Last night on BBC Four this was on ,
In The Report this week Simon Cox finds out why the Department for Work and Pensions has struggled to create an IT system that can deliver Universal Credit.
The government announced in 2010 that it planned to create a single payment – combining six of the current benefits available for those struggling financially. The plan for Universal Credit was developed in Opposition by Iain Duncan Smith, now Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.
It was envisioned that there would be a pilot in April 2013, with the system rolled out to all new out-of-work claimants by October 2013. By 2017 all those in receipt of benefits should be claiming Universal Credit.
However, it was announced earlier this year that the pilot would only include a very small number of new claimants – the most simple to process. The national roll-out has now been scaled back. And in September this year the National Audit Office produced a damning report, saying the project had been beset with problems.
That is a pretty mild summary.
On the programme we learnt that the on-line
service in the Pilot areas is barely functioning.
There is no facility to “save” so that if you are
caught out half-way completed (On a public terminal) all your information is
lost.
Any ‘change in circumstances’ has to be done by a
(paying) telephone line – the system cannot cope with any on-line
information.
They have already spent over £3000,000 million in
wasted – discarded – software.
There are complaints about the “lack of control”
of spending as private companies involved make a cushy living out of their own
failures.
Official estimates are that a mere 1% of
claimants will be in the system by next April.
That is only for the JSA people (the unemployed –
us) they are trying the poorly working system out on.
Margaret Hodge, chair of the Public Accounts
Committee, has already said that this situation ahs been allwoed to spiral out
of control.
On the BBC some staff were said to be “waiting” for the system to “implode.”Iain Duncan Smith is responsible for trying to implement this hugely complicated project too fast. But the department is responsible for not telling him to hold. As a result, the department seems to have embarked on this crucial project, expected to cost the taxpayer some £2.4bn, with little idea as to how it was actually going to work.”
In the meantime more ‘Pilots’ are under way, list here,
Universal Credit is said to be going to be fully implemented by 2017.
Possibly.
The Mirror adds,
DEBT charity Citizens Advice Bureau is warning of big problems ahead with Universal Credit as families struggle to budget their finances and fail to operate the new online system.
Tameside CAB in Greater Manchester, one of the first Universal Credit pilot areas, has reported that last month 78% of its clients could not complete the online application forms without assistance.
CAB also found many families that are about to be moved on to the new benefit are already struggling and will need emergency financial support to help pay for basics.
Universal Credit replaces six existing benefits and is paid as a monthly lump sum.
It has been introduced in four pilot areas and will be rolled out nationwide gradually.
Citizens Advice chief executive Gillian Guy said: “Ministers must listen to evidence which shows we need clarity about what support will be put in place to help people with children or ill health deal with Universal Credit.
“The difficulties reported from Tameside are a warning that people will need strong local support.
“Ministers must allow people to request fortnightly payments to help them deal with the transition to monthly payments or even more people may need to seek emergency financial support.”
