Opposition press Government on changes to Universal Credit
14 January 2019 (updated on 14 January 2019)
Margaret Greenwood, Shadow Secretary for Work and Pensions asked an urgent question on Universal Credit, the two-child limit and social security freeze.
This follows a speech last Friday in which the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Amber Rudd, announced a new approach to delivering 'a system that supports people into work, supports those in need and provides fairness to the taxpayer'.
The Government's new approach includes the cancellation of a plan to extend a two-child limit on Universal Credit to children born before the policy came into effect.
- Watch Parliament TV: Urgent question on Universal Credit
- Read Commons Hansard: Urgent question on Universal Credit
Greenwood asked a series of questions relating to the implementation of Universal Credit, the two-child policy and the migration of individuals on to the scheme. She finished by asking "will this Government call a halt to the roll-out of Universal Credit".
Responding for the Government, Alok Sharma MP outlined new regulations for the migration of those with severe disabilities, a migration pilot capped at 10,000 transitions, and the cancellation of the proposed extension of the two-child policy.
He said that many stakeholders had welcomed the changes to Universal Credit announced last week, and blamed the former Labour government for leaving an "awful financial mess" and Labour opposition of funding initiatives in the last two budgets.
- Read Amber Rudd's 11 January speech on the new approach to Universal Credit in full [external]
- Access the Commons Library dashboard: Universal Credit constituency data
Image: PC
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