Human rights disregarded in Universal Credit drive

Once hailed for its poverty fighting potential, Universal Credit (UC) risks becoming 'little more than a vehicle for rationalising benefit administration and cutting costs', according to a report published by the Resolution Foundation earlier this month. This is a massive blow to those of us who held faint hope that UC might still be an important tool in realising the socio-economic rights of children and families, and in promoting underlying human rights principles such as dignity, respect and equality.

deafening silence deepens concern that UC will actually contribute to a steep rise in child poverty

Transparency and accountability too are key principles of the human rights movement; their importance flowing from the idea that, in exercising great power, states have great responsibility to be open and honest about their policies and the impact they will have on their citizens. It is deeply worrying then that the UK government refuses to answer a straightforward question about the impact that UC will have on rates of child poverty. The government's coyness on the subject provides stark contrast to its previous willingness to shout about its 'flagship' welfare policy. In 2011, the government announced UC would lift more than 350,000 children out of poverty - even more, it claimed, when you factor in the dynamic impacts on employment and earnings of the new benefit. In 2013, the Government downgraded this figure to 150,000. Then in March 2016 the Government point-blank refused to answer the question. The deafening silence deepens concern that UC will actually contribute to a steep rise in child poverty, undermining the human rights and financial security of thousands of children. Indeed the Resolution Foundation has attributed much of the steep rise in child poverty expected by 2020 to the following UC related polices. Third child policy: it was announced in last year's summer budget that, in most cases, UC will only be paid in respect of the first and second child in a household. As well as having a questionable effect on the right to private and family life, this measure will result in significant reductions in income for larger families, where children are already at higher risk of poverty. Work allowance: the 2015 summer budget slashed work allowances for low-paid workers. Undermining this allowance removes one of the key poverty-reducing attributes of UC - the fact that it would allow people to keep more of their benefits as they increase their hours. Again, this change is likely to push thousands of working families beneath the poverty line. As if to make matters as opaque as possible, the UK government accompanied announcement of these policies with a decision to dismantle the Child Poverty Act - the key piece of legislation intended to hold the government to account for its progress on poverty reduction. CPAG believe that ongoing silence and confusion simply isn't good enough from a government that has declared itself to be waging an ‘all-out assault on poverty’.  That is why we are calling on the new Work and Pensions Secretary to rethink the roll-out of UC until a thorough analysis of its impact on child poverty has been conducted and - vitally - published. If analysis shows that UC will increase child poverty then roll-out should be halted altogether. At the same time, the new Scottish Government must acknowledge its own responsibilities as a duty holder under international human rights treaties, and do everything within its power to reduce child poverty in the face of the most harmful aspects of universal credit. This should include introducing its own child poverty legislation to ensure ongoing transparency and accountability. It should also involve the Scottish Government using its new social security powers to seriously boost the income of families at risk of poverty, even where that risk arises as a result of UK Government policies.