Briefing: Welfare Reform Bill Lords 2nd reading
By: Anne Baxendale Published: September 2011
The Bill contains very little detail but instead enables the Secretary of State to make fundamental changes to the benefits system via secondary legislation, where the changes will be subject to little parliamentary scrutiny. We welcome the Government‟s decision to table amendments making the housing clauses of the Bill subject to the affirmative resolution procedure, but we are disappointed to note that this only applies to the first set of regulations tabled and not to subsequent ones. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has also failed to produce detailed proposals for key elements of the Bill, including how housing costs will be recognised under Universal Credit or under Pension Credit when claimants are no longer of working age.
- Briefing: Welfare Reform Bil Lords 2nd reading (PDF 137.5 KB)
Summary
Shelter supports the principles of the new Universal Credit, which is the major piece of reform contained in the Welfare Reform Bill. However, the Bill will also introduce a second wave of cuts to housing benefit, undermining the housing safety net for people who lose their jobs and need temporary financial help to keep a home, as well as affecting those who are in work but on very low incomes, or who are unable to work due to old age or disability.
