Benefit claimants struggling to pay their bills will be able to get cash advances upfront, Work and Pensions Secretary David Gauke has said. He said he recognised concerns that people moving on to Universal Credit had to wait six weeks to be paid. He told the Conservative conference those needing a cash advance would get one within five days - or on the same day in emergency cases. But he said he was committed to the system and its rollout would go ahead. A dozen or so Conservative MPs have called for the rollout of Universal Credit, which merges six existing benefits into one, to be put on hold because of the financial difficulties facing people arising from the transition from weekly or fortnightly to monthly payments.

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