Expert testimony provided by Kent Law School Senior Lecturer Dr Ruth Cain has contributed to a Lords Select Committee report proposing major reforms to Universal Credit.<\/p>\n
The Economic Affairs Committee published their report, Universal Credit isn\u2019t working<\/a>, on Friday. The report says that Universal Credit is failing millions of people, particularly the most vulnerable.<\/p>\n Although agreeing with the original aim of Universal Credit, the Committee blames the scheme\u2019s design for soaring rent arrears and the use of food banks. It also criticises cuts to social security budgets, the Government\u2019s use of Universal Credit to recover historic tax credit debt, the five-week wait for a first payment, and the way in which payments are calculated.<\/p>\n Dr Cain was among a number of experts who submitted both written and oral evidence to the Committee as part of their investigation into how Universal Credit is meeting its original objectives as well as the needs of claimants in today\u2019s changing world of work. You can watch Dr Cain\u2019s submission before the panel again on Parliament Live TV<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Committee\u2019s report cites Dr Cain\u2019s contribution at Para 152: \u201cThe repayment of historic benefit debt is a problem for many claimants. Dr Ruth Cain, a Senior Lecturer at the University of Kent, told us that because Universal Credit is a household benefit a claimant can inherit, and become liable to repay, a debt that their partner has accrued, even if the debt precedes the relationship.\u201d<\/p>\n