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Top Decision Making and Appeals topic #867

Subject: "Overpayments" First topic | Last topic
Ian_Miller
                              

Welfare Rights Officer, Hull Social Services Welfare Rights, Pickering Cen
Member since
27th Feb 2004

Overpayments
Mon 28-Feb-05 03:49 PM

I had a rather cryptic comment from a chairman this morning regarding the opinions of Commissioners about the tribunal of commissioners decision in CIS/4348/2003 (reasonableness of failure to disclose). Have there been any decisions dealing with this since then? Is there general support for the decision?

  

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Replies to this topic
RE: Overpayments, nevip, 28th Feb 2005, #1
RE: Overpayments, ken, 28th Feb 2005, #2
      RE: Overpayments, david fernie, 01st Mar 2005, #3
           RE: Overpayments, jimmckenny, 01st Mar 2005, #4

nevip
                              

welfare rights adviser, sefton metropolitan borough council, liverpool.
Member since
22nd Jan 2004

RE: Overpayments
Mon 28-Feb-05 03:55 PM

Ian, can't answer your question I'm afraid but scroll down the news page of rightsnet and click on the social security law practitioners link for a pretty authoratative up to date view on the current position by Paul Stagg.

Regards
Paul

  

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ken
                              

Charter member

RE: Overpayments
Mon 28-Feb-05 04:02 PM

Here is a direct link to Pual Stagg's article 'Overpayments and failure to disclose' taken from the security law practitioners area of rightsnet swopshop -

http://www.rightsnet.org.uk/pdfs/SSLPA_op_ftd_stagg_15_12_2004.pdf

  

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david fernie
                              

WRO, Appeals Section, Glasgow City Council
Member since
14th May 2004

RE: Overpayments
Tue 01-Mar-05 08:24 AM

As well as Comm Howell's decision CFC/2766/2003 which Paul Stagg quotes in his article, you might also want to look at Comm Rowland's decision CDLA/1823/03 where he states:

"A Tribunal of Commissioners in CIS/4348/03 has recently placed much emphasis on regulation 32(1) of the 1987 Regulations when holding Mr Commissioner Edwards-Jones QC in R(SB) 21/82 “to have been in error in importing a ‘reasonable expectation’ requirement into criteria that entitle the Secretary of State to recover an overpayment for a failure to disclose” under section 71(1). In CIS/4348/03, the claimant failed to comply with clear and unambiguous instructions as to the need to report certain facts. The Tribunal of Commissioners held that it was irrelevant that her mental capacity was limited. It may be that the practical impact of their decision is confined to such cases. Absent any suggestion of ill health or limited mental capacity, the significance of which were matters of controversy between Commissioners until the decision of the Tribunal, appeal tribunals and Commissioners would generally have considered that there had been a failure to disclose where disclosure had not been made despite being required by clear and unambiguous instructions, whether they had had Mr Commissioner Edwards-Jones’ dictum in mind or regulation 32(1) or both. The more difficult cases, which the Tribunal of Commissioners did not have to consider, are those where instructions to report facts are ambiguous or expressed in such general terms as to require some interpretation by a claimant or where written instructions have been qualified by an officer acting on behalf of the Secretary of State or, indeed, where there have been no relevant instructions at all but the claimant might have had reason to suspect that he was not entitled to all the benefit he was receiving."


David

  

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jimmckenny
                              

social services, kirklees metropolitan council
Member since
21st Jan 2004

RE: Overpayments
Tue 01-Mar-05 12:43 PM

Also, see CDLA/1823/2004 a case involving a DLA OP. In relation to disability benefits if the change of circs. relates to a disability determination the DWP can only supersede from the date of the change of circs. if the claimant 'knew or could reasonably have been expected to know that the change of circs. should have been notified' - Reg.(7)(2)(c)(ii) of DA Regs. This also applies to ICB.

Having looked at it again I think David and I are referring to the same case, albeit making different points.

  

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