Welfare rights news and case law

14 September, 2018

Scottish Government publishes response to consultation on new Scottish Tribunal Chamber to hear devolved social security appeals

New Chamber to be 'efficient and effective in dealing with appeals while ensuring the dignity and respect of individuals', says Cabinet Secretary

14 September, 2018

Tribunals caseworker ‘delegation scheme’ to remain in place, subject to periodic reviews

Scheme provides for caseworkers to be able to carry out all decisions that a judge may make except ‘substantive final decisions’

13 September, 2018

71 per cent of PIP and ESA appeals overturned in favour of claimants

New Ministry of Justice statistics also highlight that a general increase in the overturn rate of appeals has been driven by a six percentage point increase in successful PIP appeals

13 September, 2018

Claimant who had not completed period of 12 months under Worker Registration Scheme did not retain worker status for purposes of ESA claim

C‑618/16

13 September, 2018

65 per cent of ESA ‘fit for work’ decisions overturned at appeal in quarter to March 2018

New DWP statistics also show that, in July 2018, only 22 per cent of decisions overturned at mandatory reconsideration stage

13 September, 2018

Average waiting times on ESA enquiry line have increased more than eight fold over last five years

Excluding time spent in pre-queue messaging, average response time was more than 13 minutes in 2017/2018

13 September, 2018

Rules of procedure for the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland Social Security Chamber and the Upper Tribunal for Scotland

New statutory instruments

12 September, 2018

Evaluation of universal credit in-work progression trial finds 'no clear evidence' of an impact on earnings or hours worked

New DWP report, based on Ipsos MORI research, also finds no change in claimants' attitudes towards progression over the course of the trial

12 September, 2018

Scottish Government responds to consultation on the best start grant

First payments of the pregnancy and baby grant will be made before Christmas 2018, with early learning and school age grant payments to be introduced by Summer 2019

11 September, 2018

Tax credit error and fraud is not reducing because of systemic flaws, says HMRC Chief Executive and Permanent Secretary

Jon Thompson also tells Select Committee that government’s appetite for changing tax credits is very low because of strategic decisions on universal credit

11 September, 2018

Maximum time limit for making a Sure Start maternity grant claim extended to six months

New statutory instrument

11 September, 2018

Just 20 households on universal credit received a split payment in June 2018

New statistics also show that the DWP arranged twice monthly or more frequent payments for 20,000 households

11 September, 2018

72 per cent of reassessed DLA claims result in a PIP award

New DWP statistics also show that, by the end of July 2018, 44 per cent of new PIP claims resulted in an award

10 September, 2018

Housing benefit subsidy for 2017/2018 and 2018/2019

New statutory instrument

7 September, 2018

Scottish Fiscal Commission seeks 'Memorandum of Understanding' with DWP to improve sharing of benefit data

Call for a formal data sharing agreement follows DWP decision to treat most recent request for information as a Freedom of Information request

7 September, 2018

Right to reside, genuine prospect of work test, and participation in a government employment scheme

CSJSA/492/2017

6 September, 2018

Payment of arrears of benefit due to claimants who were underpaid ESA on their conversion from incapacity benefit

DWP issues new guidance following consent order issued in recent Upper Tribunal decision

6 September, 2018

DWP publishes new research exploring claimants’ experiences of the PIP claim process

Research follows recommendation in Paul Gray’s 2014 independent review of the PIP assessment

6 September, 2018

Universal credit's design flaws need to be resolved before managed migration proceeds

Get this final phase of the rollout wrong and some families could be put off claiming universal credit altogether, says Resolution Foundation