Welfare rights news and case law

21 July, 2015

Court of Appeal grants permission for hearing of sanctuary scheme and overnight care bedroom tax appeals

[2015] EWCA Civ 772

21 July, 2015

Government publishes impact assessments relating to measures in the Welfare Reform and Work Bill

An extra 224,000 children expected to be affected by benefit cap changes, 500,000 families by ESA reforms and 3.7 million by tax credit and universal credit changes

21 July, 2015

Public Bill Committee calls for evidence on Welfare Reform and Work Bill

Written submissions sought on factual matters the Committee should be aware of and suggested amendments

21 July, 2015

Social Security Advisory Committee sets out key issues that need to be addressed to ensure effective roll-out of universal credit

Recommendations in today's report include pause in further conditionality, detailed plan for transferring tax credit awards and continued commitment to addressing risks arising from payment procedures

21 July, 2015

Further roll-out of universal credit between September 2015 and April 2016

New statutory instrument

21 July, 2015

Welfare Reform and Work Bill receives second reading in House of Commons

MPs vote in favour of Bill by 308 to 124 following rejection of Labour's reasoned amendment

21 July, 2015

36,760 people assisted by Access to Work between April 2014 and March 2015

New DWP statistics show increase from 35,560 the previous year

21 July, 2015

Biggest challenge for local authorities in preparing for universal credit is lack of clear information on timescales and future plans

Finding of new DWP commissioned research by Ipsos MORI

21 July, 2015

Payment of class 3A national insurance contributions in Northern Ireland

New statutory rules

20 July, 2015

Phasing out of pension credit assessed income periods and restriction of savings element for some mixed-age couples

New statutory instrument

20 July, 2015

Child tax credit ‘decisions’ set aside for lack of coherence and connection to legal powers

CTC/4184/2014

20 July, 2015

‘Cannot chew or swallow food or drink’ in ESA descriptors means ‘cannot either chew and swallow food or swallow drink’

CE/5261/2014

17 July, 2015

Work and Pensions Committee launches inquiry into welfare-to-work provision

With current contracts due to expire in 2017, the Committee seeks possible recommendations for reform

17 July, 2015

National Audit Office qualifies its opinion on tax credits expenditure in 2014/2015

HMRC has no estimate of level of error and fraud in 2014/2015 and so Comptroller and Auditor General unable to confirm that awards conform with authorities

17 July, 2015

Relevance of type of clothing to PIP activity 6 (dressing and undressing); application of regulation 4(2A)

UK/5338/2014

17 July, 2015

Tribunal erred by failing to explain why it decided to determine appeal without an oral hearing

CIS/3875/2014

16 July, 2015

Almost two-thirds of children in poverty now live in working families

New report from the Institute for Fiscal Studies also warns that benefit cuts will put upward pressure on absolute poverty

16 July, 2015

A person who cannot leave the house alone due to anxiety 'cannot follow the route of a journey without another person'

CSPIP/109/2015

16 July, 2015

National Audit Office qualifies its opinion on DWP accounts for 2014/2015

Overall value of fraud and error in benefit expenditure remains 'unacceptably high', says Comptroller and Auditor General