Questions are to be asked in Parliament over a visit to Wrexham by a beleaguered Government Minister.
Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Iain Duncan Smith, who narrowly held on to his post in yesterday’s cabinet reshuffle, visited Wrexham’s Job Centre last Monday, July 7.
The town’s MP, Ian Lucas, received notification of the visit just four hours before it took place with no further information about why it was happening.
Mr Lucas raised the visit during a Commons debate but – other than acknowledging that it had taken place – Mr Duncan Smith offered no further explanation about why the visit had taken place.
A series of questions have been raised about DWP policies in recent weeks, including universal credit, the Personal Independence Payment and more.
The debate where Mr Lucas tackled the Minister followed an urgent question secured by the Labour party after officials told a Commons Committee that universal credit – a flagship Government policy – had not been signed off.
Mr Lucas said: “The DWP is in real trouble. Chaotic reorganisations under Iain Duncan Smith and the policies Conservative Ministers are forcing upon the department are causing major problems. It is astounding that the Prime Minister chose to keep him in place today.
“His failing management affects staff, both in Westminster and those here in Wrexham. It also hits my constituents hard – I have raised a series of individual cases with Ministers and reminded Iain Duncan Smith of some of these during the debate last week.
“In that climate, a visit to Wrexham which the Minister seems reluctant to talk about raises questions. We still don’t know why a Government Minister made a special visit to Wrexham last week – so I have put down a written Parliamentary question to find out.”
