Log-in rules are blasted

Job centre trip to alter info

Rutherglen and Hamilton West MP Gerard Killen has called on an urgent change to the system that means Universal Credit claimants must attend a job centre just to change their account password.

The Labour MP was speaking after receiving a written answer at parliament from the UK Government on the issue last week.

He had quizzed former minister for employment Damian Hinds on whether claimants had been forced to attend job centres just to amend log-in details.

Mr Hinds, who was removed from the role in the cabinet reshuffle last week, said: “Currently, Universal Credit requires claimants to attend the job centre for a face to face interview to reset their Universal Credit login in details. We plan to automate this process in the very near future.”

Mr Killen has now called the new secretary for work and pensions, Esther McVey, to make the change a priority.

He said: “Everyone sometimes forgets their log-in details, however in most cases, for example with banks and HMRC, passwords can be reset online or over the phone.

“The government however, treats universal credit claimants differently, requiring claimants to travel to their nearest job centre for an interview to change their log-in details if they forget or lose access to them.

“If your bank required you to go into a branch to reset your online log-in details to access your account, you would leave and join another bank.

“Unfortunately, for people in my constituency where universal credit has rolled out in full, no such choice exists.

“Over 90 job centres have closed since July 2017 and the lack of an online password reset function places strain on job centres and undue travel difficulties on claimants.

“Similar to charging universal credit claimants for phone calls, the government has shown once again that it is unwilling to extend basic services to universal credit claimants.

“The government says that it uses ‘a test and learn approach. We learn from our data and research before features are considered, approved and progressed.’

“I have written to the new secretary of state for work and pensions to ask what research and data they believe they need to gather before a common sense reset password function is approved.”

Universal Credit was fully rolled out in Rutherglen and Cambuslang in October 2017.

It replaces six of the main means tested benefits, including housing benefit, and sees claimants receive all of their benefits in one single payment monthly in arrears.

The implementation process has been widely criticised with some claimants waiting six weeks for their first payment.

Everyone sometimes forgets log-in details