Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Cat Smith and Simon Hart

Wednesday 26th February 2020 Commons Chamber

[Cat Smith (Lancaster and Fleetwood) (Lab)]

1. What assessment he has made of the effect on low-income families of the roll-out of universal credit in Wales.

[The Secretary of State for Wales (Simon Hart)]

Universal credit was designed to simplify the system and ensure that payments reach those in need. We estimate that 700,000 more people will receive about £2.4 billion of unclaimed benefits through universal credit.

[Cat Smith]

Will the Government commit to ending the dehumanising work capability and personal independence payment assessments, which routinely find sick and disabled people fit for work, and commit to bring all these assessments in-house?

[Simon Hart]

I think all of us, on both sides of the House, recognise that the system does not always work as well as it should. We all have casework that would indicate that. Our ongoing commitment—indeed, I was doing this back in 2011—is to make sure that, where people do struggle with the system or fall through the gaps, we act quickly, efficiently and humanely. Any cases that the hon. Lady or other Members have where that is not happening, please raise them with us and we will take them up with the Department for Work and Pensions.