UNIVERSAL Credit should be halted following a ‘damning’ report by the Audit Office, Sinn Féin’S Karen Mullan has said.
The Foyle MLA was commenting after an Audit Office report just published warned that the Universal Credit system is causing hardship, has been too slow to roll out and could end up costing more to administer than the benefits system it is replacing
“This is a damning report. However, it is not unexpected given that we have been raising these and a number of other issues for some time now.
“While the mitigation measures here have went some way to alleviating some of the worst aspects of Universal Credit, it remains clear that this system is not fit for purpose.
“It is a policy that is riddled with faults, complications and delays.
“It is a policy that was supposedly designed to simplify the benefits system, but as this report highlights, it causes more hardship and increases poverty.
“The very fact that Universal Credit continues to roll out despite the IT system not being fully built is also shocking and we are again calling it to be halted before more people are pushed into poverty.”
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