Research Briefing
Housing Benefit: summary statistics for local authorities
Contains an overview of key Housing Benefit statistics for Great Britain and a table of statistics for local authorities.
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Research Briefing
June Budget and Spending Review 2010: DLA and ESA changes
The Coalition Government's June 2010 Budget announced that a new "objective medical assessment" would be introduced for Disability Living Allowance claims from 2013-14. The Spending Review on 20 October announced that that the DLA mobility component is to be withdrawn from people in care homes whose place is funded by a public body. The Spending Review also announced that, from April 2012, for those Employment and Support Allowance claimants assessed as eligible for the "Work Related Activity Group", contributory ESA would only be payable for up to one year.
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Research Briefing
Child Benefit for higher rate taxpayers
At the Conservative Party Conference in October 2010 the Chancellor announced that from January 2013 Child Benefit would be withdrawn from families with a higher rate taxpayer. This note looks at the background to the announcement and at reactions to it. Revised proposals for a “High Income Child Benefit Charge” were presented in Budget 2012 under which Child Benefit would instead be clawed back from families where the highest earner had an income in excess of £50,000. Further details can be found in Library briefing SN06299, Child Benefit for higher income families.
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Research Briefing
June 2010 Budget: a summary
This note provides a summary of the main points of the 2010 Budget and the initial reaction to it.
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Research Briefing
Armed Forces Compensation Scheme
The Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) replaced both the War Pensions Scheme and 'attributable' benefits payable under the old Armed Forces Pension Scheme (AFPS) for service personnel experiencing ill health, injury or death arising from service-related incidents on or after 6 April 2005. This note outlines the scheme and changes made to it since its introduction.
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Research Briefing
Lone parents and Jobseeker’s Allowance
By April 2011 most lone parents with a youngest child aged seven or over will no longer be able to claim Income Support but will instead have to claim Jobseeker's Allowance and be available for and seek paid work.
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Research Briefing
Lone parents with younger children: the Progression to Work pathfinders
The Welfare Reform Act 2009 includes provisions to enable piloting of mandatory 'work-related activity' for lone parents on Income Support and partners of benefit claimants with a youngest child aged 3-6. The Labour Government announced proposals to run 'pathfinders' in four Jobcentre Plus districts in England from October 2010.
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Research Briefing
2010 Benefit Uprating
From April 2010 rates of many benefits and Tax Credits will change, mostly they will increase by one of three factors: +2.5% Basic State Pension +1.8% Standard minimum guarantee Pension Credit, Income Support, Council Tax Benefit, Housing Benefit +1.5% Attendance Allowance, Carer's Allowance, Child Benefit, Disability Living Allowance, Working & Child Tax Credits The 1.5% increase is being paid by "bringing forward" a proportion of the increase expected in April 2011. Next year, any increase over 1.5% will be paid in the usual way. For some benefits there is to be no increase in April 2010. For example, pensions on top of the basic state pension (additional pension, increments to the pension, Graduated Retirement Benefit) and dependency increases will remain at the same rates. This note sets out the basis for the April 2010 uprating of the main social security benefits. It focuses on the Retirement Pension and Pension Credit but also contains a summary of the main benefit and tax credit rates before and after the uprating.
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Research Briefing
Support for domestic energy users
This note sets out financial support available to domestic energy consumers, including grants for central heating, insulation, microgeneration equipment and social security measures. It also explains how to seek advice or information about gas and electricity problems from Consumer Direct and the Energy Ombudsman.
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Research Briefing
Maternity pay and leave
This note gives a brief account of statutory maternity pay and leave entitlements. It also sets out some proposed changes to this from the UK Government and European Commission
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Research Briefing
Child Poverty Bill: Committee Stage Report. Bill 10 2009-10.
The Bill fulfils the Government’s commitment made in September 2008 to enshrine the 2020 child poverty target in legislation. It establishes four separate child poverty targets to be met by 2020/21, requires the UK Government to publish a regular UK child poverty strategy, requires the Scottish and Northern Irish Ministers to publish child poverty strategies, establishes a Child Poverty Commission to provide advice, requires the UK Government to publish annual progress reports, and places new duties on local authorities and other “delivery partners”’ in England to work together to tackle child poverty.
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Research Briefing
The future of Attendance Allowance
This note gives details of the proposal in the July 2009 Green Paper, Shaping the Future of Care Together, to integrate some elements of disability benefits with other funding streams to create a new system of care and support for older people in England.
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Research Briefing
Statutory Sick Pay and Sickness Absence
This note gives an overview of the Statutory Sick Pay (SPP) scheme and sets out some of the issues that may arise when an employee is absent from work due to illness.
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