Welfare rights news

9 September, 2008

Setting of new assessed income periods for pension credit purposes

New DWP guidance

8 September, 2008

Changes to means tested benefits and the social fund consequential on the introduction of employment and support allowance

New DWP guidance

8 September, 2008

Repeat applications for crisis loans and community care grants

Time limit reduced from 26 weeks to 28 days

8 September, 2008

Hardest to help claimants could be left behind by Flexible New Deal

New report from the Social Market Foundation

5 September, 2008

Simplifying and speeding up crisis loan payments where claim made by telephone

New regulations in Northern Ireland

5 September, 2008

Reducing the amount of information employers must provide about SSP for benefit purposes

New regulations in Northern Ireland

5 September, 2008

Making telephone claims for housing benefit and council tax benefit to the DWP

New statutory instrument

5 September, 2008

Help with NHS costs in Scotland

New statutory instruments

5 September, 2008

Help with mortgage interest through JSA to be time limited

New rules to be introduced from April 2009

5 September, 2008

Deemed earnings factors and entitlement to an additional pension in non means tested benefits

New DWP guidance

4 September, 2008

Incapacity for work where claimant awaiting an operation or other therapeutic procedure

New DWP guidance following recent commissioner's decision

4 September, 2008

Effect of undisclosed capital on the calculation of any recoverable overpayment

New DWP guidance following recent commissioners' decisions

3 September, 2008

Replacing council tax with a local income tax in Scotland

Government publishes proposals for Council Tax Abolition Bill

3 September, 2008

Lump sum payments to those suffering from diffuse mesothelioma

New regulations in Northern Ireland

2 September, 2008

Separated parents' information needs present a 'considerable challenge' for the delivery of the new child support reforms

New DWP research

2 September, 2008

Mortgage interest waiting period to be reduced to 13 weeks

New rules to be introduced next year

2 September, 2008

Government allocates £50m for new child support IT

New system due to go live in 2011

1 September, 2008

Jobcentre Plus the principal cause of more than £85 million worth of errors in discretionary social fund awards

However significant efforts being made to address the situation, says National Audit Office

1 September, 2008

Little evidence that workfare increases the likelihood of finding work

Programmes can even reduce employment chances, says new DWP research