13
Not Addressed
DWP unable to assess Universal Credit's fraud and error impact against legacy benefits
Conclusion
The Department’s objective is for UC to save around £1.3 billion every year when fully implemented, from reduced losses due to fraud and error. However, changes during and since the COVID-19 pandemic, including in the nature of UC cases and the Department’s easing of controls, have led the Department to conclude it can no longer produce a counterfactual to assess the impact of UC on fraud and error compared with legacy benefits.22
Government Response Summary
The government acknowledges the difficulty in evaluating Universal Credit's impact on fraud and error but redirects to discuss its positive impact on the labour market for certain claimant groups, without addressing the specific issue of the counterfactual for fraud and error.
Government Response
Not Addressed
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
1.6 The Committee has acknowledged the difficulty of evaluating whether Universal Credit has achieved the objective of getting 200,000 more people into work in steady state, given the lack of a counterfactual for the legacy system. However, the department has presented robust evidence that Universal Credit is having a positive impact on the labour market for some sub-groups of the population claiming Universal Credit.
Source
Committee
Public Accounts Committee
Report
Twenty-Ninth Report - Progress in implementing Universal Credit
26 Apr 2024
HC 458
Addressee Bodies
HM Treasury
Timeline
Recommendation age
2.3 yrs
Report published
26 Apr 2024