Welfare rights news and case law

2 September, 2022

Equality and Human Rights Commission announces plans to work with local authorities to monitor how they are using AI to deliver essential services such as benefits payments

Intervention is now required as there is emerging evidence that bias built into algorithms can lead to less favourable treatment of people with protected characteristics

2 September, 2022

Centre for Social Justice sets out proposal for ‘deliverable, cost effective and targeted package’ to tackle ‘unprecedented’ cost of living challenge

Calling on government to hold a special fiscal event at the earliest opportunity, think tank says its proposals would neutralise the upcoming rise in energy bills and household costs for low income households

1 September, 2022

Resolution Foundation forecasts that, without significant intervention, number of people living in absolute poverty will rise by three million over next two years

New report's recommendations include permanent reduction in gap between measuring inflation and benefit uprating alongside multiple upratings in years with high inflation

1 September, 2022

DWP confirms its strategy for monitoring and evaluating the ‘move to universal credit’ process

Responding to FOI request, Department advises it will be a four phase process with the final phase - national scale rollout - expected around winter 2023

1 September, 2022

Overall assessment of circumstances needed in deciding whether childcare disregard applies rather than assessment based solely on whether actual physical care has been provided

Carmarthenshire County Council v LT
[2022] UKUT 224 (AAC)
UA-2021-001823-HB

1 September, 2022

Department for Communities publishes universal credit, PIP and benefit cap statistics for period to May 2022

New figures include that almost 120,000 households were on universal credit, with number of claimants in the 'no work requirements' regime continuing to rise

31 August, 2022

Almost 70 per cent of independent food banks fear they will be unable to meet demand this winter

Independent Food Aid Network calls for urgent government intervention to counter 'unconscionable and unsustainable' reliance on food banks as cost of living crisis deepens

31 August, 2022

Transfer of working-age DLA claimants in Scotland to adult disability payment

New Social Security Scotland guidance confirms that there will be no review of awards during the transfer process

31 August, 2022 Open access

Extending provision that enables relaxation of social security timescales in Scotland where delay is as a result of coronavirus

New statutory instrument

31 August, 2022

Access to means-tested benefits in Northern Ireland for people subject to immigration control

New statutory rule removes exception that allowed those from specified European countries to claim housing benefit and state pension credit before five years of lawful residence in the UK

31 August, 2022 Open access

Enabling people in Northern Ireland to continue to be able to claim SSP where absence from work is related to Covid-19

New statutory rule

31 August, 2022

Northern Ireland Audit Office qualifies opinion on Department for Communities 2021/2022 accounts as a result of the level of fraud and error in benefit expenditure

Overpayments of £209 million include more than £100 million relating to universal credit, double the amount in the previous year and representing an overpayment rate of more than 10 per cent of expenditure on the benefit

30 August, 2022

Just 19 universal credit overpayments were waived between April 2021 and July 2022

Responding to Freedom of Information request, DWP advises that each of the cases succeeded on medical grounds

29 August, 2022

Adult disability payment opens for new applications across Scotland

With existing PIP and DLA claimants due to be transferred to the new benefit by the end of 2025, Social Security Minister welcomes 'significant milestone' in the development of Scotland's new social security system

26 August, 2022

Finance Minister confirms that UK Government will deliver £400 Energy Bill Support Scheme to people living in Northern Ireland

However, Minister also cautions that there is 'no guarantee' as to when people in Northern Ireland will receive the support

25 August, 2022

DWP to ‘invite’ 250 legacy benefit claimants in Northumberland to move to universal credit from mid-September 2022

DWP adds that it will 'discuss the latest progress' with stakeholders at its next Engagement Event

25 August, 2022

Government confirms that most tax credit claimants will receive a £326 cost of living payment between 2 and 7 September 2022

First instalment of £650 payment from HMRC to follow payment having been made to recipients of DWP benefits in July 2022

25 August, 2022

Office for Statistics Regulation urges DWP to expedite assessment of whether it is able to produce universal credit WCA statistics

Letter to DWP's Chief Statistician expresses disappointment that Department is 'tolerating this significant data gap' given wealth of data around need for transparency on WCA outcomes

25 August, 2022

Low-income renters in England facing ‘housing black hole’ due to widening gap between rents and local housing allowance

Crisis calls for government to 'urgently invest in housing benefit' in light of research showing that less than one in eight properties are now affordable to poorest households