Welfare rights news and case law

16 March, 2021

Number of planned PIP reviews cleared in three months to January 2021 exceeded figure for same quarter a year ago

New DWP statistics also show that aspects of claimant-initiated activity are also exceeding pre-pandemic levels, however numbers of mandatory reconsiderations are 75 per cent lower than in previous year

16 March, 2021

Department of Justice in Northern Ireland publishes plan for modernisation of courts and tribunals

New document sets out vision for 'modern, innovative, collaborative and responsive 21st Century courts and tribunals system'

16 March, 2021

Social security benefits uprating 2021/2022

New statutory instrument

16 March, 2021

Amendments in consequence of the Social Security Benefits Up-rating Order 2021

New statutory instrument includes provision to increase the personal expenses allowance for those in certain accommodation and to maintain the earnings limit for carer's allowance at £128 per week

16 March, 2021 Open access

Extension of period that carer’s allowance claimants in Scotland can be treated as engaged in caring during temporary breaks due to Covid-19

New statutory instrument

16 March, 2021 Open access

DWP confirms allocation of £20 million additional housing benefit administration subsidy to local authorities for 2020/2021

New guidance advises that one-off payment is being made to reflect the additional work undertaken to maintain housing benefit services during the Covid-19 pandemic

15 March, 2021

DWP building new system of ‘claimant profiles’ to record information about claimant vulnerabilities

System will enable information to be drawn out on a national level to help inform policy discussion says Senior Responsible Owner of Universal Credit

15 March, 2021 Open access

Fact that the £20 uplift to universal credit came in at all shows that ‘it was not enough to live on in the first place’, Scottish Cabinet Secretary tells MPs

Shirley-Anne Somerville adds that the planned removal of the uplift in six months time will wipe out the benefit of Scottish Child Payment for a family with two children

15 March, 2021

DWP issues guidance on entitlement to housing benefit in final universal credit assessment period in which claimant reaches state pension age

New Housing Benefit Circular sets out how single and couple claimants are affected by the run-on of universal credit introduced in November 2020

15 March, 2021

Transferring loans under the Support for Mortgage Interest loan scheme to a new property without the need to repay them first

DWP issues guidance on changes that come into force today that also include changes to the rules for claimants fleeing domestic violence

15 March, 2021

Telephone and video added as channels for undertaking medical assessments for ESA, universal credit, PIP and industrial injuries disablement benefit in Northern Ireland

New statutory rule

12 March, 2021 Open access

DWP reissues uprating guidance following Budget 2021 announcement that universal credit uplift will continue until September 2021

Revised housing benefit circular sets out new standard allowances to be introduced from April 2021

12 March, 2021 Open access

DWP confirms that Covid Winter Grant Scheme will be extended to 16 April 2021

Department also confirms that further £59 million is being made available for scheme, bringing total funding to £229 million

12 March, 2021

MoJ says it will review what delivery options outlined in its Legal Support Action Plan remain worth pursuing 'after our recovery from Covid-19'

In its response to Justice Committee's Future of Legal Aid inquiry, government says its ambition is to be 'much more ambitious in this space'

12 March, 2021

National Taskforce in Scotland publishes recommendations for incorporating international human rights treaties into domestic law

New report outlines wide range of bold and ambitious policy objectives and recommendations for new statutory framework setting out for the first time, and in one place, rights belonging to everyone in Scotland

12 March, 2021 Open access

Revaluation of earnings factors used to calculate additional state pension and guaranteed minimum pensions in Northern Ireland

New statutory rule

Welfare rights

Number of planned PIP reviews cleared in three months to January 2021 exceeded figure for same quarter a year ago

New DWP statistics also show that aspects of claimant-initiated activity are also exceeding pre-pandemic levels, however numbers of mandatory reconsiderations are 75 per cent lower than in previous year

Department of Justice in Northern Ireland publishes plan for modernisation of courts and tribunals

Social security benefits uprating 2021/2022

Amendments in consequence of the Social Security Benefits Up-rating Order 2021

Extension of period that carer’s allowance claimants in Scotland can be treated as engaged in caring during temporary breaks due to Covid-19

DWP confirms allocation of £20 million additional housing benefit administration subsidy to local authorities for 2020/2021

DWP building new system of ‘claimant profiles’ to record information about claimant vulnerabilities

System will enable information to be drawn out on a national level to help inform policy discussion says Senior Responsible Owner of Universal Credit

Fact that the £20 uplift to universal credit came in at all shows that ‘it was not enough to live on in the first place’, Scottish Cabinet Secretary tells MPs

DWP issues guidance on entitlement to housing benefit in final universal credit assessment period in which claimant reaches state pension age

Transferring loans under the Support for Mortgage Interest loan scheme to a new property without the need to repay them first

Telephone and video added as channels for undertaking medical assessments for ESA, universal credit, PIP and industrial injuries disablement benefit in Northern Ireland

DWP reissues uprating guidance following Budget 2021 announcement that universal credit uplift will continue until September 2021

DWP confirms that Covid Winter Grant Scheme will be extended to 16 April 2021

MoJ says it will review what delivery options outlined in its Legal Support Action Plan remain worth pursuing 'after our recovery from Covid-19'

National Taskforce in Scotland publishes recommendations for incorporating international human rights treaties into domestic law

Disregarding one-off payment of £500 to working tax credit claimants for purposes of council tax reduction in Scotland

Equality Act 2010 provisions relating to the public sector socio-economic duty in Wales

Uprating of mesothelioma lump sum payments from April 2021 in Northern Ireland

Revaluation of earnings factors used to calculate additional state pension and guaranteed minimum pensions in Northern Ireland