Debate contribution: Universal Credit: Five-week Wait

Debate contribution by Mr Patsy McGlone on 11 February 2025.

MLA

Mr Patsy McGlone

Party at the time

Social Democratic and Labour Party

Date

11 February 2025

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Universal Credit: Five-week Wait

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4793478

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Go raibh maith agat, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle.

I also thank the Minister for being here and for listening intently to the arguments that have been made. These are real issues that affect many people. One aspect that has not been focused on relates to people with mental health issues who are exceptionally vulnerable and who may be in the support group of ESA at the moment. Local staff in the Department have been very helpful in being available to help people with their claims. However, I have a concern that some of those people are, potentially, inaccessible and may not follow through on letters from the Department. I put that as a marker to make sure that everything that can be done to reach those people is done. We deal with people who come into our office and have not responded to letters. They wind up at an appeal, and you find out that there have been incredibly difficult issues for them mentally and, often, physically as well. I wanted to put that marker down at the start of my remarks, Minister. We have heard about the difficulties not just with the five-week wait but with the minimum five-week wait that is associated with a claim for universal credit. We have heard about how people have coped with that. My colleague referred to loan sharks, intimidation and the fact that people are fearful about what might happen to them. People rely on food vouchers and emergency financial support, and they fear receiving that migration letter. My colleague also referred to the need for more accessible information on the contingency fund to be made available. The contingency fund is useful, but it is no substitute for universal credit payments. There is a further element to that: anyone who may have been eligible for discretionary support within the previous 12-month period may not be eligible for the contingency fund. That is another aspect that has to be considered. They could have received discretionary support because of moving house and having no money, being in low-paid work or receiving another benefit. That discretionary support is there to help them to kit out their house or maybe even to give them a basic bed. That is one aspect that I ask the Minister to consider. I have already referred to the migration to UC of people who are principally but not exclusively in the ESA support group. In proposing the Alliance Party's amendment, Sian Mulholland referred to the fact that people have to wait for up to six to eight weeks to get a determination. Some have had to wait for as long as 11 weeks. Since the introduction of universal credit, food bank use has increased. I think that Sian cited the statistic that their use has gone up by 52%. There are issues with people taking advance payments and illegal moneylenders. Sian referred to two young mothers who had their windows put in by moneylenders, who are out there to prey on people who have no money and are exceptionally vulnerable. Those people are ripe pickings for the moneylenders. It is awful stuff. A couple of other issues around UC are not particularly to do with the five-week wait for payment. For people who are captured within the monthly assessment period, their pay or, indeed, arrears of pay may fall within that period. As a result, the assessed amount goes up, and they are then ineligible for payment that month or their payment is substantially reduced. It can affect their housing payments too. That is tied in with Westminster, but it affects people. We have had at least one case around another issue that definitely affects people. It concerns the transition from the benefits that someone is on, especially for those in receipt of tax credits. I tabled a question for written answer about one such case. In that case, an overpayment accrued, but the overpayment was not because the person had not notified HMRC about their transition to UC. The notification is supposed to come from the UC system itself. The person was hit with an overpayment of about a couple of hundred quid. It was not their fault, responsibility or duty. I ask the Minister to look at that too. I do not know how many cases like that might be out there, but there is, clearly, at least one.

Certainly.

Thank you for that, Minister. Brian Kingston spoke on behalf of the DUP. I think that we are all on message here when it comes to the implications and effects of UC and how it is processed. It is problematic, and people are paid in arrears. He quoted comments from the House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee on the minimum five-week wait and the fact that people could not afford to eat or to heat their homes during that wait. He referred to other engagements with stakeholders. Colm Gildernew said that there was a need for an increase in the contingency fund. If he has any idea of who is in charge of the finances, maybe he will give them a wee nudge about allocating additional resources to the Minister for that. He called for the scrapping of UC, which is a fair enough point. When we saw it being introduced, many of us said that there would be a lot of problems with it, and unfortunately those problems are here. Colin Crawford referred to the problems that people are facing and the distressing challenges and financial implications for women and young people. He talked about food banks and the exploitation that ensues for people who find themselves in financial difficulties. Nicola Brogan also made reference to bureaucracy, welfare reform issues and how people were facing difficulties, and called on Westminster for additional support. Gerry Carroll referred to the food insecurity issue and the fact that people cannot even eat, which is just awful. It is our moral duty to ensure that we do all that we conceivably can to make sure that no one is placed in that position — no one. I agree with him that, following the introduction of UC, there has been an increase in rent arrears. He also referenced illegal lending from paramilitaries and legal lending from high street lenders. If I understand Mr Carroll correctly, people are becoming afraid to even apply for UC because of the fear of debt. The Minister has taken note of a number of the issues that have been raised, and I thank him for doing so. However, it would be very helpful if he made an application to his colleagues in the Department of Finance for additional money for the contingency fund. It is incredibly important that people get the support that they require to make sure that they are able to put food on the table. With regard to the issues around discretionary support and the contingency fund, I am not sure how many people fall into the category of ineligible, but I would like to think that just because someone has moved house and has had to get utilities and stuff sorted, they will not be caused to fall into a situation where they do not get any money, even to put food on the table for themselves or their families. I support our motion in line with the Alliance Party amendment.

1,227 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

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