The Universal Credit will be made up of multiple components, so everyone will not get the same amount, but it will all be dealt with in one system, to ensure (as far as possible), "one view" of the benefits being given/received, rather than the disparate sources at present.
BBC
Quote:
What is the issue with the system at present?
Perhaps the biggest is how complicated it has become. There are more than 50 different benefits and other payments that people can claim.
Such complexity causes confusion, according to the White Paper. In 2009, 2.3 million contacts to the Department for Work and Pensions were driven by people contacting the wrong agency and 1.4 million by people contacting the wrong office, it said.
It estimates that £5.2bn a year is wrongly paid out as a result of fraud and error.
So simplification is also the aim of the game, by merging the existing 30 or more work-related benefits - including jobseeker's allowance, housing benefit, child tax credit, working tax credit, income support and employment support allowance - into a single universal payment.
However, this would be a basic payment with add-ons for different disability and age groups - so it would still require some in-depth paperwork.
|
At the moment, people get different amounts for housing benefit, child tax credit, income support, et al - this would continue, but from one source - "Universal" does not mean "standard", but standardised.