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Forum Home  →  Discussion  →  Universal credit administration  →  Thread

Holidays on UC

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SarahJBatty
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Money Adviser, Thirteen, Middlesbrough

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The Guardian article is good way of highlighting. In social housing this is basically the group of tenants working and getting full or partial HB, usually paid to landlord, although not without the usual issues of changes or circs etc.  But change that to UC and a risk of sanctions randomly applied, and you have a worrying situation.

Mr Finch
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Benefits adviser - Isle of Wight CAB

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Being on holiday would not be considered by a DWP Decision Maker as good reason for not carrying out any work search or availability requirements.

Having a good reason is a statutory ‘defence’ to a sanction for not seeking, or being available for, more / better paid work. I can’t see that a blanket DWP statement that being on holiday is never a good reason will hold up at appeal, especially for a working claimant where taking holidays from work is a right under EU law.

Andrew Dutton
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Welfare rights service - Derbyshire County Council

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I agree with that, but the poor claimants are going to have to go through all the rigmarole before we get to a Tribunal, and still too few people come forward to challenge decisions, still too few even GET decisions, and too many are given drivel at MR stage and told they cannot succeed. What a system.

Benny Fitzpatrick
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Welfare Rights Officer, Southway Housing Trust, Manchester

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“Transforming people’s lives”!

Stuart
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Here’s Pritti Patel’s answer to a written question today about expectations to continue full claimant commitments if on holiday while on universal credit -

No allowances have been made within the conditionality regime for holidays. Therefore claimants must do all they reasonably can to look for work in each week, including continuing to attend their normal appointments, be available to attend job interviews or take up offers of employment, even if this means cutting short a holiday.

http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2016-06-03/39225/

Paul_Treloar_AgeUK
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Information and advice resources - Age UK

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This is absolutely ridiculous.

Perhaps Ms Patel should read her own government’s website?

1. Entitlement
Almost all workers are legally entitled to 5.6 weeks’ paid holiday per year (known as statutory leave entitlement or annual leave). An employer can include bank holidays as part of statutory annual leave.

Working 5 days a week
Most workers who work a 5-day week must receive 28 days’ paid annual leave per year. This is calculated by multiplying a normal week (5 days) by the annual entitlement of 5.6 weeks.

Working part-time
Part-time workers are also entitled to a minimum of 5.6 weeks of paid holiday each year, although this may amount to fewer actual days of paid holiday than a full-time worker would get.

Holiday entitlement

And don’t even get me started on how much time MP’s get off.

Benny Fitzpatrick
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Welfare Rights Officer, Southway Housing Trust, Manchester

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I wonder how many MPs would be prepared to cut short their (generous) holidays in order to attend to their commitments? (Which are, after all, taxpayer funded!).  Perhaps a regime of conditionality should be imposed on them?

SocSec
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any new developments of Holiday on UC, I spoke to my jobcentre as we now have clients wanting to know if they will be sanctioned for missing a meeting while on holiday and claiming UC. Local jobcentre don’t know what the situation is in these cases.

Andrew Dutton
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Welfare rights service - Derbyshire County Council

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I’m raising this again to ask if anyone has had practical experience of a case. None so far for me, but:

I am however aware of a case in which the claimant enquired at JC about taking a UK holiday, and was told that it was OK to go but that the UC claim would be ‘suspended’ and then revived on their return.

Instead, UC closed the claim and forced them to make new claim, 6 week wait etc etc….


Aaaarrrrrg.

NickyB
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Information and Advice, Barrow and District Age UK

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My one is still on-going.  Currently waiting for the independent case examiner to look at it.

Client was offered £50-£75 and an apology but he declined as acceptance of this would have meant ICE could no longer look at it and this is what he wants.

Once we get a result I will post it.

generalistadviser29
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Birmingham Citizens Advice Bureau

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I had a client a few years ago who was advised that yes he could take a holiday whilst on JSA. Then was told something else when he returned.

Finally the job centre manager asked to see his passport- to see if he had been out the country and he wasn’t sanctioned.