Benefits news: page 17
- April 2022
Government responds to Warm Home Discount consultation with expanded scheme
The government has published its response to the Warm Home Discount consultation, extending the scheme, raising the rebate to £150 and lowering supplier thresholds, though disability benefit claimants are set to lose out.
Pension credit rates to rise from April 2022
Pension Credit rates rise from April 2022, with guarantee credit up to £182.60 a week for a single person and £278.70 for a couple, as official figures show £1.7 billion went unclaimed.
Scottish low income benefits uprated by 6% in April 2022
Scottish low income benefits rose by 6% in April 2022 while most reserved benefits rose by 3.1%, a gap the Scottish government later cited in its analysis of the cost of living crisis.
Universal Credit and benefits due to rise by 3.1% in April
Benefits including Universal Credit are due to rise by 3.1 per cent in April 2022, a figure the charity Gingerbread says should be 6 per cent to match projected inflation.
Warm Homes Discount extended and Energy Company Obligation funding confirmed
The government has extended the Warm Homes Discount to 2025/2026 and confirmed £1 billion a year for the Energy Company Obligation until 2026, alongside energy bill support worth over £9.1 billion.
- March 2022
English councils' Household Support Fund schemes close
English councils' Household Support Fund schemes closed on 31 March 2022, the same day the fund was reported to have been extended in England to March 2023.
Transitional protection for free school meals in England ended
Transitional protection that kept free school meals for some pupils in England after their households stopped qualifying has ended, with eligibility now based on receiving an eligible benefit.
Remaining universal credit provisions brought into force
The remaining provisions of the Welfare Reform Act 2012 and the equivalent Northern Ireland Order were brought into force on 30 March 2022, completing the statutory framework for universal credit.
Disability Assistance for Working Age People (Scotland) Regulations 2022 come into force
Regulations establishing Adult Disability Payment for working age people in Scotland came into force on 21 March 2022, setting out eligibility rules, components and rates for the devolved benefit.
Right to claim PIP extinguished for most people in Scotland as adult disability payment launches
From 21 March 2022 most people in Scotland aged 16 or over who can apply for adult disability payment can no longer claim personal independence payment, under regulations phasing the change in by area.
DWP report shows £1.7 billion of pension credit went unclaimed in 2019/20
Department for Work and Pensions figures show £1.7 billion of pension credit went unclaimed in 2019/20, with as many as 850,000 families missing out on the benefit.
National Audit Office publishes report on the Child Maintenance Service
The National Audit Office has published a report finding fundamental flaws in the Child Maintenance Service, with arrears projected to reach £1bn by 2031 and enforcement delays leaving parents owed money.
Adult Disability Payment first introduced in Scotland
Adult Disability Payment began a pilot in Scotland in March 2022, replacing Personal Independence Payment and Disability Living Allowance for claimants aged 16 to State Pension age, ahead of full roll-out.
DWP plans to drop the 10,000-case limit and press ahead with managed migration through a "Discovery Phase"
The Social Security Advisory Committee has published minutes and correspondence showing it opposed dropping the 10,000-case limit on Universal Credit managed migration, as DWP pressed ahead with a "Discovery Phase".
Healthy Start scheme fully digitalised with prepaid card replacing paper vouchers
The NHS Healthy Start scheme completed its move from paper vouchers to a prepaid card in March 2022, with participation rising from 60% to 72% during the rollout across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Managed migration expected to complete March 2022
The managed migration of existing benefit and tax credit claimants onto Universal Credit was expected to be completed in March 2022, according to a published rollout timetable.
- February 2022
England Test and Trace Support scheme end date
The Test and Trace Support payment in England closed to new self-isolation periods on 24 February 2022, with claims for earlier periods still open for 42 days.
Northern Ireland Welfare Mitigation scheme expanded
Northern Ireland's Welfare Mitigation scheme was expanded on 8 February 2022 to cover more households affected by the bedroom tax or the Benefit Cap, with further changes following on 10 February.
Job search restriction period reduced for new Universal Credit and JSA claimants
From 5 February 2022 new Universal Credit and Jobseeker's Allowance claimants can restrict their job search to fields where they have previous experience for four weeks rather than thirteen.
Chancellor announces cost of living support package
Chancellor Rishi Sunak set out a package of council tax rebates, repayable energy bill credits and an expanded Warm Home Discount on 3 February 2022, after Ofgem announced a £693 rise in the energy price cap.
DWP updates staff guidance on waiving overpayment recovery
The Department for Work and Pensions updated its staff guidance in February 2022 on when to waive recovery of benefit overpayments, adding factors to consider but limiting waiver to severe welfare cases.
Social Security Benefits Up-rating Order 2022 debated
The Social Security Benefits Up-rating Order 2022 was debated in February 2022, and a later Commons committee report said the Government did not mention legacy IT problems when uprating was discussed.
Welsh Government announces £150 Winter Fuel Payment and £25m Discretionary Fund
The Welsh Government has announced a £150 payment for households in council tax bands A to D and a £25m Discretionary Fund for local authorities, alongside a doubled Winter Fuel Support Scheme payment.
Winter Fuel Support Scheme Payment doubled to £200
The Welsh Government has doubled its Winter Fuel Support Scheme Payment to £200, the Bevan Foundation reported on 24 February 2022, as energy bills rise and more Welsh households are expected to fall into fuel poverty.
- January 2022
Abstract of DWP benefit rate statistics 2021 published
The Department for Work and Pensions has published its annual abstract of benefit rate statistics for 2021, covering uprating history, the value of benefits over time and historical figures back to 1948.