Roderick McInnes

This House of Commons Library briefing paper explores how Universal Credit has coped and changed during the coronavirus crisis so far, and what challenges lie ahead for this benefit.

Looks at some of the issues currently raised in connection with Pension Credit

This paper describes what steps the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) may take when a Non-Resident Parent (also known as a “Paying Parent”) fails to pay child maintenance on time or in full. It also provides information on the application, collection and enforcement fees charged by the CMS, and briefly summarises analysis on the effectiveness of the CMS’s enforcement and collection system. This paper relates primary to Great Britain: Section 6 describes Northern Ireland’s system.

This Insight explores the relationship between Pension Credit and free TV licences, and includes an interactive dashboard to estimate the number of households affected.

This House of Commons Library briefing paper provides information about the number of informal carers in the UK and the issues they face. It also explains the rights, benefits and support available to informal carers as well as current and previous Government policy on caring.

An examination of the triple lock mechanism used to uprate the State Pension - its effect so far, the arguments for and against, and the potential impact of the coronavirus outbreak.

This Commons Library briefing paper outlines the measures introduced by the Government, and other authorities, to support household finances during the coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak.

Many people have been given unsuitable financial advice to transfer their valuable Defined Benefit pensions into less suitable and secure Defined Contribution schemes. Poor advice has led to growing compensation payments from the Financial Ombudsman Service and the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. Some have speculated that this issue may represent a large mis-selling scandal, the full scale of which may only come to light in the event of an economic downturn.

This Insight explores the increases in Universal Credit and Working Tax Credit payments in response to the coronavirus crisis.

Looks at the policy of not uprating the UK State Pension in some overseas countries

Benefits and tax credits that are linked to inflation rise by 1.7% in April 2020, marking the end of the four-year freeze that affected many such payments. Further increases have been made to Universal Credit, Working Tax Credit and Local Housing Allowance in response to the coronavirus outbreak. The triple lock delivers a 3.9% increase to the Basic and New State Pension.

This briefing sets out the background to Spring Budget 2020 which will take place on 11 March 2020. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) will publish revised forecasts for the economy and public finances on the same day.

Universal Credit (UC) is replacing means-tested benefits and tax credits for people of working age