number of claimants who can be sent a managed migration notice .... We note the committee has not made any recommendations regarding the draft regulations; therefore, we have not made any amendment to them."

DWP states it will ensure a claimant's entitlement on Universal Credit "at the point of managed transition" is not below that of legacy benefits¹. Transitional protection lasts for three months at the point of making a claim¹. Around 900,000 of the 1.7 million people moved between May 2022 and December 2024 will have their income eroded over time, according to Z2K¹.

Why it matters for households

People claiming legacy benefits such as Employment and Support Allowance, Jobseeker's Allowance, Income Support, Housing Benefit and tax credits will be moved to Universal Credit without a change of circumstances¹. The department has said it will begin with 500 claimants in Bolton and Medway¹. The move is intended to be complete by 2024¹.

Transitional protection, which tops up entitlement so it is not below the legacy level at the point of transition, lasts for three months from the point of making a claim¹. Z2K states that around 900,000 of the 1.7 million people moved between May 2022 and December 2024 will have their income eroded over time¹.

SSAC has raised concerns about the removal of the 10,000-case limit and the absence of a requirement to report to Parliament before wider rollout¹. Its chair, Dr Stephen Brien, said a process to move around 1.7 million households, many with complex lives, onto Universal Credit from legacy benefits creates a significant risk for both those reliant on these benefits and for DWP in delivering it¹.

What happens next

The department will begin the move with 500 claimants in Bolton and Medway¹. SSAC's formal reference report focused on oversight and governance improvements, including a recommendation that the Senior Responsible Owner present scaling-up proposals to the Work and Pensions Select Committee for scrutiny and assurance before proceeding¹. The report also recommended that the current criteria for moving to the next phase be published¹.

Sources1 cited