Welfare rights news and case law

19 November, 2018

Tribunals may need to consider validity of conditionality requirements imposed on claimants when deciding sanction cases

CSUC/494/2017

19 November, 2018

Secretary of State's appeals in bedroom tax cases allowed due to Court of Appeal decision in Carmichael but claimants allowed to 'leap-frog' further appeal to Supreme Court

CH/2658/2015 & CH/4674/2014

16 November, 2018

Amber Rudd replaces Esther McVey as Work and Pensions Secretary

Former Home Secretary becomes fifth Work and Pensions Secretary since March 2016

16 November, 2018

Level of child poverty in UK is 'not just a disgrace, but a social calamity and an economic disaster', says UN Special Rapporteur

Report, following two-week fact finding mission to UK, also condemns 'punitive, mean-spirited, and often callous' approach to people who need support

16 November, 2018

Functions of Scotland’s new Social Security Chamber and composition of tribunals hearing social security appeals

New statutory instruments

16 November, 2018

Recoveries from discretionary social fund loans exceeded payments by more than £100 million in 2017/2018

Social Fund annual report also shows 10 per cent reduction in applications for sure start maternity grants

15 November, 2018

Secretary of State for Work and Pensions resigns

Esther McVey says that she cannot defend the Withdrawal Agreement for leaving the EU, agreed by the Cabinet yesterday, cannot vote for the deal, and has no alternative but to resign

15 November, 2018

Government publishes draft Withdrawal Agreement for the UK’s exit from the European Union

Subject to both the UK and Union States agreeing its final terms, the Agreement includes provision for the implementation and protection of equal treatment rights and social security coordination post-Brexit

15 November, 2018

More thought is needed on transitionally protecting those who naturally migrate to universal credit before managed migration, says SSAC Chair

Sir Ian Diamond also tells Work and Pensions Committee that the DWP should consider bringing forward the 2020 start date for the two week run on of legacy benefits

15 November, 2018

Work and Pensions Committee launches inquiry into the current state of the UK’s welfare safety net

New investigation has been prompted by evidence of debt, hunger and homelessness heard across several recent Committee inquiries

15 November, 2018

Four out of ten households that could receive pension credit are not claiming the benefit

New DWP statistics also estimate that £10.1 billion of means-tested benefits (excluding jobseeker’s allowance and universal credit) went unclaimed in 2016/2017

14 November, 2018

Decision of tribunal set aside where particular reliance placed on oral evidence of child who did not, in fact, attend hearing

CDLA/2323/2017

13 November, 2018

2.9 per cent of universal credit claimants who were subject to conditionality had benefit reduced due to a sanction

New DWP statistics also show that 0.2 per cent of JSA claimants and 0.1 per cent of ESA claimants had benefit reduced due to sanction

13 November, 2018

84 per cent of full service universal credit new claims were paid on time and in full in August 2018

New DWP statistics also show that 89 per cent of new claims that were paid received some payment on time in the same period

13 November, 2018

Whether a claimant challenging a deportation order is ‘a person subject to immigration control’

CF/1077/2017

12 November, 2018

Increased work allowances announced in Budget 2018 will lead to 200,000 more families gaining from move to universal credit

However, new analysis from the Resolution Foundation also finds that 3 million claimants will receive less than under the legacy benefit system

9 November, 2018

Circumstances in which tribunal should obtain evidence relating to previous DLA award when considering PIP appeal / whether tribunal needs to give reasons for reduction in award from DLA to PIP

CPIP/2386/2017 & CPIP/2307/2017

9 November, 2018

Amendment of rules of procedure for the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland Social Security Chamber

New statutory instrument addresses points raised by the Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee

8 November, 2018

DWP confirms recent changes to the universal credit system designed ‘to improve the experience for claimants’

Measures introduced in the last three months include more support with identity verification for vulnerable claimants, and new statement layouts to help claimants who need to prove receipt of universal credit