A new report by Citizens Advice Scotland has highlighted a series of flaws ‘inherent’ to the design of Universal Credit, with vulnerable Scots likely to suffer if the UK Government fail to fix their botched welfare reform.
The report highlights flaws in the design of the system, problems in its administration and possible future challenges for the roll-out of Universal Credit.
Design challenges include:
• A six-week wait to receive a first payment
• Challenges caused to claimants by a single monthly payment
• The effect of UC sanctions
• a primarily online system, when around 20% of users struggle to use the internet
Administrative and transitional challenges include:
• Confusion caused by running UC in parallel with an existing legacy benefits system
• Issues with the Universal Credit Helpline, including no Freephone number being available
• Early administrative issues causing delays in claims being processed
• Teething problems with the Real Time Information system from employers
Future Challenges include:
• The impact of numerous changes made to elements of UC by the UK Government’s 2015 Budget and Autumn Statement
• The unknown impact of ‘in-work conditionality’ for claimants
• The devolution of some administrative functions to the Scottish Government
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