Working age benefits
This page highlights some of the current parliamentary material available on benefits for people of working age. 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
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 22.03.2013 | Jobseekers (Back to Work Schemes) Bill 2012-13 |
| On 12 February 2013 the Court of Appeal ruled that regulations underpinning some of the Government's back to work schemes were unlawful and must be quashed. The Bill - which has retrospective effect - would remove the ability for individuals sanctioned for not participating in one of the schemes to challenge the sanction decision on the grounds that the regulations were invalid, or notices given to them were inadequate. |
Research Papers
| 12.06.2013 | Pensions Bill |
| This paper has been prepared for Second Reading of the Pensions Bill on 17 June 2013 |
| 04.01.2013 | Welfare Benefits Uprating Bill |
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| 27.04.2012 | Social Indicators |
| A compendium of the latest social statistics. This edition includes articles: Constituency-level crime data, ESA assessments and reassessments and Measuring well-being |
| 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. |
| 07.03.2011 | Welfare Reform Bill: Universal Credit provisions |
| The Welfare Reform Bill provides for the introduction of a 'Universal Credit' to replace a range of existing means-tested benefits and tax credits for people of working age, starting from 2013. The Bill follows the November 2010 White Paper, Universal Credit: welfare that works, which set out the Government's proposals for reforming welfare to improve work incentives, simplify the benefits system and tackle administrative complexity. |
Early Day Motions
| 31.10.2011 | INCOME TAX AND THE PERSONAL ALLOWANCE |
| That this House welcomes the commitment of the Coalition Government to increase the personal allowance to 10,000 by 2015; recognises that increases in the personal allowance have already ... |
| 13.06.2011 | UNIVERSAL CREDIT DELIVERY |
| That this House notes that since only 15 per cent. of people in deprived areas have used a Government website in the last year, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) may find that ... |
| 27.04.2011 | TIME-LIMITING EMPLOYMENT AND SUPPORT ALLOWANCE |
| That this House notes with extreme concern the provisions for time-limiting contribution-related employment and support allowance (ESA) to 12 months included in the Welfare Reform Bill; ... |
| 21.03.2011 | SOCIAL FUND REFORM |
| That this House notes that proposals to reform the Social Fund through the abolition of community care grants and crisis loans for general living expenses, and their replacement witha ... |
| 13.12.2010 | JOBSEEKERS AND HOUSING BENEFIT |
| That this House notes that the Office of Budget Responsibility forecasts 1.36 million people will be claiming jobseeker's allowance at the start of 2013; further notes that in areas ... |
Lords Library Notes
| 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
| 03.10.2011 | An Ageing Workforce |
| This POSTnote examines the main challenges to the participation and productivity of older people in the workforce. |
