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As more and more residents in Wales turn to UK Government benefits services, the Welsh Language Commissioner wanted to understand to what extent those services were being offered in Welsh, and how accessible those services were to Welsh speakers. 

An audit was therefore conducted of the Universal Credit service, which is the main benefit administered by the UK Department for Work and Pensions for people in Wales. 

Main Findings 

Universal Credit services are available in Welsh, with the overall quality of the service being good. Most users who took part in the study were positive about their experiences. 

However, there is uncertainty among users about using Welsh, including concerns about delays when using the service, difficulty finding information in Welsh, and worries about understanding the terminology and formal language. 

Although services are available in Welsh, they are not effectively promoted. Users experienced difficulties finding Welsh-language information on the GOV.UK website, leading them to use the services in English. 

Welsh should be more visible, and Welsh-language services should be offered proactively. 

There are good arrangements in place to ensure the provision of work coaches through the medium of Welsh. The online accounts for claimants function fully in Welsh, with the ability to record and communicate through the online journal in Welsh. 

However, gaps were identified in the service, particularly in ensuring consistent service from Welsh-speaking work coaches. 

Based on these findings, the Commissioner has made a series of recommendations to the Department for Work and Pensions and the UK Government Digital Service. These recommendations include the need to ensure that the Welsh-language services provided are accessible and proactively offered to service users. A recommendation is also made to ensure that the tone of language and terminology used is familiar and understandable in order to encourage more claimants to use the Welsh-language services.