Tory ministers are refusing to scrap a benefits policy they've been warned will make domestic violence worse
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Tory ministers are refusing to scrap a benefits policy they’ve been warned will make domestic violence worse.
Kit Malthouse brushed aside fears over Universal Credit today despite a victim saying it could be “dangerous” for abused women.
Charities have raised the alarm because couples on the new benefit get a "single payment" into one bank account.
They need to ask to split it in two - and women trapped with violent partners may be too afraid to do so.
Yet Mr Malthouse dismissed single payments as a “political symbol” and a “sideshow” - claiming “we don’t see any great evidence” they cause abuse.
He told the Commons Work and Pensions Committee he was "open-minded” but added: "There are lots of other things in many ways that are more important.
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“While I understand split payments has become a bit of a political symbol, actually in terms of the great scheme of things, of assisting those people and supporting them, it’s a bit of a sideshow to be perfectly honest.
"Much more important is we’re correctly skilled and that we have the right links into support mechanisms to make sure that either we’re ameliorating the abuse or eliminating it altogether.”
UC Director General Neil Couling said switching the whole benefit from single to split payments would be a “big, big job”.
He told MPs: "We have not prioritised that for automation and it’s not in the plan to do that any time soon."
It comes after a victim told MPs applying for a split payment midway through a relationship would be “dangerous” for women like her, and Demelza Lobb of the charity Refuge warned it would “definitely” give abusers more control over cash.
Labour MP Ruth George warned some abused women "cannot even get together the money for a taxi to flee that relationship.”
(Image: Parliament TV)
She told the Work and Pensions Minister: "We’ve received a lot of evidence that single payments are likely to lead to greater financial abuse.”
Tory MP Heidi Allen said she couldn’t believe that “in this modern world of equality, the woman gets her money lumped in with the fella’s into one account.”
She suggested “we should be looking at this as split payments by default."
Footage of the hearing was taken offline after Mr Malthouse appeared to accidentally name an anonymous witness to the committee.
He also clashed with Ms George when she said "I’ve never yet met a man who knows exactly how much it costs to raise a child”, retorting: “Well I do!”.
Mr Malthouse insisted automatic split payments could "create more conflict" in some cases, like where one partner works longer hours than the other.
And officials said only 2% of married couples and 7% of cohabiting couples keep their finances separate.
(Image: Getty Images)
The minister added: "The recipient is more often than not the woman rather than the man.
"I don’t think we should necessarily characterise the system as the payment is all going off to a feckless man. It’s much more nuanced and complex than that."
Meanwhile complacent Theresa May brushed off claims Universal Credit is driving destitute families into "deep financial crisis" and forcing them to food banks.
The Trussell Trust, which handed out a record 1.3million emergency parcels last year, said just 8% of 284 food bank users it surveyed said the new benefit is enough to live on.
(Image: Getty)
Chief executive Emma Revie said one mum “considered giving up her own two children” while waiting for the benefit - just so they’d get some food.
Yet Theresa May’s spokesman said: “The reasons why people use foodbanks are complex, so it’s wrong to link a rise to any one cause.
“The research is based on anecdotal evidence from a small, self-selecting sample of less than 0.04% of current Universal Credit claimants and was carried out before we made significant improvements at the Budget.”
The PM still had confidence in the rollout of UC, he added.