Asked by: Hugh Gaffney (Labour - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
What assessment his Department has made of recent trends in the average level of household debt for people in receipt of universal credit.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The Government has taken a number of steps to reduce the risk of problem debt, including capping payday lending costs and promoting savings.
Within UC, there are also interest free Advances and a system of priority deductions to help claimants who have got into arrears.
Asked by: Hugh Gaffney (Labour - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Government plans to halt the roll-out of universal credit.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
Under Universal Credit people are moving into work faster and staying in work for longer, and by the time it is fully rolled out we project that around 250,000 more people will be in work. There are no plans to pause the rollout of Universal Credit and deny people the real improvements Universal Credit is delivering. On 09 October the Secretary of State made a topical statement to the House of Commons confirming that the rollout will continue to the planned timescale, gradually and sensibly.