1. Economists sometimes refer to an ‘unemployment trap’. People are discouraged from taking work in the first place. Explain how such a ‘trap’ arises. Do working tax credits and child tax credits create an unemployment trap? What are the best ways of eliminating, or at least reducing, the unemployment trap?

2. Universal Credit involves a single monthly payment direct to the claimant’s bank account. This replaces fortnightly payments, some in the form of cashable cheques, and rent payments direct to landlords. What additional support do you anticipate claimants would need?