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Civil servants celebrated the introduction of the controversial Universal Credit with specially made cakes, it emerged today.

The 40 cakes, which cost taxpayers more than £1,000, had ‘Universal Credit’ and ‘UC’ iced onto them.

The Department of Communities said the sweet treats were fed to staff as part of a “team building” exercise after a “challenging implementation effort”.

Universal Credit, which rolls six benefits into one single payment, is being introduced across Northern Ireland but has sparked widespread anger amid delays in payments leaving claimants facing serious financial difficulties.

SDLP deputy leader Nichola Mallon described the move as “tasteless and insensitive”.

The North Belfast MLA told the Irish News, which first reported the story, that it is “true front line staff are working hard and that should be recognised”.

She added: “It is also true however that Universal Credit, and the minimum five-week wait for your first payment, is causing financial hardship especially in North Belfast, Antrim and Ballymena where it is being rolled out in the mouth of Christmas.

(Image: Jonathan Porter/PressEye)

“To brand cakes with the Universal Credit logo is tasteless and insensitive. It shows a careless disregard for the impact it is having on those families forced into debt and in through the doors of food banks.”

Defending the purchase of cakes, a DfC spokeswoman said in a statement: “The process of rolling out Universal Credit in Northern Ireland began in September 2017 and completed on December 5 2018.

“This was a significant and challenging implementation effort for the department, involving the recruitment and training of almost 2,000 staff across 40 locations throughout the province.

“To mark the completion of this task, a total of £1,125 was spent to purchase 40 cakes which were shared amongst 2,000 staff at team building events across Northern Ireland.

“The cakes were provided to mark the end of the introduction of Universal Credit, recognising the commitment and hard work of staff in delivering the new service to customers across Northern Ireland.”

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