17 December 2012
Universal Credit Regulations
Last week the Government published some of the Welfare Reform Regulations that will underpin the new Universal Credit. The Regulations laid before Parliament were:-
- the Universal Credit Regulations, which set out provisions for Universal Credit, including entitlement, elements of the award, calculation of income and capital and claimant responsibilities. They also make provision for a benefit cap,
- the Universal Credit (Transitional Provisions) Regulations 2013, which provides for the limited introduction of Universal Credit from 29 April 2013 for certain claimants who will participate in the Pathfinder, and
- the Universal Credit, Personal Independence Payment, Jobseeker’s Allowance and Employment and Support Allowance , (Decisions and Appeals) Regulations 2013, which updates existing provisions on how decisions are made, including new requirement for reconsideration before claimants can appeal.
The regulations above are subject to affirmative resolution and are due to be debated (simply whether to stand or fall) during the first week back after recess, before coming into effect in April 2013.
Also, in response to ongoing consultation on Transitional Protection, DWP have published a further policy briefing note which can be found here,