× Search rightsnet
Search options

Where

Benefit

Jurisdiction

Jurisdiction

From

to

Welfare rights

6 September, 2024

Government commits to establishing a more robust evidence base on the barriers people face in accessing advice under legal aid

Responding to Public Accounts Committee's May 2024 report, government says that the MoJ and LAA are reviewing current data collected, and seeking to identify opportunities for improvement

5 September, 2024

Lords Scrutiny Committee draws regulations restricting entitlement to the winter fuel payment to the ‘special attention’ of the House

Committee says that it is unconvinced by the reasons given for the urgency attached to laying the new regulations, and it is not clear that the DWP has assessed the risk of them causing inequality

5 September, 2024

Motion on regulations that restrict entitlement to winter fuel payments to be debated in the House of Commons next week

Announcement by Commons Leader follows Early Day Motion tabled by Conservative Leader Rishi Sunak and signed by more than 70 Conservative MPs that calls for regulations to be annulled

5 September, 2024

Lords Committee says that it remains concerned about the DWP’s approach to increasing the administrative earnings threshold despite the publication of research on the impact of the policy

Scrutiny Committee reiterates previous warnings that, without proper evaluation of increasing conditionality, there is a risk of certain claimant groups, such as carers or people with a disability, being disadvantaged

5 September, 2024

Amendment of council tax reduction schemes in Scotland to include ‘looked after’ children placed with claimant for adoption

New statutory instrument also ensures enhanced disability premium is retained after 28 days in hospital

4 September, 2024

Scotland’s First Minister confirms eradication of child poverty will continue to be among the top priorities of the Scottish Government over the next year

Introducing new Programme for Government, Mr Swinney says that tackling the ‘scourge' of child poverty is the greatest investment in Scotland's future that can possibly be made

4 September, 2024

Amount of housing benefit overpayments identified by local authorities continued to rise in 2023/2024

However, new statistics also show that the total amount of overpayments outstanding continued to fall as councils recovered or wrote off more than they identified

4 September, 2024

Amendment of recent winter fuel payment regulations to correct minor errors

New statutory instrument

3 September, 2024

New research lays bare ‘shocking truth’ about failure of universal credit to fulfil its most basic duty

Trussell Trust says that hunger and hardship are out of control, and calls for a protected minimum floor in universal credit to safeguard incomes against deductions, and for links between rents and benefits to be restored

2 September, 2024

DWP confirms that it is ready to support vulnerable tax credit households through the managed migration process who it had previously deferred due to unmet support needs  

Department's Touchbase update advises that all affected claimants will now be issued a migration notice to ensure that they can safely move to universal credit before tax credits close in April 2025

2 September, 2024

Prior to removal of the £20 universal credit uplift, government analysis showed that it would put an additional 800,000 individuals into absolute poverty

In addition, response to FOI request reveals that analysis confirmed that, for many families, universal credit is insufficient to keep them above the absolute poverty line, with or without the £20 uplift

2 September, 2024

CPAG joins with school leaders and teachers to call for two-child limit to be scrapped

Letter to Education Secretary highlights that removing policy would single-handedly lift 300,000 children out of poverty overnight, and mean 700,000 children are in less deep poverty

2 September, 2024

Household Support Fund extended for further six months until the end of March 2025

Work and Pensions Secretary confirms that more than £420 million will go to local authorities in England, with a further £79 million for the devolved administrations, to help vulnerable people with the cost of their energy, food and water

2 September, 2024

Tribunal should have ensured that an unrepresented claimant who felt unable to attend a face-to-face hearing due to anxiety was aware of the alternative forms of oral hearing available

GMcA [Appointee] v Department for Communities (PIP)
[2024] NICom 23
C7/24-25 (PIP)

30 August, 2024

Northern Ireland Executive announces that it will restrict entitlement to the winter fuel payment despite its ‘deep concerns’ about the detrimental impact its decision will have

Communities Minister says that maintaining universal entitlement to the payment for winter 2024/2025 would cost more than £40 million even without taking into account any additional delivery or staffing costs

30 August, 2024

Claimant had right to reside on basis of having taken sufficient steps towards setting up business to be considered self-employed or, alternatively, on basis of 'Brey' analysis of self-sufficiency

Secretary of State for Work and Pensions v VB and another (UC)
[2024] UKUT 212 (AAC)
UA-2021-000531-USTA

30 August, 2024

Claimant’s ‘salary sacrifice’ pension contributions did not form part of earnings when establishing if they exceeded the permitted work earnings limit for ESA

Secretary of State for Work and Pensions v NC
[2024] UKUT 251 (AAC)
UA-2023-001781-ESA

30 August, 2024

More than 8 out of 10 claimants were satisfied with DWP services in 2023/2024

However, DWP customer experience survey also finds that a third of claimants had to contact the Department more than once to explain the same information