Oral Answers to Questions

Paula Barker Excerpts

Monday 13th May 2024 Commons Chamber

[Mel Stride]

I simply do not accept that that is a fair assessment of the very considerable time and effort that we are putting into taking this matter extremely seriously.

[Paula Barker (Liverpool, Wavertree) (Lab)]

7. If he will make an estimate of the number of in-work universal credit claimants that have had payments stopped due to errors made by his Department in the last 12 months.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Paul Maynard)]

No estimate has been made, but customers can request a mandatory reconsideration if they do not agree with a decision to stop their universal credit.

[Paula Barker]

My constituent Georgina Mitchell is a single mum to three children, two of whom have additional needs. She works as a nurse and is in receipt of universal credit. The Minister says that work pays, but since October, Georgina has had her benefits stopped intermittently because the DWP has falsely recorded her earnings as £19,000 one month, £12,000 the next, and so on and so forth. She cannot pay her social landlord, and her ability to pay for childcare is severely impacted. I have raised the matter with local officials, but despite assurances, it keeps happening. She cannot sort this, and despite my interventions, I cannot seem to sort it. Will the Secretary of State or the Minister investigate the matter urgently, and advise me on why these mistakes keep happening and on what will be done to ensure that they do not happen again?

[Paul Maynard]

I am very concerned to hear about the case that the hon. Lady has raised. I am more than happy to look into it if she contacts me further, and I recognise the urgency with which we would need to do that.