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Alun Cairns sees how Universal Credit rollout is transforming lives across Wales

Alun Cairns: "Our welfare reforms are designed to create a fairer system where people are always better off in work than on benefits"

Wales Office Minister Alun Cairns saw how Universal Credit is benefiting over 4,000 people in Wales during a visit to Bridgend Job centre.

On Monday 2 November, the national roll-out of Universal Credit reached 20 more job centres in Wales. Universal Credit is now available in three-quarters of all job centres across Wales. During the visit, the Minister will meet the staff and claimants at the job centre to hear how the revolutionary new benefit is helping to create a higher wage, lower tax and lower welfare society.

Wales Office Minister Alun Cairns said:

Our welfare reforms are designed to create a fairer system where people are always better off in work than on benefits.

For far too long, welfare dependency blighted many communities in Wales. But that is changing. All across the UK, Universal Credit is giving people the confidence to move easily from welfare into work.

I am delighted that Universal Credit is now being rolled out in more locations across Wales so that even more people can be supported to escape welfare dependency and benefit from the security of a regular wage”.

Minister for Welfare Reform, Lord Freud said:

Universal Credit is a revolution in welfare – a system that, for the first time, supports people both in and out of work. Already people across the country are benefiting from this greater flexibility.

Under Universal Credit we are helping to create a higher wage, lower tax, and lower welfare society, with people moving into jobs faster, and able to increase their earnings safe in the knowledge that they are better off in work.

Published 2 November 2015