Oral Answers to Questions

Stephen Timms Excerpts

Monday 9th May 2016 Commons Chamber

[Stephen Crabb]

My hon. Friend makes an important point, and I am not interested in playing politics. I am encouraging more than 700 jobcentres around the UK to explore fully how they work in partnership with local community initiatives, so that the third sector, working with work coaches, can provide the best possible support and advice to those who need it.

[Stephen Timms (East Ham) (Lab)]

When the Trussell Trust published the figures last month showing record food bank demand over the past year, it stated:

“In some areas foodbanks report increased referrals due to delays and arrears in Universal Credit payments.”

What steps is the Secretary of State taking to ensure that the introduction of universal credit does not drive food bank demand even higher?

[Stephen Crabb]

That is one reason why we are using such a careful and controlled timetable for rolling out universal credit. I am much more interested in it being rolled out safely and in a secure way, so as to avoid the kinds of problems that we had under the previous Labour Government, when tax credits were blasted out and huge numbers of people received overpayments and were required to pay back thousands of pounds.