Welfare rights news and case law

25 February, 2020

Government should redesign universal credit to ensure that everyone has a minimum income for healthy living, the Institute of Health Equity has said

Human and economic costs are too high for inaction, warns report published 10 years on from the Marmot Review

25 February, 2020

MPs call for action to address ‘abject failure’ of DWP to help prevent deaths of vulnerable claimants

House of Commons warned that systematic errors have been highlighted in reports from coroners, the NAO and others, ‘yet there is still no action’

25 February, 2020

Five per cent of parents claiming childcare for one child in their universal credit had costs that exceeded the maximum award

However, Minister for Welfare Delivery advises that, for parents claiming childcare for two or more children, the figure falls to one per cent

25 February, 2020

Less than one in five RTI disputes relating to universal credit were upheld in the last year

Minister says HMRC has reiterated to employers the importance of reporting accurate dates and the impact on payment cycles

25 February, 2020

Scottish Government outlines plans to enable third party benefit applications for terminally ill claimants in Scotland

New Bill will also extend responsibility for diagnosing a terminal illness for social security purposes beyond registered medical practitioners

24 February, 2020

SSAC launches consultation on how DWP should engage with disabled people in formulating policies and processes which affect them

In particular, the Committee seeks evidence about how DWP listens to feedback from disabled people and suggestions for improvement

24 February, 2020

DWP informs social landlords there will be no facility for bulk transfers of rent change data via the landlord portal in April 2020

Responsibility to report rent changes will remain with individual claimants who will receive a 'To Do' via their universal credit account

24 February, 2020

HMRC confirms it is developing a new complaint handling process to speed up identification and resolution of tax credits and other complaints

Response to Adjudicator’s Annual Report 2019 also highlights actions it is taking to address issues relating to claimants moving from tax credits to universal credit

24 February, 2020

Senior President of Tribunals launches consultation on proposals to amend panel composition of First-tier Tribunals

Proposals include giving Chamber President more flexibility to allow certain social security cases to be decided by a judge sitting alone

21 February, 2020

Scottish Government ‘deeply concerned’ that delay to universal credit roll-out will mean fewer claimants receiving transitional protection through managed migration

'Absolutely critical' that DWP immediately starts making transitional payments to all claimants moving to universal credit, says Minister

20 February, 2020

Uprating of earnings limits for carer’s allowance in Scotland

New statutory instrument

19 February, 2020

Scottish Government announces that it has accredited Motability Scheme to provide vehicles to people in receipt of devolved disability benefits

Social Security Secretary confirms that decision reached after 'an open and fair competitive tendering process'

18 February, 2020

2.38 per cent of universal credit claimants subject to conditionality had a sanction applied in November 2019

New DWP statistics reveal that comparative rates for JSA and ESA claimants are 0.05 per cent and 0.04 per cent respectively

18 February, 2020

2.8 million people were claiming universal credit in January 2020, up 2 per cent from previous month

New DWP statistics also show that 'no work requirements' conditionality regime is increasing at fastest rate

17 February, 2020

Government urged to concede third legal challenge to universal credit migration arrangements following dismissal of its two previous challenges in the Court of Appeal

Law firm Leigh Day has written to the DWP asking that provisions are made for transitional payments that reflect the actual loss of the SDP for claimants who migrated to universal credit

17 February, 2020

Minister for Welfare Delivery confirms that universal credit case managers have an average caseload of more than 450 cases each

Written answer based on figures as at August 2019 when the total universal credit caseload was at 2 million

17 February, 2020

Pilot scheme testing universal credit in-work conditionality extended to February 2021

New statutory instrument

14 February, 2020

Whether decision to apply minimum income floor was appealable / application of minimum income floor to seasonal worker

KD v Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (CUC)
[2020] UKUT 18 (AAC)
CUC/2641/2018

13 February, 2020

Successive cuts to benefit levels since 2013 have led to more families being pushed into poverty, and those in poverty being further away from escaping it

New report from CPAG highlights that cuts have particularly impacted on lone parents for whom the poverty gap has increased by 36 per cent