Welfare rights news

24 April, 2023

DWP estimates that just 9,000 additional households will receive an SMI loan in the first year following relaxation of universal credit earnings and waiting period rules

Social Security Advisory Committee welcomes changes but highlights Department's lack of analysis of how the relaxed rules will further its policy intent of protecting claimants against repossession and incentivise work

24 April, 2023

Social Security Scotland publishes new guidance on eligibility for Job Start Payment

Agency also sets out essential information that decision makers must check in order to verify a job offer

21 April, 2023

Alex Chalk appointed Justice Secretary as Dominic Raab resigns

Mr Raab's resignation follows an investigation into allegations of bullying behaviour, including at the Ministry of Justice

21 April, 2023

Requiring energy companies in Northern Ireland to obtain claimant consent for new or increased deductions from benefits for ongoing consumption of fuel

New statutory rule

20 April, 2023

DWP research on reduced benefit cap introduced from November 2016 finds that less than a third of affected claimants had moved off the cap 13 months after its implementation

Findings of research originally due to be published in 2019 also include that 35 per cent of affected claimants had rent arrears and 42 per cent reported cutting back on essentials

20 April, 2023

DWP confirms it will begin testing the matching of claimants’ primary health conditions to ‘specialist assessors’ later this year

Proposal outlined in Health and Disability White Paper will be delivered through the Department’s Health Transformation Programme

20 April, 2023

DWP says it will take a ‘test and learn approach’ before introducing ‘personalised’ conditionality in place of the WCA under reforms set out in Health and Disability White Paper

Minister also tells Parliament that Department will 'continue to listen to, and work closely with' disabled people and people with health conditions on how best to deliver the reforms

20 April, 2023

PCS union announces five days of DWP staff strikes in Glasgow and Liverpool jobcentres

Strikes in first week of May designed to disrupt closure of jobcentres and pilot of scheme requiring claimants to attend the jobcentre each day for two weeks

20 April, 2023

Uprating of non-dependant deductions and care home residents’ personal expenses allowance in the calculation of income support, JSA, ESA and state pension credit

New DWP guidance also confirms increase in national insurance lower and upper earnings limits

19 April, 2023

DWP issues guidance on changes to benefit cap annual limits from April 2023

New ADM Memo confirms that 10.1 per cent increase in levels will take effect in each universal credit assessment period commencing on or after 10 April 2023

19 April, 2023

Devolution of the design and delivery of employment support provision included in ‘Trailblazer’ deals with Greater Manchester and West Midlands Combined Authorities

Deals form part of government's levelling-up plans and facilitate delegation of service delivery, and ultimately the commissioning of services, from the DWP to each of the Combined Authorities

19 April, 2023

More than 90 charities call on political party leaders to increase universal credit standard allowances to a level sufficient to cover essential living costs

Letter from civil society organisations warns that nine in ten low-income households on universal credit are going without one or more essentials

19 April, 2023

GLA analysis finds that landlords in England are collecting £1.6 billion a year in housing benefit for ‘non-decent’ private rented homes

Mayor of London call for urgent government action to rectify 'scandal' of private landlords profiting from letting sub-standard housing

19 April, 2023

Social Justice Secretary sets out steps the Scottish Government will take over the next three years to tackle poverty and inequality

Commitments in new strategy document include further £1.3 billion for Scottish child payment, reduction in child poverty, and transfer of more than 700,000 awards from the DWP to Social Security Scotland

17 April, 2023

More than 40 per cent of PIP claimants who successfully appeal a nil award decision after mandatory reconsideration receive an enhanced component at tribunal

Written parliamentary answer also highlights that more than 30 per cent of those awarded PIP at mandatory reconsideration following an initial decision refusing an award receive an enhanced component

17 April, 2023

Minister provides information on numbers receiving ESA on the basis of ‘substantial risk’, but says that same information for universal credit is ‘not readily available’

Written answer highlights that more than a quarter of a million claimants are in the ESA support group under substantial risk criteria

17 April, 2023

In-work progression policy will have no direct impact on any group with protected characteristics, says DWP

While new equality analysis finds that there may be indirect impacts, Department says they will be 'positive and beneficial' as policy is intended to be 'non-punitive'

17 April, 2023

DWP confirms that cost of living payments can be made to claimants who are in receipt of a hardship payment during the qualifying period

Updated DWP guidance clarifies that this applies even where there is otherwise a 'nil award' due to a sanction

17 April, 2023

Uprating of housing cost contributions, work allowances and transitional SDP element in universal credit

New DWP guidance also confirms increase in carer's allowance earnings limit and national insurance lower and upper earnings limits

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