Debate Pack
Opposition Day Debate: Universal Credit
This House of Commons Library debate pack briefing has been prepared in advance of an Opposition Day debate on Universal Credit, which will take place on Wednesday 17th October 2018.
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Research Briefing
Master Trust regulation
Looks at provisions to regulate Master Trusts (a kind of pension scheme used by many employers for auto-enrolment) to be introduced under the Pension Schemes Act 2017.
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Research Briefing
Social Fund Funeral Payments
Payments from the Social Fund can be made to claimants of means-tested benefits and tax credits to help meet the costs of a funeral. Payments are made from the regulated Social Fund and, as such, are not limited by budgetary constraints. 27,000 payments were made in Great Britain in 2016-17, at a total cost of £38.6 million. The average award in 2016-17 was £1,427.
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Insight
Public service pensions: Less for more?
Why is the Government proposing to increase pension benefits three years after introducing reforms to reduce costs?
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Research Briefing
Universal Credit: why are sanction rates higher?
Sanction rates are higher under Universal Credit, the Government's flagship welfare reform, than under the benefits it is replacing. In December 2017 around 0.3% of JSA claimants were currently under a sanction compared to 8.2% of Universal Credit claimants required to search for work though, in the case of UC, this rate has since fallen to 5.3% as of May. This higher rate of sanctioning, the DWP argues and our new analysis corroborates, is due to the way DWP deals with claimants who miss a work-search interview without good reason under Universal Credit compared to under JSA (one of UC's predecessors). Despite this analysis, however, there are still a number of questions relating to sanctions under Universal Credit that we cannot yet answer.
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Insight
Why are sanction rates higher under Universal Credit?
Sanctions applied to claimants of Universal Credit appear to be several times higher than the ‘legacy’ benefits it is replacing.
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Research Briefing
Brexit Unknowns (update)
What do we still not know about the Brexit process or the withdrawal agreement with the EU that is currently being negotiated? This paper looks at some of the main unknowns.
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Research Briefing
Pensions guidance: Pension Wise
Looks at Pension Wise - the guidance service for people aged 50 and over with defined contribution pension savings
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Debate Pack
Funeral Poverty
This House of Commons Library landing page has been prepared in advance of a debate entitled "Funeral Poverty". It will be led by Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck MP and will take place in Westminster Hall on Tuesday 11th September 2018, starting at 2.30pm.
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Research Briefing
Financial Guidance and Claims Bill 2017-19
Looks at the provisions of the Financial Guidance and Claims Act 2018 and the debates on it when the legislation was before Parliament
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Research Briefing
Paying for supported housing
This briefing paper explains the Government's proposals for the future funding of supported housing. On 9 August 2018 it was announced that Housing Benefit will continue to meet residents' rent payments in all supported housing. The paper also covers the requirement on providers to reduce rents up to 2019/20.
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Research Briefing
Secondary annuities market
Looks at plans to allow annuity holders to sell that income stream to a third party from April 2017
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Debate Pack
Universal credit debates on Wednesday 11 July 2018
On 11 July 2018, there will be an Opposition Day debate on Universal Credit in the Commons Chamber.
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Debate Pack
Lessons from the collapse of Carillion
There will be a debate on Lessons from the collapse of Carillion in the House of Commons on Thursday 12 July.
Total results (page 23 of 51)