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The minister responsible for the roll-out of Universal Credit could face a grilling from MPs amid mounting criticism of the controversial changes to the benefits system.
Frank Field, who chairs the Work and Pensions Committee, has written to work and pensions minister Alok Sharma asking him to answer questions about the government’s preparations for the migration of benefit claimants onto Universal Credit.
Mr Field also asked for “a note setting out what assessment the government has made of the likely impact of managed migration”.
The MP also called on Sir Amyas Morse, chief of the National Audit Office (NAO), to provide evidence after the auditor issued a damning report on Universal Credit this summer, concluding that it did not represent value for money.
Universal Credit, which combines six means-tested benefits into a single payment, is expected to make annual savings of £8bn, according to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). At the time of the NAO report in June this year, the department had spent £1.9bn on the rollout of the policy.
The system was originally set to be in place by October 2017 but the completion date has since slipped to 2023.
Mr Field said: “I have written to the NAO asking it to advise the committee on the tests DWP must set and meet before it contemplates extending Universal Credit further. I have also requested that the minister appear before us urgently to explain the government’s preparedness for the managed migration of claimants of existing benefits onto Universal Credit, in view of widespread concerns about the approach the government is taking.”
The call comes as two former prime ministers have warned bout the impact of Universal Credit.
Former Conservative prime minister Sir John Major today said the policy was being rushed in too quickly, citing reports that families being forced to switch could lose up to £200 a month as a result of the changeover.
He told the BBC: “I am saying that if you have people who have that degree of loss, that is not something that the majority of the British population would think of as fair.
“And if people think you have to remove yourself from fairness, then you are in deep political trouble.”
Yesterday, Gordon Brown, the former Labour prime minister, warned that the introduction of Universal Credit and could lead to widespread social unrest, calling the system “cruel and vindictive”.
Meanwhile, figures released today by Community Housing Cymru show that arrears for tenants of Welsh housing associations claiming Universal Credit have rocketed by 150% since December.
Read our piece looking at how Universal Credit could be made to work