Ulster Unionist Party welfare spokesperson, Robbie Butler MLA, has called on the UK Government to suspend the roll-out of Universal Credit until fundamental reforms on the flawed benefit can be carried out.
Robbie Butler said:
“Last weekend the Government announced that it was delaying the transfer of 3 million people from the old benefits system to Universal Credit, and now it has again just been dealt a double blow as plans to extend the benefits cap to families of more than two children born before April 2017 have been ditched on the same day that four working single mothers won a major High Court challenge against them with potentially far reaching consequences.
“It’s clear that Universal Credit is now unravelling. Everything about the benefit has been chaotic and dysfunctional from the moment it was first announced.
“My Party agreed - and still agrees - that it made perfect sense to try to simplify the welfare system and merge so many different elements of support into one single benefit, but unfortunately the Government has totally mishandled the creation and roll-out of UC.
“These latest announcements from the Department of Work and Pensions are just the latest in a long list of defeats, U-turns and revised timescales. It’s clear to everyone – even many Tories – that the current plans are broken and that’s why I believe they should be suspended immediately, rather than simply delayed.”