MPs criticise the government department after failing to take part in inquiry
A powerful committee of MPs have attacked the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) for “deliberately concealing” statistics and information.
The Commons’ work and pensions select committee has slated the DWP for failing to provide asked for information to its inquiry into the controversial Universal Credit. It said the DWP “has failed to respond to the committee’s call for written evidence, or any of the four letters requesting statistics and clarifications of policy sent to the secretary of state over the past six weeks.”
The DWP was requested to respond to the committee’s questions by last Thursday, but failed to provide any information to the inquiry.
Some 180 organisations and individuals sent written evidence to the inquiry before the deadline, leading Frank Field MP (Labour), who heads the committee, to suggest the DWP is either “deliberately concealing information about Universal Credit or is simply incompetent.”
He added: “It is not good enough. This has obvious echoes in the far greater failure of not paying hungry claimants on time.
“One letter simply asked if the conference announcement on advance payments was, despite appearances, simply a restatement of existing policy. You’d think they could at least answer that one.
“Given everything we have heard, I was surprised that David Gauke opted to proceed with the accelerated rollout.
“I strongly suspect his decision, together with the failure to tell us anything, reflects a culture at the DWP of those most invested in universal credit not telling anyone, including their ministers, bad news.
“The overwhelming picture we are getting is that Universal Credit as currently configured is very bad news. We have heard nothing, to the contrary or otherwise, from those running it.”
Meanwhile, prime minister Theresa May said she won’t reduce the six-week delay faced by many Universal Credit claimants despite being warned by Conservative MPs that the policy is hurting vulnerable families.
In a debate today (18 October), Labour will reveal new figures that suggest Universal Credit cuts could push one million more children into poverty by 2020.
