Welfare rights news and case law

16 May, 2019

More than 30,000 cases in Northern Ireland have been reviewed since start of review exercise following Upper Tribunal decisions relating to PIP mobility activity 1

Department for Communities confirms that around £1.9 million has been paid to 600 claimants

15 May, 2019

Government rejects Select Committee’s key recommendation to limit effect of benefit cap to those assessed as required to work

Response to Work and Pensions Committee report says DWP ‘firmly believes’ that those not required to work can be encouraged to do so by the cap

15 May, 2019

Supreme Court rules that discrimination faced by lone parents and their young children from the benefit cap is not 'manifestly without reasonable foundation'

[2019] UKSC 21

15 May, 2019

Local authorities advised 'no change' to the application of the benefit cap to lone parents following Supreme Court judgment

New DWP guidance

15 May, 2019

More than 50 per cent of children are living in poverty in some constituencies in UK

End Child Poverty coalition calls for an end to the two child limit and the benefit freeze

15 May, 2019

ESA underpayment exercise completed in Northern Ireland

Department for Communities confirms that almost £19 million has been paid to just under 3,000 claimants

15 May, 2019

Local authorities anticipating ‘significant increase’ in homelessness as universal credit rolls out

Homelessness Monitor 2019 reports that probelm is further exacerbated by freezing of benefit rates and the lowered benefit cap

15 May, 2019

Availability of means-tested benefits for mixed-age couples excluded from pension-age benefits and universal credit

New statutory instrument amends mixed-age couple benefit rules in force from today

15 May, 2019

Government confirms online courts services will have ‘robust safeguards’ and include ‘assisted digital’ support

Courts and Tribunals (Online Procedure) Bill receives second reading in the House of Lords

14 May, 2019

Enhancements being introduced to make universal credit payment statements 'even easier to understand', says Minister for Employment

Claimants will also be able to access a 'blank' statement showing expected entitlement based on information that has been submitted

14 May, 2019

Eight per cent of 2017/2018 decisions to disallow PIP were overturned at appeal

New DWP figures also show increase in volume of disallowed claims from 275,090 in 2014/2015 to 392,280 in 2017/2018

14 May, 2019

86 per cent of universal credit sanction decisions due to failure to attend or participate in a work-focused interview

New DWP statistics also show that, in February 2019, 2.45 per cent of universal credit claimants who were subject to conditionality were sanctioned

14 May, 2019

33 per cent of universal credit advances paid before 5 May 2018 were not repaid by 5 May 2019

Minister provides figures in written answer to parliament

14 May, 2019

IFS launches review into inequality in the twenty-first century

Review to examine all possible drivers including design of the benefit system

14 May, 2019

Benefit rules for NHS charge exemptions need to be simplified to help prevent 1.7 million penalty notices later cancelled after challenge

NAO investigation also recommends use of better real time eligibility checking to help prevent notices being issued to people who should be exempt from charges

14 May, 2019

Just under two million people are now claiming universal credit

New DWP statistics also show that, in February 2019, 92 per cent of claimants were receiving a payment

13 May, 2019

Combined effects of universal credit, two child limit, and benefit cap mean 25 per cent of children in low income households face a cash shortfall

New research for the Children's Commissioner highlights that data from universal credit could be used to identify vulnerable children and target interventions

13 May, 2019

Government rejects MPs’ recommendation to make universal credit split payments standard for all couples

However, response to Home Affairs Committee report on domestic abuse confirms that DWP is looking at what more it can do to ensure main carer of children receives universal credit payments

13 May, 2019

Joint statement issued by the UK Government and Government of Ireland on the Common Travel Area

Newly signed Memorandum of Understanding reaffirms joint commitment to CTA in context of UK withdrawal from EU