On Tuesday 25 February 2020 the House of Lords
Economic Affairs Committee will be holding a double evidence
session on the economics of Universal
Credit.
The first session will begin at 3.35pm. Giving
evidence will be:
-
Dr Ruth Cain, Senior Lecturer at the
University of Kent
-
Professor John Hills, Professor of Social
Policy at the London School of Economics
-
Giles Elliot, Advice Service Manager at
Manchester Mind.
Questions the Committee is likely to ask
include:
-
How well does Universal Credit (UC) provide
social security for claimants?
-
What should the primary aim of a social
security system be?
-
What impact does UC have on different groups
of claimants?
-
Has UC caused anxieties and mental health
problems among claimants?
-
Does UC help or hinder claimants who are
seeking work?
-
Is the reality of low-paid work and the lived
experiences of low-paid workers reflected by
UC?
The second session will begin at 4.35pm. Giving
evidence will be:
-
Tom Waters, Senior Research Economist at the
Institute for Fiscal Studies
-
Dr Katy Jones, Senior Research Associate at
Manchester Metropolitan University.
Questions the Committee is likely to ask
include:
-
Does UC work better as an in-work benefit or
an out-of-work benefit?
-
Has UC been successful in ‘making work pay’?
Has it boosted employment?
-
How accurate is the DWP’s estimate that the
total economic value of UC will be £34bn over 10
years?
-
How have employers reacted to
UC?
-
Does UC subsidise low-paid and part-time
work?
-
What effect has fiscal retrenchment had on
the ability of the UC programme to successfully deliver its
objectives?
These evidence sessions, which are open
to the public, will start at 3.35pm on Tuesday 25 February 2020
in Committee Room 1 of the House of
Lords.
