Universal Credit (Wales)

Jim Sheridan Excerpts

Tuesday 5th February 2013 Westminster Hall

[Mrs Madeleine Moon (Bridgend) (Lab)]

Is not part of the problem the whole climate of uncertainty and insecurity in which benefit claimants are living? In particular, the bedroom tax means that carers cannot have a bedroom available for night sitters, people on home dialysis cannot have a room for that purpose and, more worryingly, parents without custody of their children during the week cannot keep a room so that they can have custody of them at weekends. Should the Government not have sorted that out before introducing yet more changes?

[Jim Sheridan (in the Chair)]

Order. In anticipation of the number of interventions that may be coming, it would be acceptable if they were brief.

[Stephen Doughty]

I agree with my hon. Friend the Member for Bridgend (Mrs Moon). I will come to the issue of uncertainty, but that point has certainly been reflected to me by many constituents and organisations that work with those affected by the changes. I have spent much time speaking to constituents. One of the benefits of standing in a by-election is spending an awful lot of time speaking to people, and the issue regularly came up on the doorstep. I have spoken to housing associations and other registered social landlords, to local authorities—specifically Cardiff council—and to other experts. Although there are a variety of views about whether the simplification of welfare payments is desirable, there are clearly consistent fears and forecasts of dire consequences that Ministers and the Department for Work and Pensions have not adequately answered or addressed. Perhaps the Minister will do so today.

--- Later in debate ---

[Stephen Doughty]

rose—

[Jim Sheridan (in the Chair)]

Order. I recognise that the hon. Gentleman is new to the Chamber, but we would like to leave some time for the Minister to respond.

[Stephen Doughty]

Thank you, Mr Sheridan. I will give the Minister some time to respond very shortly.

If the examples I gave before the intervention are not good enough, the Minister can look at the example of National Energy Action in Wales, which works extensively on fuel poverty. It recently stated:

“Sweeping changes to welfare reform including Universal Credit…will be hitting Welsh households hard in the coming months and will have major implications for the Welsh Government's plans to tackle poverty, including fuel poverty, in Wales.”

My friend, Huw Lewis, the Housing Minister in Wales, has said:

“We can't make any distinction here. I think it would be foolish if people were under the impression that it's just going to be something that affects people in social housing.”

There are huge concerns, which are shared by not only me or the people who have raised them with me on the street or in correspondence to my constituency office, but also the largest local authority in Wales, a number of housing associations, the bodies representing such people and a wide range of other experts. Wales will be hit disproportionately by the measures and by what could be an extremely chaotic set of reforms. I am seeing, frankly, poor evidence of support and engagement from DWP Ministers and others, and I fear that many unintended consequences will affect some of the most vulnerable people across Wales.