Welfare rights news and case law

15 July, 2019

IIAC recommends new guidance for diagnosing and assessing hand arm vibration syndrome

Advisory Council says guidance addresses concerns about inconsistent interpretations of claimants’ descriptions of the timing, onset, and progression of the disease

12 July, 2019

Scottish Social Security Committee calls on UK Government to halt launch of universal credit managed migration pilot

Pilot should be put on hold to ensure that there is 'no negative impact upon claimants who rely on this money', says Committee Convener

12 July, 2019

Interest rate charged on support for mortgage interest loans drops to 1.3 per cent

New rate applies from 1 July 2019 to be reviewed in six months

11 July, 2019

Reform programme needed to ‘take an axe’ to the root causes of destitution in the UK

New report calls for properly functioning welfare safety net to address countless harrowing stories of painful decisions that people are making just to get by

11 July, 2019

Government invites Work and Pensions Committee to contribute to review of the Social Security Advisory Committee

Taliored review will also consider the functions of the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council

11 July, 2019

Secretary of State asks DWP to set up an 'honest and in depth evaluation' of benefits for those with terminal illnesses

Review will also look at whether more can be done to improve 'engagement' with the department for claimants living with the most severe conditions

11 July, 2019

DWP backtracks on Minister's assurance that innocent victims of advance payment fraud will not be expected to pay money back

In the Commons, Minister had also said that DWP will consider putting claimants back on to their legacy benefits 'if they were better off under those'

11 July, 2019

Department for Communities settles discrimination claim from transgender woman denied state pension under Northern Ireland’s Gender Recognition Certificate rules

Human Rights Commission successfully argues that requirement to be unmarried before issue of Certificate is discriminatory

11 July, 2019

Scottish Government launches consultation on independent advocacy support for disabled benefit claimants

Subject to the consultation, it is planned that support will be in place for summer 2020 when disability assistance is delivered

11 July, 2019

More than half of local authorities spent less than their DHP central government allocation in 2018/2019

New spending data shows that 205 councils in England and Wales underspent DHP funding of more than £5.5 million in the year

10 July, 2019

Government says consideration of High Court's SDP judgment is holding up progress in tabling managed migration regulations

Parliamentary Under-Secretary says Department is 'considering the options open to us and will respond in due course'

10 July, 2019

DWP's Chief Digital Officer refutes allegation that Department tried to hide phone numbers in bid to make claimant contacts online only

Select Committee told that the Department would always provide alternative means of contact

10 July, 2019

Tribunal should have considered claimant's audio-recording and transcript of HCP assessment even if recording was made covertly

CPIP/2310/2018

9 July, 2019

Whether absence of treatment is an adequate basis from which to infer existence of function / observations on the use of standard wording in written statements of reasons

CE/3496/2017

9 July, 2019

DWP applied almost 100,000 civil penalties in year from July 2018 to June 2019

New figures supplied by Employment Minister in response to question in parliament

8 July, 2019

DWP sets out changes to design and availability of universal credit payments information in claimants’ online accounts

New edition of Touchbase highlights that a ‘payments’ section is now available on the home page of a claimant's online account as soon as a claim is made

Welfare rights

IIAC recommends new guidance for diagnosing and assessing hand arm vibration syndrome

Advisory Council says guidance addresses concerns about inconsistent interpretations of claimants’ descriptions of the timing, onset, and progression of the disease

Scottish Social Security Committee calls on UK Government to halt launch of universal credit managed migration pilot

Interest rate charged on support for mortgage interest loans drops to 1.3 per cent

Reform programme needed to ‘take an axe’ to the root causes of destitution in the UK

Government invites Work and Pensions Committee to contribute to review of the Social Security Advisory Committee

Secretary of State asks DWP to set up an 'honest and in depth evaluation' of benefits for those with terminal illnesses

DWP backtracks on Minister's assurance that innocent victims of advance payment fraud will not be expected to pay money back

In the Commons, Minister had also said that DWP will consider putting claimants back on to their legacy benefits 'if they were better off under those'

Department for Communities settles discrimination claim from transgender woman denied state pension under Northern Ireland’s Gender Recognition Certificate rules

Scottish Government launches consultation on independent advocacy support for disabled benefit claimants

More than half of local authorities spent less than their DHP central government allocation in 2018/2019

Government says consideration of High Court's SDP judgment is holding up progress in tabling managed migration regulations

DWP's Chief Digital Officer refutes allegation that Department tried to hide phone numbers in bid to make claimant contacts online only

Tribunal should have considered claimant's audio-recording and transcript of HCP assessment even if recording was made covertly

DWP estimates that 10 per cent of universal credit advances are potentially fraudulent

Work and Pensions Committee questions DWP about BBC report on universal credit advances fraud

DWP introduces ‘light touch’ 10 year reviews for existing PIP claimants over state pension age

Whether absence of treatment is an adequate basis from which to infer existence of function / observations on the use of standard wording in written statements of reasons

DWP applied almost 100,000 civil penalties in year from July 2018 to June 2019

DWP sets out changes to design and availability of universal credit payments information in claimants’ online accounts