Iain Duncan Smith has come under fire after one of the advisers behind his flagship benefits programme revealed that he knew it was going off track months before finally admitting it. Dr Stephen Brien, dubbed the architect of the Universal Credit programme, told the economist Jonathan Portes for Radio 4’s Analysis broadcast that “things started to go off track... from rather relatively early on”, with Duncan Smith aware by the summer of 2012 that its successful implementation looked very stark. “When it became materially obvious we had to change plans it was over that summer, he added. Critics say that Dr Briens revelation indicated that Duncan Smith knew far more about the problems with Universal Credit far earlier than we were previously led to believe, as he went on to tell MPs in September 2012 that the government would deliver Universal Credit on time, as it is, and on budget. Duncan Smith then told MPs in March 2013 that the rollout of Universal Credit, which aims to combine six benefits into one payment, was going exactly in accordance with plans. But after being bogged down in IT problems, a delayed introduction across the country and tens of millions of pounds being wasted, a government watchdog assessed Universal Credit in September 2013 and classed it as a new project in a reset. Dr Brien, who worked with Duncan Smith at his Centre for Social Justice think-tank, said that he would see him as a work and pensions secretary on a nearly daily basis. “My office was across the corridor from him. I would join him for all the senior meetings about the programme. I would keep him updated as a result of the other meetings and issues I was addressing within the programme team.” Source- huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/11/03/iain-duncan-smith-universal-credit_n_6092594.html
Posted on: Mon, 03 Nov 2014 18:54:40 +0000
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