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Government must act on Universal Credit domestic abuse risk, say MPs
Single payments of Universal Credit to households put people living with domestic abuse at risk of harm, a cross-party group of MPs has warned.
In a report published today, the Work and Pensions Committee said the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) “has a moral duty to ensure the benefit system does not in any way facilitate abuse”.
Single payments can allow domestic abuse perpetrators to take charge of the entire household’s budget, leaving their partner and children dependent on them for all their basic needs, it added.
This can make it easier for perpetrators to control their victims in some cases.
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The committee said the DWP must do more “to ensure that payments are received fairly by everyone in a claimant household”, including seriously considering policies which could help protect survivors, such as splitting Universal Credit payments by default.
It also called for every Jobcentre Plus to appoint a domestic abuse specialist and provide a private room to help protect vulnerable claimants.
Frank Field, chair of the Work and Pensions Committee, said: “This is not the 1950s. Men and women work independently, pay taxes as individuals and should each have an independent income.
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“Not only does [Universal Credit’s] single household payment bear no relation to the world of work, it is out of step with modern life and turns back the clock on decades of hard won equality for women.
“The government must acknowledge the increased risk of harm to claimants living with domestic abuse it creates by breaching that basic principle, and take the necessary steps to reduce it.”
Housing minister Kit Malthouse has previously said it is “completely without foundation” to imply that giving couples one Universal Credit payment will exacerbate domestic abuse in his previous role as minister for family support, housing and child maintenance.
The Scottish Government is making arrangements to introduce Universal Credit split payments by default, but requires the DWP to make IT changes to make this possible.
The work and pensions committee said the UK Government should take the opportunity to pilot different ways of splitting payments in Scotland to determine whether a similar approach could work in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
“The committee is right to highlight this important issue. Tackling domestic abuse is something this government takes incredibly seriously which is why we recently announced new actions to tackle this horrendous crime,” a spokesperson for the DWP said.
“For those who require additional support, split payments are available. However, it is important to note that previous legacy benefits were also paid to one account and as the report recognises, split payments cannot be the solution to what is a criminal act.”
Click here to read our piece looking at how Universal Credit can be made to work
Update: at 10.48am 01/08/18 a statement from the DWP was added to the story.
