Alternative Reading for General English : Dott.ssa Cheryl Wolley
Universal Credit: Iain Duncan Smith's welfare reforms shelved by new Work and Pensions Secretary
Damian Green has delayed his predecessor’spolicyuntil at least March 2022
- Caroline Mortimer
- Thursday 21 July 2016
The rollout of the controversial Universal Credit scheme has been delayed again as the new Cabinet attempts to avoid “slip-ups”.
The welfare reform programme which rolls six benefit payments into one has now been delayed until March 2022, new Work and Pensions Secretary Damian Green has said.
It is one of several potential embarrassing policies the new regime under Prime Minister Theresa May is keento avoid in their first few months in power.
Other measures, such as the obesity strategy and reforms to the pensions protection fund, have also been delayed.
A source close to No 10 told the Times: “They are trying to avoid slip-ups. That’s the reason.”
Mr Green said the delay was the "best way to secure delivery".
He said:“Universal Credit is the biggest transformation of the welfare state since its inception
“It has formed and will continue to form a key part of this Government’s action to reduce reliance on benefits and increase incentives to work.”
Universal Credit was one of Iain Duncan Smith’s flagship reforms before he dramatically resigned from the DWP in March.
The MP said he felt he had to resign as he could no longer bear the pressure from the Treasury to cut the welfare bill without touching pension entitlements.
The scheme has faced numerous problems since it first started being trialled during the last parliament.
Universal Credit was one of Iain Duncan Smith's flagship policies during his tenure at DWP(PA)
In May, the Resolution Foundation - which had previously supported the reform - said there were “serious design flaws” which risked becoming no more than a “very complicated vehicle for cutting the benefits bill”.
Their report found that while it would incentivise around 2 million families to find work, another 2.5 million could be an average of £41 per week worse off.
More research by the Institute for Fiscal Studies found that single working parentscould be left £1,000 a year worse off under the scheme.
1/16
"One case where the claimant’s wife went into premature labour and had to go to hospital. This caused the claimant to miss an appointment. No leeway given"
- 2/16
"It’s Christmas Day and you don’t fill in your job search evidence form to show that you’ve looked for all the new jobs that are advertised on Christmas Day. You are sanctioned. Merry Christmas"
- 3/16
"You apply for three jobs one week and three jobs the following Sunday and Monday. Because the job centre week starts on a Tuesday it treats this as applying for six jobs in one week and none the following week. You are sanctioned for 13 weeks for failing to apply for three jobs each week"
- 4/16
"A London man missed his Jobcentre appointments for two weeks because he was in hospital after being hit by a car. He was sanctioned"
2011 Getty Images
- 5/16
"You’ve been unemployed for seven months and are forced onto a workfare scheme in a shop miles away, but can’t afford to travel. You offer to work in a nearer branch but are refused and get sanctioned for not attending your placement"
2013 Getty Images
- 6/16
"You are a mum of two, and are five minutes late for your job centre appointment. You show the advisor the clock on your phone, which is running late. You are sanctioned for a month"
- 7/16
"A man with heart problems who was on Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) had a heart attack during a work capability assessment. He was then sanctioned for failing to complete the assessment"
Copyright (c) 2015 Rex Features. No use without permission.
- 8/16
"A man who had gotten a job that was scheduled to begin in two weeks’ time was sanctioned for not looking for work as he waited for the role to start"
- 9/16
"Army veteran Stephen Taylor, 60, whose Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) was stopped after he sold poppies in memory of fallen soldiers"
2014 Getty Images
- 10/16
"A man had to miss his regular appointment at the job centre to attend his father’s funeral. He was sanctioned even though he told DWP staff in advance"
2014 Getty Images
- 11/16
"Ceri Padley, 26, had her benefits sanctioned after she missed an appointment at the jobcentre - because she was at a job interview"
Jason Doiy Photography
- 12/16
"A man got sanctioned for missing his slot to sign on - as he was attending a work programme interview. He was then sanctioned as he could not afford to travel for his job search"
2012 Getty Images
- 13/16
"Mother-of-three Angie Godwin, 27, said her benefits were sanctioned after she applied for a role job centre staff said was beyond her"
- 14/16
"Sofya Harrison was sanctioned for attending a job interview and moving her signing-on to another day"
- 15/16
"Michael, 54, had his benefits sanctioned for four months for failing to undertake a week’s work experience at a charity shop. The charity shop had told him they didn’t want him there"
- 16/16
"Terry Eaton, 58, was sanctioned because he didn’t have the bus fare he needed to attend an appointment with the job centre"
The Trussell Trust also warned the Government’s decision to charge 45p a minute for the Universal Credit helpline could force people to choose between making a claim and buying food.
In her first week in office, Ms May has quietly shelved several key policy platforms from the David Cameron era such as the target to eradicate the fiscal deficit by 2020.
Former Chancellor George Osborne, who was regarded by many as the chief instigator of the swingeing budget cuts across Whitehall,was sacked by Ms May during the reshuffle last week.
Read the text and answer the following questions:
1. Explain the title.
______
2. What has Damian Green done?
______
3. Why has the Universal Credit system been delayed?
______
4. What does the Universal System do?
______
5. What is Theresa May keen to avoid?
______
6. What other policies have been delayed?
______
7. How is the Universal Credit system described?
______
8. What will be a key part of the Government’s actions?
______
9. Who made the Universal Credit reform and why did he resign?
______
10. Has the scheme met with any problems?
______
11. What did the Resolution Fund say?
______
12. What did the report find?
______13. What did the Institute for Fiscal Studies find?
______
14. What did the Trussel Trust warn?
______
15. What did Mrs. May do in her first week of office?
______
16. What happened to Mr. Osborne?
______
Match the words in column A to the synonyms in column B
A / B1.shelved / a. dependency
2.rollout / b. mistakes
3.slipups / c. most important policy
4.reliance / d. stand, tolerate
5.flagship / e. postpone, delay
6.bear / f. put into effect
7.entitlements / g. tackled
8.faced / h. tried
9.trialled / i. benefits
10.tenure / j. office
11.flaws / k. fired
12.sacked / l. replaced
13.reshuffle / m. mistakes