Labour has had a difficult summer over welfare, so it’s no surprise its frontbench played it safe at Work and Pensions questions today. Instead of ruthlessly quizzing the government on the recent statistics showing the death of those being found fit to work or even the Welfare Bill, its frontbench team chose to attack on Universal Credit, something it tends to turn to in times of trouble.
Iain Duncan Smith, the Work and Pensions Secretary, claimed ‘Universal Credit is going to be a remarkable success’ despite the endless delays and technical missteps:
‘Universal Credit is now available in over half of job centres across Great Britain and available in all Jobcentres early next year. The national roll out is on track and our “test and learn” approach is now working very well. Nearly 175,000 people have made a claim to Universal Credit so far and this is growing exponentially as we roll it out around the country and our evidence shows that the Universal Credit claimants find work quicker, stay in work longer and earn more than the Jobseekers’ Allowance claimants.’
Stephen Timms, the shadow employment minister, accused the government again of mishandling the project and failing to give a clear deadline for its completion:
‘The number of people receiving Universal Credit remains derisory small.
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