Universal Credit: Delayed Roll-Out Debate

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Department: Department for Work and Pensions

Universal Credit: Delayed Roll-Out

Rachel Maclean Excerpts
Tuesday 4th February 2020

(4 years, 9 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Will Quince Portrait Will Quince
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I am not entirely sure about the correlation between that question and this urgent question but, nevertheless, the hon. Gentleman can write to me, or I would be happy to meet him to discuss the issue further. I cannot guarantee that we will agree, but I will be happy to listen to him to understand the issues he raises.

Rachel Maclean Portrait Rachel Maclean (Redditch) (Con)
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When I visited my jobcentre in Redditch, which, contrary to some suggestions from the Opposition, has had full roll-out of universal credit since October 2017, I found work coaches to be incredibly positive about the transformational help being given to their clients. Does the Minister agree that the constant scaremongering and muddling from Opposition Members is the problem? First they want to scrap universal credit, then they want to pause it—who knows what they would do? We need to be on the side of the people, and I am glad that this Government are.

Will Quince Portrait Will Quince
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My hon. Friend is quite right. At every single jobcentre that I visit—I visit one every week on average —I get that same feedback, and the one thing that staff would like to change is the reputation. It would be helpful if Opposition Members visited their jobcentres, spoke with work coaches, got that understanding, and desisted with the unhelpful scaremongering.