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Universal credit helpline charges to be scrapped Universal credit helpline charges to be scrapped
(35 minutes later)
The universal credit helpline will be made free, along with other Department for Work and Pensions numbers, after Jeremy Corbyn last week challenged the government over the 55p-a-minute charge for people using mobile phones to get help.The universal credit helpline will be made free, along with other Department for Work and Pensions numbers, after Jeremy Corbyn last week challenged the government over the 55p-a-minute charge for people using mobile phones to get help.
David Gauke, the work and pensions secretary, told MPs that all charges would be abolished by the end of the year at the start of a grilling by the work and pensions committee about problems with universal credit.David Gauke, the work and pensions secretary, told MPs that all charges would be abolished by the end of the year at the start of a grilling by the work and pensions committee about problems with universal credit.
Gauke said the universal credit helpline was a 0345 number, charged at local rate and was not a premium rate charge, but in the light of the concerns raised he had decided to change it to a freephone number.
“Given the recent attention and concern that this could place a burden on claimants, I have decided that this will change to a freephone number over the next month,” Gauke said.
“It has been DWP’s longstanding position to operate local line charges for benefit inquiry lines, but having reviewed this matter more widely I will be extending freephone numbers to all DWP phone lines by the end of the year.”
The move is a victory for Corbyn after he asked Theresa May about the issue at prime minister’s questions last week.The move is a victory for Corbyn after he asked Theresa May about the issue at prime minister’s questions last week.
Gauke said the universal credit helpline was a 0345 number, charged at local rate and was not a premium rate charge, but in the light of the concerns raised he had dedided to change it to a freephone number. He said all DWP helplines would become free by the end of the year. Later on Wednesday Labour are to hold an opposition day debate in the Commons calling for the rollout of universal credit to be paused. Theresa May has held talks with some Tory MPs who say the system is hurting vulnerable families.
The MPs on the committee welcomed the news but went on to press him about the six-week wait suffered by many new claimants before their first payments. Labour hailed the decision over the phone lines. The shadow pensions secretary, Debbie Abrahams, said: “The Conservatives have finally listened to Labour and scrapped the premium phone helpline for claimants.
Gauke defended his department, saying advance loans were available to those struggling with their finances and believed the number of people taking up payments would continue to rise. “Now they need to listen to the calls of charities and councils and back Labour’s motion today to immediately pause and fix the rollout of universal credit before more people are pushed into rent arrears, poverty and homelessness.”
But Heidi Allen, a Conservative MP, said advance payments were “papering over the fact that the six-week wait doesn’t work”. MPs on the committee welcomed the news, with Heidi Allen, a Conservative member, tweeting that this was “a great start to the day”.
A great start to the day, David Gauke has just told the DWP select committee that the UC phone number will become freephone within a month
MPs went on to press Gauke about the six-week wait suffered by many new claimants before their first payments.
He defended his department, saying advance loans were available to those struggling with their finances and believed the number of people taking up payments would continue to rise.
Allen said advance payments were “papering over the fact that the six-week wait doesn’t work”.
She questioned how the government could say it was replicating the world of work for universal credit claimants when no one has to wait that long to be paid in employment.She questioned how the government could say it was replicating the world of work for universal credit claimants when no one has to wait that long to be paid in employment.
Gauke also said there would be a “cost implication” of bringing down the waiting period by seven days and public money needed to be prioritised but it was a possible area for changes to be made in the future.Gauke also said there would be a “cost implication” of bringing down the waiting period by seven days and public money needed to be prioritised but it was a possible area for changes to be made in the future.
Gauke and Neil Couling, the DWP’s universal credit programme director, who was also giving evidence, were challenged by Frank Field, the Labour MP who chairs the committee, over the lack of available data on how many claimants received their money within six weeks.
Gauke said 81% of claimants received their money on time, and that after 10 weeks 96% of people had been paid in full. This was, however, “raw data” and more detail was not available, he said.
Field replied: “The idea that you haven’t agreed with the national statistics office about the robustness of the data beggars belief.”