Yesterday, I spoke again on Universal Credit in the Commons. I have already been vocal in my desire to see the waiting period reduced from four to six weeks, and for attention to be paid to the issues that people in rural areas have in signing up, with poor broadband and transport infrastructure.
This time, I drew attention to the Labour Party’s record with Tax Credits. Under Labour, the benefits system was so complicated that some people found that there was no point to working, because they would lose more in benefits than they would earn in work. The old system failed to get young people into work. It was keeping vulnerable people down and unable to stand on their own two feet.
It is worth remembering what work does for people. It instils a sense of confidence and of self-worth. It enables people to manage their own affairs and make their own decisions for themselves and their families, to be independent, and not to depend on anyone or anything.
I also must pay tribute to the Ministers at the Department for Work and Pensions. What I have experienced from them is a genuine willingness to engage and to receive feedback, and that is both positive and constructive. They have been impressively responsive to my concerns, and more especially to the cases of my constituents that have been brought to their attention.
I am pleased that there has been a response to the urgent need for payments. Claimants who want advance payments should receive them within five working days, and for those in immediate need there is a fast-track payment that can be received on the same day.
I did not add my name to those calling for a pause or halt to the roll-out of universal credit because the roll-out is already planned to take nine years, and it is taking nine years because the Government are taking time to get it right. It is check and adjust.