By Richard Johnstone | 25 November 2014
The government’s flagship Universal Credit welfare reform has begun to accept claims from families as part of the phased rollout of the controversial scheme to create a single benefit from six standalone payments.
Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith said today that the programme, which has been criticised by auditors and MPs and was ‘reset' following IT problems, was bringing the welfare system into the 21st century.
It has already been accepting simpler claims from single people and couples in more than 80 jobcentres, he said, and by next spring one-third will be offering Universal Credit.
‘We’ve already seen remarkable successes, with Universal Credit claimants moving into work faster and staying in work longer,’ he said.
‘As part of our long-term economic plan, today sees the next stage of this welfare revolution bringing families on-board with extra childcare support and flexibility for employers.’
Claims from families have started in the Northwest of England, with six Jobcentres going live yesterday and nearly 100 more planned from early next year.
As part of the rollout to families, support worth up to 70% of childcare costs will be available regardless of hours worked. This is intended to give people the flexibility to take extra hours without fear of losing their entitlements.
The Department for Work and Pensions also announced the last new claims for the six benefits being merged into Universal Credit will be accepted during 2017.
Following this, all claims will be migrated to Universal Credit, with the bulk of cases expected to have transferred by 2019.
Initially, the government had planned for this to be completed by 2017, but this was slowed after concerns were raised about the implementation plan, with Duncan Smith stating it was more important to ensure safe delivery than meet specific deadlines.
