Benefits policy
This page highlights some of the current parliamentary material available on Social Security benefits policy. This includes select committee reports, briefing papers on current legislation and other subjects produced by the parliamentary research services, and the latest Early Day Motions put down by MPs.
Standard Notes
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| 31.07.2013 | Universal Credit: proposals for a seven day 'waiting period' for claims |
| In Spending Round 2013 on 26 June, the Chancellor announced that new Universal Credit claimants subject to work-related conditionality who have not had a UC claim in the previous six months will have to wait seven days before becoming eligible for support. The measure is expected to be introduced from April 2015, and ultimately yield savings of around £260 million a year. | |
| 12.07.2013 | Short Term Benefit Advances and Budgeting Advances |
| From 1 April 2013, a new advance of benefit facility administered by DWP replaced Social Fund Budgeting Loans, interim payments of benefits and "alignment payments". This note gives details of the new system of Short Term Benefit Advances and Budgeting Advances. | |
| 24.06.2013 | Localising support for Council Tax - background |
| This note provides background to the introduction of Council Tax Reduction Schemes and the abolition of Council Tax Benefit. | |
| 04.06.2013 | Food Banks and Food Poverty |
| The number of food banks in the UK has increased substantially in recent years. This note explains how food banks work, examines their growth and discusses possible contributing factors. | |
| 28.05.2013 | Support for Mortgage Interest scheme |
| Help with mortgage costs is available to claimants of certain means-tested benefits for people not in full-time work. The schemes are collectively known as Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI). Payments are made towards mortgage interest payments and are generally made direct to lenders. |
Research Papers
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| 04.01.2013 | Welfare Benefits Uprating Bill |
| 01.11.2012 | European Union (Croatian Accession and Irish Protocol) Bill [Bill 76 of 2012-13] |
| Croatia is expected to join the EU in July 2013. This Bill would allow the UK to ratify Croatia's accession treaty and would also cover the Protocol to the Lisbon Treaty put forward by the Irish Government. | |
| 08.06.2011 | Welfare Reform Bill: Committee Stage Report |
| This is an account of the House of Commons Committee Stage of the Welfare Reform Bill. It complements Research Papers 11/23 and 11/24, prepared for the Commons Second Reading debate. | |
| 04.03.2011 | Welfare Reform Bill: reform of disability benefits, Housing Benefit, and other measures |
| This paper has been prepared for the Second Reading debate in the House of Commons. For information on the provision in the Bill relating to the introduction of Universal Credit, please see the complementary Library Research Paper, 11/24. Besides Universal Credit, the Bill proposes a number of other significant welfare reforms, including replacement of the current Disability Living Allowance, restriction of Housing Benefit entitlement to social housing tenants whose accommodation is larger than they need, time-limiting the payment of contributory Employment and Support Allowance to twelve months, and capping the total amount of benefit that can be claimed. | |
| 13.03.2009 | Welfare Reform Bill: Committee Stage report |
| This is a report on the Committee Stage of the Welfare Reform Bill. It complements Research Papers 09/08 and 09/09 prepared for Commons Second Reading. |
Select Committee Reports
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| 16.01.2012 | Government response to the fifth report of the Communities and Local Government Select Committee on |
| Government response. Communities and Local Government Select Committee report [Commons] | |
| 15.12.2010 | Treasury Minutes on the the Public Accounts Committee, first and second reports of session 2010-11 (HC... |
| Government response. Public Accounts Committee report [Commons] |
Early Day Motions
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| 17.11.2010 | INDEXATION OF PENSIONS AND BENEFITS |
| That this House notes the Government's proposal to use the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rather than the Retail Price Index (RPI) for the price indexation of benefits, tax credits and ... | |
| 17.11.2010 | MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY CAMPAIGN COST OF LIVING WITH MUSCLE DISEASE REPORT |
| That this House welcomes a new report by the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign, The Cost of Living with Muscle Disease, which highlights the extreme financial hardship faced by many families ... | |
| 04.11.2010 | WINTER FUEL ALLOWANCE AND BRITISH CITIZENS LIVING ABROAD |
| That this House notes that British citizens living in Spain can claim the winter fuel allowance; believes this defeats the point of the winter fuel allowance; and calls on the Government ... | |
| 02.11.2010 | EDUCATION MAINTENANCE ALLOWANCES |
| That this House expresses deep concern over the sudden, unexpected announcement of the removal of education maintenance allowances (EMAs) from 16 to 19 year olds; notes that EMAs have ... | |
| 15.07.2010 | REPORTING OF FRAUD |
| That this House notes that there are multiple bodies to which fraud may be reported but that it is unclear which body should be approached in any particular circumstance; believes that ... |
Lords Library Notes
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| 06.02.2013 | Welfare Benefits Up-rating Bill (HL Bill 78 of 2012-13) |
| The Welfare Benefits Up-rating Bill implements an announcement by the Chancellor in the 2012 Autumn Statement that increases in certain working-age welfare benefits and tax credits would be limited to 1 percent, rather than increasing them in line with inflation. This Library Note is intended to provide background information in advance of the Bill's second reading in the House of Lords on 11 February 2013. |
POST Papers
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| 25.10.2012 | Mental Health and the Workplace |
| This note summarises how the workplace affects mental health and vice versa. |
