Welfare rights news and case law

3 July, 2020

Payment of non-static houseboat licence fee is an eligible cost for housing benefit purposes as it falls within regulation 12(1)(b) of the Housing Benefit Regulations 2006

AB v London Borough of Camden (HB)
[2020] UKUT 158 (AAC)
CH/3284/2017

3 July, 2020

Correction to Healthy Start Scheme and Welfare Food (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2020

New statutory instrument

3 July, 2020

Abolition of charges levied on lenders receiving direct payments under the Support for Mortgage Interest scheme

New statutory instruments

2 July, 2020

Government launches consultation on post-EU reforms for British courts that proposes that the ability to depart from retained EU case law should be limited to more senior courts

At the end of the transition period it is absolutely right that British courts have the final say on legal disputes, where appropriate, says Lord Chancellor

2 July, 2020 Open access

Government issues further Treasury Direction in relation to the coronavirus Self-Employment Income Support Scheme

New Direction follows Chancellor's announcement that the scheme is being brought to an end, with those eligible able to claim a final grant in August 2020

2 July, 2020 Open access

Suspension of benefit conditionality extended to 7 August 2020 in Northern Ireland

Department for Communities confirms continued relaxation of work search and work availability requirements in response to ongoing coronavirus pandemic

2 July, 2020

DWP confirms its commitment to consider reinstating legacy benefits of victims of fraudulent universal credit claims

Minister says reinstatement may occur where there is ‘clear evidence that the claimant had no involvement in the fraud, and where the claimant wishes us to do so’

1 July, 2020 Open access

As suspension of conditionality ends, DWP confirms that the claimant commitments of existing claimants will be reviewed and updated ‘as capacity allows’

Employment Minister also says commitments must be reasonable for the ‘new normal’, and acknowledge the 'reality of the local jobs market' and the claimant's personal circumstances

1 July, 2020 Open access

Government provides update on recovery plans drawn up by HMCTS in response to the coronavirus pandemic

Lord Chancellor says that, having responded effectively to the immediate crisis, HMCTS is now fully focused on increasing its capacity to deal both with normal workloads across jurisdictions and outstanding cases

1 July, 2020 Open access

More than four million people live in families experiencing ‘deep poverty’ while more than half of those are also in ‘persistent poverty’

New Social Metrics Commission report also warns that initial research on the economic and social impacts of COVID-19 show they are likely to be ‘profound’

1 July, 2020

Court of Appeal rules that UK was not competent Member State in case where claim for carer’s allowance was made by claimant who had moved to Cyprus having lived and worked in UK

Konevod v Secretary of State for Work And Pensions [2020] EWCA Civ 809

1 July, 2020

Scottish Government launches independent advocacy service to help disabled people to access Social Security Scotland benefits

Support available, from initial application to re-determination and appeal, for disabled claimants who do not have someone else acting on their behalf

30 June, 2020 Open access

DWP confirms that people who are currently shielding due to being clinically extremely vulnerable will not be eligible for SSP on that basis from 1 August 2020

Government expects employers 'to do the right thing' to help their employees transition back to work safely, says Minister for Disabled People

30 June, 2020

Welfare rights

Payment of non-static houseboat licence fee is an eligible cost for housing benefit purposes as it falls within regulation 12(1)(b) of the Housing Benefit Regulations 2006

AB v London Borough of Camden (HB)
[2020] UKUT 158 (AAC)
CH/3284/2017

Correction to Healthy Start Scheme and Welfare Food (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2020

Abolition of charges levied on lenders receiving direct payments under the Support for Mortgage Interest scheme

Government launches consultation on post-EU reforms for British courts that proposes that the ability to depart from retained EU case law should be limited to more senior courts

Government issues further Treasury Direction in relation to the coronavirus Self-Employment Income Support Scheme

Suspension of benefit conditionality extended to 7 August 2020 in Northern Ireland

DWP confirms its commitment to consider reinstating legacy benefits of victims of fraudulent universal credit claims

Minister says reinstatement may occur where there is ‘clear evidence that the claimant had no involvement in the fraud, and where the claimant wishes us to do so’

As suspension of conditionality ends, DWP confirms that the claimant commitments of existing claimants will be reviewed and updated ‘as capacity allows’

Government provides update on recovery plans drawn up by HMCTS in response to the coronavirus pandemic

More than four million people live in families experiencing ‘deep poverty’ while more than half of those are also in ‘persistent poverty’

Court of Appeal rules that UK was not competent Member State in case where claim for carer’s allowance was made by claimant who had moved to Cyprus having lived and worked in UK

Scottish Government launches independent advocacy service to help disabled people to access Social Security Scotland benefits

DWP confirms that people who are currently shielding due to being clinically extremely vulnerable will not be eligible for SSP on that basis from 1 August 2020

Run-on of universal credit in assessment period that claimant reaches state pension age

Number of new universal credit claims during week to 23 June 2020 fell by around 10 per cent on previous week’s total

NAO qualifies opinion on DWP accounts for 2019/2020 due to highest ever rate of overpayments

Temporary amendment of tribunal procedure rules on access to recordings of remote hearings during coronavirus outbreak

Scottish Government publishes first statistics on young carer grant applications and awards

Conditionality and benefit sanctions to be reintroduced this week, Work and Pensions Secretary confirms

Welfare rights

AB v London Borough of Camden (HB) [2020] UKUT 158 (AAC) CH/3284/2017

Minister says reinstatement may occur where there is ‘clear evidence that the claimant had no involvement in the fraud, and where the claimant wishes us to do so’

AB v London Borough of Camden (HB)
[2020] UKUT 158 (AAC)
CH/3284/2017