DWP doubles number of home visits affecting thousands of benefit claimants

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) chiefs have revealed that they're intensifying home visits for certain new Universal Credit claims.

According to Neil Couling, Director General for Fraud, Disability and Health at the DWP, officials now conduct 30,000 home visits per month, an increase from the previous 15,000.

Furthermore, they have boosted the number of officers responsible for home visits from approximately 350 to 700. These home visits form a part of the DWP's strategy to migrate claimants of outdated "legacy benefits" onto Universal Credit.

These legacy benefits comprise Housing Benefit, Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA), Child Tax Credit, Working Tax Credit, and Income Support.