Government must publish evidence to support budget welfare changes

Responding to today’s Budget announcements, the Rt Hon Sir Stephen Timms MP, Chair of the Work and Pensions Committee said:

“I welcome that today the Government have listened to my Committee’s recommendations that childcare support for parents in receipt of Universal Credit should be increased, and that the Government will pay upfront costs rather than pay out retrospectively. This has been an issue that made childcare difficult for families on some of the lowest incomes, and it will help remove a barrier to work for those parents. 

“The Government has also announced a series of measures to address economic inactivity, an issue my Committee continues to examine. We will look at the Government’s proposals, as well as those in the Health and Disability White Paper. The Government must publish the evidence and data to support its announcements to help my Committee and others scrutinise what is being proposed, what the measures seek to achieve and, looking forward, whether the intended outcomes are being delivered.”

More information on the Committee’s 2022 report on Universal Credit and Childcare Costs is available here.