Technical details of welfare reform bill.

rogerblack

http://services.parliament.uk/bills/2015-16/welfarereformandwork.html

Please don't comment if you have general questions about the changes - make your own thread.

This is to discuss specific wording in the bill, and their implications.

P1-11 seem to make obligations on reporting requirements only - gathering statistics, ...

On the benefit cap at P11 and on:
The government are now entirely free at will to change the benefit cap for groups of people, and what 'resident' means.
There is now no mention in the legislation of 'average earnings', they can if they choose reduce it completely arbitrarily.

4) on page 12 gives a list of welfare benefits that are counted from the perspective of the cap.

Page 13-14 require the secetary of state to review the cap periodically, but give him complete freedom as what to do - he can decide the welfare cap is 20 pounds in Slough for example.
It does not even say that if things get better he should increase the cap.

Page 16 is changes to the child element of UC.
Limited to two children (with no 'born after' provision).

Page 17 is ESA.
As far as I can see, this is a wholesale removal of the WRAG premium.
It is not conditional on anything, and does not permit for example - for new claimants, any premium to be paid to those with a longer term award, or for who no work-related activity they can do is available.
Transitional protection for existing WRAG claimants is unclear - only people migrating over from IB/SDA/IS are guaranteed protected.

Also on this page work-related requirements are extended in UC to parents of 3 year old children.

18 - away goes support for mortgage interest - it's now a loan.

after this is the HB regulations, which I diddn't go into.

Any interesting nuggets that have been largely missed?