Newport East MP Jessica Morden has called on the Department of Work and Pensions to speed up the process for Universal Credit claims.

In a question to the Minister of State for Employment, the Labour MP highlighted the difficulties claimants without photo ID face in waiting for an initial appointment at the job centre. She said: “Constituents who can’t afford a driving licence or a passport cannot do the initial online verification of their Universal Credit claim, meaning they have to wait up to 2 weeks in order to be seen for a personal appointment. This is driving people to loan sharks in some cases. Will the Minister look into this?

“I have heard local examples of claimants who are unable to complete online verification for Universal Credit claims having to wait a minimum of 10 days for a face to face appointment with an advisor. This is driving some residents into debt as they cannot even apply for an advance payment, let alone the benefit they are entitled to."