Welfare rights news and case law

17 August, 2023

Department for Communities issues Direction to authorise electronic claims for budgeting loans in Northern Ireland

Change made to allow claimants to make electronic claims and to communicate electronically in respect of those claims

16 August, 2023

British claimant who was unable to return to the UK for medical reasons could not be exempted from the PIP past presence test

AT v Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (PIP)
[2023] UKUT 186 (AAC)
UA-2022-001498-PIP

16 August, 2023

Transfer process from DLA to child disability payment for children and young people in Scotland is now more than 99 per cent complete

However, new statistics from Social Security Scotland also show that the average processing time for a new claim is still more than 100 days, with 16 per cent of applications taking more than 140 days to be processed

15 August, 2023

Delays to PIP reviews are leading to disabled people missing out on £24 million every month

New Citizens Advice research reveals that almost half a million people are currently waiting for a PIP review, some for more than two years

15 August, 2023

Number of people on universal credit rose to more than 6 million in July 2023

New DWP statistics show that number of claimants is now 100,000 higher than previous peak during Covid-19 pandemic

15 August, 2023

Universal credit sanction rate remains more than double its pre Covid-19 level

New DWP statistics also show that the reason for almost all of the more than 500,000 adverse sanction decisions made in the last 12 months was failure to attend or participate in a mandatory interview

15 August, 2023

‘Consistent, if relatively small’ proportion of tax credit claimants are not making a claim for universal credit after receiving a migration notice

New DWP analysis also finds that, while one in five tax credit claimants who have received a migration notice contact the helpline, they rarely require support in completing the claim and are able to transition to universal credit independently

11 August, 2023

Commencing provisions of the Neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) Act 2023 in relation to the making of payments of statutory neonatal care pay

New statutory instrument

11 August, 2023

Decision by the Independent Case Examiner offers a ‘glimmer of hope’ for hundreds of thousands of women who have missed out on a higher state pension

Ruling opens up the potential for other women to claim for compensation where they followed all the correct processes but were never sent the necessary claim form, says former pensions minister

11 August, 2023

Disregarding interim infected blood compensation payments in the calculation of means-tested benefits in Northern Ireland

New statutory rule

10 August, 2023

Government launches consultation on plan to improve the experiences of people with ME/CFS

Views sought by the DWP, DHSC and DfE on what could be done to improve the provision of adult social care support, welfare support and employment support

9 August, 2023

DWP provides update on plan to introduce universal credit ‘Virtual Agent’ telephone system

Department says that 'voice-led solution' will interact with claimants 'in a way that mimics human conversation'

9 August, 2023

Disregarding interim infected blood compensation payments made from the estate of an infected person to their child or step child in the calculation of means-tested benefits

New statutory instrument

9 August, 2023

Increase in the standard interest rate charged on loans for mortgage interest from 3.03 per cent to 3.28 per cent

New figure applies from 1 July 2023 in line with calculation method set out in the Loans for Mortgage Interest Regulations 2017

8 August, 2023

Scottish Government publishes draft Disability Assistance for Older People Regulations

Draft regulations set out rules and eligibility criteria for pension age disability payment that will replace attendance allowance in Scotland from Autumn 2024

8 August, 2023

First-tier Tribunal erred in changing decision after it had been announced at end of hearing, and in adopting wrong date from which increased PIP rates were payable

KK v Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (PIP)
[2023] UKUT 151 (AAC)
UA-2022-000194-PIP

8 August, 2023

Third country family members can acquire residence rights following dissolution of marriage between third country national and EEA citizen despite omission from EEA Regulations

AT v LB Hillingdon and Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (HB)
[2023] UKUT 149 (AAC)
UA-2020-000117-HB

8 August, 2023

Annual caseload of households receiving council tax reduction in Wales continued on downward trend in 2022/2023

New figures reflect an almost 20 per cent drop in caseload compared to a decade ago, when the new scheme was introduced to replace council tax benefit

7 August, 2023

Universal credit is not payable for a third child conceived in a stable relationship even where the two older siblings were conceived in an abusive relationship

AT v Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (UC)
[2023] UKUT 148 (AAC)
UA-2022-000858-UOTH