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Universal Credit And Welfare Reform Act Changes To Overpayment Recovery

EDM number 87 in 2012-13, proposed by Roger Godsiff on 17/05/2012.
Categorised under the topic of Benefits policy.

That this House views with great concern the recent announcement following the passage of the Welfare Reform Act into law that under the new powers, all overpayments will be deemed recoverable and that any overpayment of universal credit, jobseeker's allowance, employment and support allowance or (except in prescribed circumstances) the housing element of pension credit may be recovered, including where this was caused by official error; notes that there is currently no appeal process outlined in the Welfare Reform Act for overpayment recovery; further notes the abysmal record of this Government and previous ones in the introduction of new software programmes in handling benefits claims and the resulting chaos, stress and anxiety that these projects have caused to claimants most notably in the Child Support Agency and working tax credit systems; believes that the evidence is overwhelming that HM Revenue and Customs neither possesses the capacity under the weight of staffing cutbacks nor the expertise to successfully introduce and administer universal credit; further believes that the dramatic reduction in appeal rights confirms the overwhelming objective of the introduction of this new benefit which is to curb welfare payments at any cost; and calls on the Government to suspend immediately the introduction of universal credit pending a comprehensive review of the implications of its introduction.

This motion has been signed by a total of 23 MPs.

MPDateConstituencyPartyType
Roger Godsiff17/05/2012Birmingham, Hall GreenLabourProposed
Margaret Ritchie21/05/2012South DownSocial Democratic and Labour PartySeconded
Mark Durkan21/05/2012FoyleSocial Democratic and Labour PartySeconded
Paul Flynn21/05/2012Newport WestLabourSeconded
Mike Hancock21/05/2012Portsmouth SouthLiberal DemocratSeconded
Jim Shannon22/05/2012StrangfordDUPSeconded
George Howarth22/05/2012KnowsleyLabourSigned
John McDonnell22/05/2012Hayes and HarlingtonLabourSigned
Martin Caton22/05/2012GowerLabourSigned
Michael Weir22/05/2012AngusScottish National PartySigned
Jonathan Edwards22/05/2012Carmarthen East and DinefwrPlaid CymruSigned
Dennis Skinner23/05/2012BolsoverLabourSigned
Steve Rotheram23/05/2012Liverpool, WaltonLabourSigned
David Heyes23/05/2012Ashton-under-LyneLabourSigned
Gerry Sutcliffe24/05/2012Bradford SouthLabourSigned
Mary Glindon24/05/2012North TynesideLabourSigned
Tony Lloyd11/06/2012Manchester CentralLabourSigned
David Crausby13/06/2012Bolton North EastLabourSigned
Alasdair McDonnell14/06/2012Belfast SouthSocial Democratic and Labour PartySigned
Naomi Long20/06/2012Belfast EastAllianceSigned
Hywel Williams27/06/2012ArfonPlaid CymruSigned
Michael Connarty03/09/2012Linlithgow and East FalkirkLabourSigned
Rosie Cooper03/09/2012West LancashireLabourSigned

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