Welfare rights news and case law

8 June, 2010

Shelving of plan to extend free school meals is a £600 'tax' bombshell for low income families in work says CPAG

Response to announcement made in letter to Ed Balls from Secretary of State for Education

8 June, 2010

Frank Field to chair review on poverty and life chances

Labour MP to report to David Cameron by the end of the year

7 June, 2010

Lord Freud proposes ‘black box’ approach to new work programmes

'We will judge you by your results and pay you accordingly' Minister for Welfare Reform tells providers

2 June, 2010

Extra help with fuel bills for pension credit claimants

New DWP policy document on the Energy Rebate Scheme

1 June, 2010

Making local housing allowance payments direct to claimant’s landlord

New DWP good practice guide in response to concerns about how 'safeguards' administered

28 May, 2010

Pathways to Work programme has had 'limited impact' and provides 'poor value for money' says National Audit Office

New report also finds no evidence that contracted out services performing better than Jobcentre Plus

28 May, 2010

Citizens Advice welcomes proposals for prescription charge reform

Response to Department of Health review on the reform of prescription charges for people with long term conditions.

28 May, 2010

Campaigners in Scotland concerned with government's focus on conditionality, sanctions and reassessing claimants onto lower levels of benefit

CPAG in Scotland, the Poverty Alliance and Citizens Advice Scotland respond to Secretary of State's welfare reform proposals

28 May, 2010

Benefits worth £1.3bn underpaid last year

DWP publishes new fraud and error statistics

28 May, 2010

Alternative means of notifying benefit departments of births and deaths

New HB Guidance

27 May, 2010

Secretary of State calls for end to ‘culture of welfare dependency’

Iain Duncan Smith says that 'deeply unfair' benefit system means that for many people work 'does not pay'

27 May, 2010

HMRC error reveals personal details of up to 50,000 tax credit claimants

Letter of apology from director of tax credits requests return of incorrect notices

25 May, 2010

Welfare Reform and Pensions Bills introduced in today’s Queen’s Speech

Measures designed to build a strong and fair society and encourage individual social responsibility, says government

24 May, 2010

DWP to make more than £1/2 billion savings in the next year

Action to cut 'Whitehall waste' will also see end of child trust fund payments, says coalition government

24 May, 2010

Increases in the winter fuel payment in Northern Ireland

New statutory rule

21 May, 2010

‘Fundamental radical reform’ of welfare system needed says Secretary of State

Iain Duncan Smith responds to DWP household poverty figures for 2008/2009

20 May, 2010

Welfare benefit and tax credit policies set out in the coalition’s ‘programme for government’

Government announces measures designed to 'encourage responsibility and fairness' in the welfare system

19 May, 2010

Treatment of payment from employer as a result of equal pay claim

New DWP guidance following Upper Tribunal decision

19 May, 2010

Cost a key barrier to take-up of healthy school meals say campaigners in Scotland

Response to research by Scottish Government showing drop in take-up