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universal credit
Iain Duncan Smith hiding failings of Universal Credit, say MPs
Iain Duncan Smith has been accused of trying to hide his failings - by an influential group of MPs.
Smith publicly 'reset' his £2.4 billion Universal Credit scheme after hundreds of millions of pounds of development spending had to be written off.
But the Public Accounts Committee says this was simply a way of trying to stop scrutiny of its problems and to hide them away.
DWP universal credit watch - two more areas down, on track for 2030 target
The Department for Work and Pensions has announced its latest universal credit rollout.
Two new areas will implement the scheme from today - the unemployment hotspots of Bath and Harrogate.
It is only up and running in Greater Manchester, Cheshire, Hammersmith, Inverness and Rugby as the IT system has consistently failed to deliver, with Iain Duncan Smith criticised for his incompetent management of it.
Minister for Welfare Reform Lord Freud encouraged this foot-dragging rollout, saying:
"We are introducing Universal Credit in a slow, safe and controlled way."
Universal credit advice now available on big TVs everywhere
The government has announced that universal credit advice will now be made available on TV red buttons.
Universal credit is the coalition's flagship welfare policy, and will roll six separate benefits together into one single payment.
It will be paid monthly rather than fortnightly to claimants, leading to fears that many will struggle to budget and that those who used to get housing benefit paid direct to landlords may fall into arrears.
When government departments attack - universal credit in trouble again
Iain Duncan Smith's failing universal credit programme faces further delays as warfare has broken out within the government leading to the breakdown of key relationships.
The scheme, which aims to replace six benefits with one online system, was being developed jointly between the Cabinet Office and Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
IDS to face MPs to account for his Universal Credit failings
Under-fire Work and Pensions Secretary Ian Duncan Smith will finally face a committee of MPs this afternoon to account for his failures on the Universal Credit system.
In advance of this he gave an interview to The Financial Times in which he said he took "complete responsibility ... from start to finish" for the issues affecting the scheme.
IDS admits more Universal Credit delays while hiding behind Autumn Statement
Under-fire Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith has admitted that he will miss his most recent timetable for the introduction of Universal Credit - the latest in a long line of delays.
He chose to release this information on the day the Chancellor gives his Autumn Statement, when most political reporters are busy, hiding his latest disappointment behind George Osborne.
Universal Credit encourages poverty while IDS trumpets unproven work link
A new report on Universal Credit shows that poverty is growing for those taking part in pilot schemes.
The scheme has been blighted from the start, with accusations of mismanagement, allegations that it does not work, the write-off of hundreds of millions of pounds due to IT failures, and a far slower introduction pace than promised.
Universal Credit blasted again by MPs as millions lost
The government's Universal Credit system has been blasted again by MPs.
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) within the House of Commons called the scheme "extraordinarily poor" and said oversight by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) had been "alarmingly weak".
The Committee believed that much of the £425 million spent to date has been lost forever and will need to be written off.
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