AQW 12062/17-22


Ms Kellie Armstrong
Alliance Party
Strangford


Tabled Date: 15/12/2020
Answered On Date: 23/12/2020
Priority Written: Yes


Question:
To ask the Minister for Communities to detail the times and dates on which her benefits officers will not be available by phone or online over the Christmas and New Year period for new or existing claimants to be able to seek advice and help.


Answer:
Telephone lines within Disability Carers Service, Pensions Centre and Personal Independence Payment will be operational from 10am to 4pm on every day except 24, 25 and 28 December, and 1 January 2021.
Universal Credit is an interactive digital online service which is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year.
Customers can make a claim and maintain their Universal Credit account online. They can also interact with their Work Coach or Case Manager through their online journal. However, Universal Credit staff will not be available to engage with and respond to customer journal entries on 24, 25, 28 December 2020 and 1 January 2021. We will endeavour to respond to any journal messages received from customers during this period as promptly as possible following our return to work on 29 December 2020 and 4 January 2021.
Universal Credit telephony services which usually operate Monday to Friday between 10am and 4pm, will close at 4pm on 23 December 2020 and reopen at 10am on 29 December 2021. Lines will also close at 4pm on 31 December 2020 and reopen at 10am on 4 January 2021.
Anyone due a Universal Credit payment on 24, 25, 28 and 29 December 2020 or 1 January 2021 will still be paid by that date.
The Employment and Support Allowance Centre will be closed 24 December to 28 December inclusive and again on 1 January 2021. Business will operate as normal up to and including 23 December and from 29 to 31 December. Operating hours for new online claims are 7am – 5pm and 9am – 4pm for telephony services for new and existing claimants.
Finance Support staff will not be available on 24 December 2020, 25 December 2020, 28 December 2020 or 01 January 2021. Apart from these specified dates, telephone lines for Finance Support will be open Monday - Friday from 9am - 4pm and the Discretionary Support online form will be available 24/7 at https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/services/claim-discretionary-support.
The Income Support and Jobseekers Allowance Benefit Processing Centres (BPCs) Freephone number is 0800 022 4250 and is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 4pm. BPCs will be closed on 24, 25 and 28 December 2020 and 1 January 2021.