Should Universal Credit move away from its
punitive, sanctions-based approach? Does Universal Credit
function effectively as an out-of-work benefit for those unable
to work? What impact have cuts to Universal Credit’s funding had
on disabled claimants?
These are among the questions the House of
Lords Economic Affairs Committee will be asking two panels of
witnesses on Wednesday 13 May 2020.
These public evidence sessions will have remote
participation by witnesses and Committee members. The sessions
will be streamed on Parliament
TV.
The first session will begin at 3pm. Giving
evidence will be:
-
Tony Wilson, Institute Director at Institute
for Employment Studies
-
Emma Stewart, CEO and Co-Founder at
Timewise.
Questions the Committee is likely to ask
include:
-
Do the original aims and objectives of
Universal Credit fit with the contemporary labour market,
particularly for low-paid workers and those in insecure or
irregular employment?
-
What are the strengths and weaknesses of
making the benefits system ‘like work’?
-
What barriers do people who struggle to work
full-time face under in-work progression?
The second session will begin at 4pm. Giving
evidence will be:
-
Evan Odell, Researcher at Disability Rights
UK
-
, Executive Director of
Strategy and Social Change at Scope.
Questions the Committee is likely to ask
include:
-
Is the work-first approach underlying
Universal Credit an appropriate framework for disabled
people?
-
What effect has the drive to increase
personal independence through the welfare system had on
disabled claimants?
-
Is the work capability assessment an
appropriate mechanism to determine whether an individual can
work or not?
