Here you can find files that have been published on Universal Credit
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Universal Credit & Government Communications Headquarters intelligence agency
So some more news regarding the Universal acredit has come out and it’s like reading a script from the former BBC drama Spooks with the Intelligence Agency being involved in the roling out of the new benefit.
The Secretary for Works and Pensions Mr Iain Duncan Smith (IDS) has told MPs that staff from The Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) intelligence agency, were working on making the new Universal Credit, which is being introduced in 2013, fraudster proof.
Mr IDS told MPs in the Work and Pensions committee the default position for gaining access to the universal credit when it is introduced in 2013 will be through the internet rather than over the telephone.
A concerned Labour MP, told Mr IDS that she was worried about the security of the new system because of hackers and they are always one step ahead.
She asked – How secure is this going to be and How is going online not an invitation to people to go online to carry out even greater fraud?
Mr IDS said: We have the opportunity to design the universal credit as a 21st century product for people by and large doing it online, and we have agreed that cyber fraud is an important area, we are talking to everybody from the private sector to GCHQ about how and what is the best point at which you protect that information.
Mr IDS said staff from GCHQ were looking at the systems and the way we will protect data and where we need to set the firewalls up to protect data to stop fraudsters trying come in.
I am taking a personal interest in that because it is one of the big and growing areas over the next 10 or 15 years.
Mr IDS also added that the current benefits were slow to access online because they were never originally designed to be internet based.
Time Table for Universal Credit
The time table for Universal Credit has been set out and it’s believed that there will one million claimants of Universal Credit by April 2014, the government has set a timetable to move 12 million claimants onto the new benefit by 2017.
Also the Universal Credit IT programme is also progressing with 30 per cent of the new technology now complete on time and on also on budget.
Ian Duncan Smith Secretary for Work & Pensions said
“Universal Credit is the most radical redesign of the benefits system this country has ever seen. From October 2013 it will replace the current costly, outdated process with a digital system, which will be simpler to use and make work pay for hundreds of thousands of people across the UK.
“The programme is on track and on time for implementing from 2013. We are already testing out the process on single and couple claimants, with stage one and two now complete. Stage 3 is starting ahead of time – to see how it works for families. And today we have set out our migration plans which will see nearly twelve million working age benefit claimants migrate onto the new benefits system by 2017.”
So the transition from the old benefit system to Universal Credit will take place in three phases over four years and beginning around Autumn 2013 and ending in 2017.
October 2013
500,000 new claimants will go on to Universal Credit from Jobseekers Allowance, Employment Support Allowance, Housing Benefit, Working Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit.
During this time another 500,000 existing claimants which will include their partners and dependants will also move on to Universal Credit as and when their circumstances change significantly, which will be those due for reviews of claims and so on.
April 2014
The next phase will give priority to those who will benefit the most from the transition like those on aWorking Tax Credit but who only currently work a small number of hours a week but may be able to work more hours with the support that Universal Credit brings.
Around 3.5 million claimants will be placed into Universal Credit during this Phase.
Autumn 2015
The is said to be the final phase which will run through to the end of 2017, this phase will see roughly 3 million claimants transferred to Universal Credit by local authority, which will focus on safeguarding financial support, Housing Benefit payments to claimants as the old benefit system winds down.
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Universal Credit Announced
universal_credit_introduced_from_2013
Updated Files from September 2011
