Shortly after being elected to the House of Commons in 2015, I became a member of the Department for Work and Pensions Select Committee. The Committee examines the expenditure, administration and policy of the Department for Work and Pensions and its associated public bodies. The Committee has held a number of inquiries in to Universal Credit and published reports about the initial launch and the interaction of Universal Credit and self-employment.
The Work & Pensions Select Committee are continuing their current inquiry into Universal Credit which will be an ongoing project over the course of the Parliament and the roll-out of Universal Credit in different local authority areas. You can keep up to date with the Committee's continuing work at the link here.
You might also wish to see the results of the previous inquiry launch by the Committee in the 2015 Parliament. To do so, please follow the link here.
As part of my campaign to improve Universal Credit I was interviewed on BBC Sunday Politics on 30th October 2016 regarding the impact of cuts to Universal Credit and the triple lock on pensions. This film was produced in tandem with an interview conducted by Andrew Neil with Iain Duncan Smith MP. To watch the full segment, please follow the link here.
I also spoke in an Opposition Day Debate on 16th November 2016 and urged the Government to re-consider the cuts to work allowances under Universal Credit, and the cuts to Employment Support Allowance. You can listen to my speech during the debate by following the link here.
To maintain momentum in my campaign for improvements to Universal Credit I also published a blog on ConHome on 2nd November 2016. To read the article, please follow the link here.
I fully believe Universal Credit will deliver benefits over the legacy system. Good Government develops solutions that are dynamic and responsive to the individual as well as offering value for the tax payer, so I will continue my campaign to improve Universal Credit until it can deliver both.