Welfare rights news

2 May, 2024

APPGs calls for NRPF condition to be strictly limited to five years for those on routes to settlement in the UK

Report on UK migration system and poverty also recommends that the scope of NRPF should be reduced, for example to enable families with children to access child benefit and those in the most urgent need to access emergency welfare support

1 May, 2024

Permitting universal credit or pension credit claims where partner is self-sufficient EEA national relying on UK claimant’s legacy benefits

DWP issues guidance while waiting for Court of Appeal to hear its appeal against Upper Tribunal's decision in SSWP v WV

1 May, 2024

Less than 65,000 people with disabilities were helped into work by Work and Health Programme in period from April 2018 to November 2023

However, DWP Minister advises that Universal Support will help up to 100,000 people into work each year once fully rolled out

1 May, 2024

Monthly average shortfall between private rents and local housing allowance in Northern Ireland increases to almost £130 for households claiming universal credit housing element

New figures also show that at constituency level the shortfall ranges between £75 and £151 per month across universal credit and housing benefit households

30 April, 2024

Increasing fraud trends in wider society prevent DWP from substantially reducing level of fraud and error in benefit spending

Letter from DWP Permanent Secretary points to the population's underlying propensity to commit fraud in explaining why benefit overpayments will not return to pre-pandemic levels until 2027/2028

30 April, 2024

Amendment of housing benefit regulations consequent upon removal of requirement for the self-employed to pay Class 2 national insurance contributions

DWP guidance confirms that changes take effect from 6 April 2024 so that Class 2 contributions are no longer deducted when calculating self-employed net income

30 April, 2024

Scottish Government launches consultation on replacing Industrial Injuries Scheme with Employment Injury Assistance

Views sought on how best to deliver the new benefit while protecting the 24,000 existing recipients of support

30 April, 2024

President of Appeal Tribunal in Northern Ireland expresses ‘considerable concern’ at number of decisions overturned at tribunal following receipt of further medical evidence

Introducing his annual report for 2019/2020 and 2020/2021, John Duffy also suggests that a proper and thorough functional assessment of claimants can not be carried out over the phone

29 April, 2024

Government launches Green Paper setting out plans to overhaul ‘one size fits all’ approach of the current disability benefits system

Proposals include changing the eligibility criteria for PIP, removing the assessment process for specific health conditions or disabilities, and exploring alternative approaches to ongoing cash support such as one-off grants or vouchers

29 April, 2024

Select Committee Chair ‘disappointed’ at DWP’s failure to notify Committee of significant change to universal credit roll-out timetable

Letter to DWP Permanent Secretary raises concerns about the Department's sudden announcement of change to ESA managed migration dates without updating the Committee during its ongoing inquiry

29 April, 2024

Increased AET threshold should not apply to lead carers in Northern Ireland until the Assembly has developed and implemented a childcare strategy for the region

SSAC says exemption is needed in order to limit negative impacts of increased conditionality on claimants, particularly those in vulnerable situations

26 April, 2024

MPs warn that significant number of vulnerable claimants may lose benefits by failing to migrate to universal credit

Public Accounts Committee calls on the DWP to ensure that legacy benefit claimants are not 'cast into financial hardship due to a bureaucratic change'

26 April, 2024

NI Executive agrees 2024/2025 Budget that includes £45m for welfare reform mitigations

However, Minister says that, with increased demands on services and rising costs, allocations won’t provide sufficient funding for departments to do everything they want

25 April, 2024

UK has made no significant progress in addressing its ‘grave and systematic violations’ of disabled people, UN Committee finds

Responding to publication of new report, coalition of Deaf and Disabled Peoples' Organisations says it is a 'much-needed counter to government rhetoric claiming they are protecting the most vulnerable'

25 April, 2024

DWP has issued almost 100,000 civil penalties in respect of overpaid carer’s allowance since 2020, amounting to almost £5 million

Work and Pensions Minister also confirms that, over the same period, 225 administrative penalties have been accepted with a total value of more than £410,000

25 April, 2024

Government commits to issuing a code of practice in relation to DWP’s new powers to access claimants’ bank account data

DWP Minister confirms that draft code will be available in summer 2024 before Department carries out a 'test and learn' exercise in early 2025

25 April, 2024

DWP issues updated guidance to local authorities in England on the Household Support Fund from April to September 2024

While update broadly follows previous guidance, Department provides a further explanation of its position on the impact of payments from the Fund on people with no recourse to public funds

24 April, 2024

DWP says that large overpayments of carer’s allowance have arisen where claims were made before HMRC income alerts were introduced

Department also tells Work and Pensions Committee that, while it will not comment on individual cases, 'what we see in the paper isn't always the whole picture'

24 April, 2024

Northern Ireland Department of Justice launches call for evidence on review of civil legal aid services in the region

Justice Minister says evidence and insight acquired will be used to identify and evaluate changes to 'better enable citizens' access to justice or to achieve value for money'

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