Welfare rights news and case law

15 January, 2024

Public Accounts Committee launches inquiry into the progress the DWP has made in implementing universal credit

Views sought on the Department's plans to undertake managed migration effectively, support for vulnerable claimants, and the associated implementation costs

15 January, 2024

Ensuring state pension is not affected for those who had payments from the Windrush Compensation Scheme for loss of access to employment

New guidance advises that Home Office will pass details of all those affected to the DWP to check national insurance records, and fill any gaps that would lead to increased pension

15 January, 2024

Increases in the transitional severe disability premium element in universal credit in Northern Ireland for those who were entitled to other disability premiums prior to migrating

New statutory rule made in response to High Court judgment in January 2022 which found that failure to compensate claimants for loss of additional disability premiums was unlawful

12 January, 2024

More than a fifth of registered PIP appeals were lapsed before tribunal hearing in 2022/2023

Information on appeals in England and Wales provided by DWP Minister in response to written question in Parliament

12 January, 2024

Miscellaneous amendments to council tax reduction schemes in England for 2024/2025

New statutory instrument also provides for the uprating of figures used to calculate reductions under the scheme for pensioners

11 January, 2024

Government launches call for evidence to feed into its ongoing review of civil legal aid

MoJ seeks views to strengthen its evidence base and feed into the development of short and long-term policy solutions

11 January, 2024

Overall perception of workload among DWP staff is ‘more positive this year than last year’, says Department’s Permanent Secretary

Mr Schofield adds that Department is recruiting further work coaches to increase numbers from 14,000 at the end of last year to 16,000 by March 2024

11 January, 2024

DWP recommends considering voluntarily referring regulations that fall within six months of primary legislation to SSAC for informal scrutiny

Following an internal review of the Committee, the Department says that the change could be helpful to ensure impacts of new legislation have been fully considered

11 January, 2024

DWP confirms plan to enable third parties to use online apply for PIP service to make a claim on someone else’s behalf

Minister says that the Department will be working closely with stakeholders over the coming months to develop the service

11 January, 2024

MSPs recommend that Holyrood does not support Bill to establish a Scottish Employment Injuries Advisory Council

Social Justice and Social Security Committee doubts that the Bill will achieve its aims and considers that the timing is wrong

11 January, 2024

Enabling social security information-sharing with local authorities and the Public Guardian where Scottish Ministers believe a person with whom they have come into contact is at risk of harm

New statutory instrument

11 January, 2024

Increasing local housing allowance rates to 30th percentile for 2024/2025 in Northern Ireland

New statutory rule

10 January, 2024

DWP says it no longer suspends cases highlighted as ‘at risk of fraud’ unless claimant fails to cooperate with the process

Universal Credit Senior Responsible Owner also outlines three levels of checking that are undertaken to ensure there is no unintended bias in the automated system for identifying potential fraud

10 January, 2024

DWP tells Work and Pensions Committee that managed migration to universal credit is ‘on track’ and ‘going very well’

Universal Credit Senior Responsible Owner also shares learning from migration discovery phase, including that 14 per cent of income support claimants wanted to claim universal credit by phone

10 January, 2024

DWP confirms that it is clearing new PIP claims faster than it did before the Covid-19 pandemic despite recent increase in numbers received

Minister says strategies including prioritising new claims and increased case manager and health assessment provider resources have helped to reduce clearance time to 15 weeks as at October 2023

10 January, 2024

DWP says that 8,000 former universal credit claimants have been underpaid state pension as a result of temporary suspension of automated national insurance credits data transfer to HMRC

Universal Credit Senior Responsible Owner tells Work and Pensions Committee that £2.5 million of underpayments have been paid to affected claimants so far

9 January, 2024

Increasing local housing allowance rates to 30th percentile for 2024/2025

Alongside new statutory instrument, DWP publishes indicative rates based on data for the year to 30 September 2023

8 January, 2024

Where a LEAP decision can be construed as a non-hopeless application for anytime official error revision, then the entirety of the decision can be considered on appeal

CW v Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (PIP)
[2023] UKUT 297 (AAC)
UA-2023-000775-PIP

8 January, 2024

First-tier Tribunal erred in law by directing Secretary of State to treat a claim for universal credit as a claim for income-related employment and support allowance

Secretary of State for Work and Pensions v PL (UC)
[2023] UKUT 288 (AAC)
UA-2022-001685-UOTH