Welfare Rights Bulletin (224 October 2011)

• Unnoticed? The flaw in ESA conversion decisions
  Martin Williams discusses the problems with letters sent by the DWP to existing claimants of incapacity benefit (IB), severe disablement allowance (SDA) and income support (IS) on grounds of disability informing them that they are to be reassessed for employment and support allowance (ESA).

• Sample submission on "the notification point" in ESA conversion appeal (Word doc 61 KB)
• Specimen of the ESA conversion notice (PDF file 156 KB)

• Labour market conditions and jobseeker's allowance
  Beth Lakhani and Edward Graham examine the labour market conditions for jobseeker’s allowance (JSA), when and how the requirement to be actively seeking work and available for work applies and what flexibilities are built into the rules.

• Tribunal rules round-up
  Simon Osborne considers some of the recent case law concerning tribunals and in particular the application of the Tribunal Rules.

Also in this issue:

• News in brief
  
• Plugging the gap? DHPs in the light of housing benefit cuts
  Edward Graham takes a look at discretionary housing payments (DHPs) and considers their scope to help claimants meet their rent in the light of the cuts to housing benefit (HB).
• Welfare reform: training opportunities
  October sees the launch of two new half-day CPAG training courses designed to help advisers get to grips with the government’s welfare reform programme which plans to introduce major changes to the benefit and tax credit system. It will be the biggest shake-up of the welfare system since its inception.
• Handbook update
• Legal section
• Upper Tribunal decisions
• CPAG training

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