Welfare rights news and case law

23 December, 2020

Independent food banks across the UK record a 110 per cent increase in emergency food parcels distributed through 2020

Government urged to look beyond emergency responses to the systemic problem of poverty and make changes that will mean everyone is able to afford to buy food

22 December, 2020 Open access

35,000 households are likely to have their benefit capped this month as their grace period for exemption comes to an end

Child Poverty Action Group urges government to scrap the cap, pointing out that doing so would cost less than the 'Eat Out to Help Out' scheme

22 December, 2020

Revocation of legislation giving effect to agreements on citizens’ rights between the UK and Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland following the UK’s exit from the EU

New regulations issued in Northern Ireland

22 December, 2020

Amendments to secondary and primary legislation in consequence of the repeal of free movement law at the end of the transition period for leaving the EU

DWP issues new guidance to decision-makers

22 December, 2020

Scottish Government launches consultation on draft regulations for Adult Disability Payment

Purpose of consultation is to identify any gaps, issues or unintended consequences

21 December, 2020 Open access

DWP breaches Civil Service Commission’s rules for Work Coach recruitment

'System error' resulted in applicants that did not score highly enough to progress to an interview subsequently being made a job offer

21 December, 2020

Restricting new claims for housing benefit from claimants relying on the SDP Gateway

New DWP guidance confirms that removal of Gateway from 27 January 2021 will mean SDP claimant group will have to claim universal credit instead of legacy benefits

21 December, 2020

Chair of Work and Pensions Committee expresses concern that significant number of people calling Debt Management are still unable to get through despite DWP action to improve service

Letter to Permanent Secretary questions whether other call answering services within the Department are also not meeting their performance targets

21 December, 2020

DWP reminds local authorities of duty to refer ‘pre-1996’ housing benefit cases to Rent Officer for subsidy purposes

New guidance issued after Department becomes aware that some local authorities may not be referring all cases as required

21 December, 2020

Government publishes national insurance contribution rates, limits and thresholds for 2021/2022

Copy of new figures placed in Libraries of the House of Commons and the Lords

18 December, 2020

Court of Appeal rules that government acted unlawfully in barring EU citizens from relying on ‘pre-settled status’ to access universal credit

[2020] EWCA 1741

18 December, 2020

DWP confirms that more than 340,000 households have universal credit benefit cap grace period that is due to end between December 2020 and March 2021

However, Employment Minister cautions that figures 'do not equate to the number of people who will be in scope of the cap when their grace period ends'

18 December, 2020

DWP figures show increase in percentage of universal credit claims closed as result of failed habitual residence test

Statistics supplied to parliament show that percentage of claims closed in period from May to November 2020 has more than doubled in comparison to same period in 2019

18 December, 2020

Run-on of universal credit in assessment period that claimant reaches state pension age

New DWP guidance

18 December, 2020

Revocation of legislation giving effect to agreements between UK and Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland on citizens’ rights following the UK’s exit from the EU

New statutory instruments

18 December, 2020

Revocation of EU social security co-ordination regulations from 31 December 2020

New statutory instrument

17 December, 2020 Open access

DWP re-introduces ‘Failure to Attend’ process for PIP claimants who miss their telephone assessment

However, Department adds that it will 'always contact' anyone who does not attend, and support will continue where there is a good reason

17 December, 2020

Whether limiting a disabled claimant’s housing benefit to the one-bedroom shared accommodation rate of the local housing allowance amounts to unlawful discrimination

CH/4167/2013
[2020] UKUT 285 (AAC)

17 December, 2020

English and Welsh local authorities spent 40 per cent of total discretionary housing payment allocations in first half of 2020/2021

DWP half-year figures also show that more than a quarter had spent less than 30 per cent in the same period