Author: alanmarkey

By Posted on Posted in Members, Welfare Reform

Tying in with a theme of our meeting in Glasgow tomorrow, we are reproducing part of a blog by Dr Simon Duffy of the Centre for Welfare Reform. (Reproduced with kind permission of the author.) “Although the idea of Basic Income has been around for at least two and a half thousand years, it is still unfamiliar to most people in modern Britain. However it is an idea whose time has come. Currently only the Green Party is officially championing …

Basic Income – the modern form of Social Security Read more »

By Posted on Posted in Members

Our friend and colleague, Dr David Webster, writes: “I thought you would want to know about this important report from the United Nations, adopted on 24 June, which specifically condemns the current operation of the UK’s benefit sanctions regime. Below I have extracted the section on social security, with the comments on sanctions shown in bold. If Theresa May means what she says, perhaps she will ensure that it will be given more attention than the previous calls for a …

UN condemns UK benefit sanctions regime Read more »

By Posted on Posted in Campaigns, Members, Sanctions

Our colleague, Dr David Webster (University of Glasgow) has alerted us to the little known fact that the National Audit Office (NAO) is currently carrying out a study of the DWP’s benefit sanctions regime.  The terms of reference are at https://www.nao.org.uk/work-in-progress/benefit-sanctions/. The study will run until the autumn so there is time to send in relevant information and insights to the inquiry team. The audit manager is Colin Ross and his email address is Colin.ROSS@nao.gsi.gov.uk.  There is also a contact …

NAO sanctions study Read more »

By Posted on Posted in Campaigns, ESA, PIP, Welfare Reform Tagged with , , , ,

NAWRA welcomes the recent announcement from the new Secretary of State for Work & Pensions, Stephen Crabb MP, to abandon further cuts to PIP. NAWRA hopes that his promises not to seek “alternative offsetting savings” in this Parliament will also be honoured. Let us not forget however that according to recent research by the Centre for Welfare Reform, vulnerable and disabled citizens have been the “number one target for cuts”.  Indeed the present and former Governments have already presided over …

Welfare Reform and disability Read more »

By Posted on Posted in Members

The Social Security Advisory Committee are reviewing decision-making and mandatory reconsideration in the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC).  The review is part of the committee’s independent work programme and will focus on mandatory reconsideration before appeal. As part of NAWRA’s aims to challenge, influence and improve welfare rights policy and legislation, we undertook some research last year on mandatory reconsideration.  This fed into a blog on the NAWRA website as well as an …

SSAC review of decision making and MR Read more »