Dear Department for Work and Pensions,

Regulation 13 of the Universal Credit, Personal Independence Payment, Jobseeker's Allowance and Employment and Support Allowance (Claims and Payments) Regulations 2013 (SI No. 380), provides that a claim for new style contributory employment and support allowance may be made by telephone.

The exception provided for in paragraph (1) of the regulation is for cases of classes of case in which the Secretary of State has directed a claim must be made in writing.

Please therefore disclose:

1. The telephone number via which a claimant not within such a case of class of cases may exercise their right to claim employment and support allowance in writing; and

2. The list of cases or classes of cases where the Secretary of State has directed that a claim for employment and support allowance must be made in writing.

Regulation 16 of the same regulations provides that the date of a written claim for Employment and Support Allowance will be the earliest of a series of dates one of which is the date the properly completed form is "received in an appropriate office".

Regulation 2 indicates that an appropriate office is a place to which a claim may be "sent" and includes a "postal address specified by the Secretary of State for that purpose".

3. Please therefore disclose the postal address of an appropriate office to which a claim for new style contributory employment and support allowance may be sent.

Yours faithfully,

Martin Williams