Welfare reform

DWP has produced a toolkit of communications materials to help staff and stakeholders explain the DWP welfare reforms. The toolkit explains the context behind the reforms and provides an overview of all the changes that DWP will be delivering over the next few years. It is available at http://www.qbasemail.com/dwp/mailresponse.asp?tid=870&em=432640&turl=htt...

ResPublica has published Responsible Recovery: A social contract for local growth. The report calls for a more joined-up approach to government policy on welfare, poverty and employment.

Arguing that we need localism that creates work and opportunity, rooting recovery in the communities that are most crying out for it, the report calls for a 'social contract' between residents, local business, service providers and the wider community, which would account for the needs of local labour markets, community networks and social assets.

The Panorama programme on disability and the Work Programme broadcast on 28th January will come as no surprise to thousands of disabled jobseekers in this country. It is clear that the programme is failing many disabled people. The recent data release from DWP showed that just over 1,000 of the 68,000 ESA claimants referred to the programme had sustained work for over 3 months. The Panorama programme highlighted how so many people considered by providers as too hard to help are `parked`; a euphemism for ignored and neglected.

This call for ideas seeks views on how DWP can support people in work and in receipt of Universal Credit to help them increase their earnings, develop their skills and qualifications, and achieve financial independence. It also seeks views on how DWP could trial ideas that would support employers to promote training, development and progression opportunities for low paid employees who are claiming Universal Credit or tax credits, and have the potential to work more.

Responses should be submitted by 25 March to uc [dot] newapproaches [at] dwp [dot] gsi [dot] gov [dot] uk

The Department for Work and Pensions has confirmed that the introduction of the welfare benefit cap will be delayed by six months for most of the country. The hold-up is believed to be the result of concerns over computer software. The cap will now be introduced in four London local authorities (Bromley, Croydon, Enfield and Haringey) from April before being rolled out across the country throughout the summer. The cap will be in place across the whole country by summer 2013.

The Government has published an inpact assessment for the introduction of Universal Credit. Ministers have confirmed the final elements of Universal Credit, and say that 3 million families will be better off under the new system by around £168 a month. The majority of these - 75% - will come from the bottom two fifths of the income scale.

The disregards and work allowances for Universal Credit will be more generous than the existing system. Some of the changes within the Universal Credit regulations include:

The Work and Pensions Committee has published its report on Universal Credit. "Universal Credit implementation: meeting the needs of vulnerable claimants" concludes that the Government has designed a welfare system which should help ease the transition from benefits to work, but warns that significant concerns remain about the potential impact of the changes on some of the most vulnerable benefit claimants. It urges the Government to reflect on its ambitious implementation timetable.

Commenting on the publication of the report, Dame Anne Begg MP, said: