Welfare Reform Bill

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Session 2005 - 06
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Welfare Reform Bill

Welfare Reform Bill

EXPLANATORY NOTES

Explanatory notes to the Bill, prepared by the Department for Work and Pensions, are

published separately as 208—EN.

EUROPEAN CONVENTION ON HUMAN RIGHTS

Mr Secretary Hutton has made the following statement under section 19(1)(a) of the

Human Rights Act 1998:

In my view the provisions of the Welfare Reform Bill are compatible with the

Convention rights.

Bill 208

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Welfare Reform Bill

Contents

Part 1

Employment and support allowance

Entitlement

1

Employment and support allowance

2

Amount of contributory allowance

3

Deductions from contributory allowance: supplementary

4

Amount of income-related allowance

5

Advance award of income-related allowance

6

Amount payable where claimant entitled to both forms of allowance

7

Exclusion of payments below prescribed minimum

Assessments relating to entitlement

8

Limited capability for work

9

Limited capability for work-related activity

Conditionality

10

Work-focused health-related assessments

11

Work-focused interviews

12

Work-related activity

13

Action plans in connection with work-focused interviews

14

Directions about work-related activity

15

Contracting out

Miscellaneous

16

Income and capital: general

17

Disqualification

18

Pilot schemes

19

Relationship with statutory payments

20

Supplementary provisions

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Welfare Reform Bill

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General

21

Interpretation of Part 1

22

Regulations

23

Parliamentary control

24

Financial provisions relating to Part 1

25

Consequential amendments relating to Part 1

26

Transition relating to Part 1

Part 2

Housing benefit and council tax benefit

27

Local housing allowance

28

Loss of housing benefit following eviction for anti-social behaviour, etc.

29

Housing benefit and council tax benefit for persons taking up employment

30

Section 29 : supplemental

31

Sections 29 and 30 : interpretation

32

Information relating to housing benefit

33

Supply of information by rent officers

34

Payment of housing benefit

35

Duty to send inspection reports to the Secretary of State

36

Directions by Secretary of State

37

Minor and consequential amendments relating to Part 2

Part 3

Social security administration: general

Sharing of social security information

38

Social security information

39

Information relating to certain benefits

40

Unlawful disclosure of certain information

Overpayment recovery

41

Recovery of overpaid benefit: Great Britain

42

Recovery of overpaid child benefit and guardian’s allowance: Northern

Ireland

Benefit fraud

43

Local authority powers to investigate benefit fraud

44

Local authority powers to prosecute benefit fraud

45

Local authority functions relating to benefit: information

46

Loss of benefit for commission of benefit offences

Part 4

Miscellaneous

Benefits for widows and widowers

47

Widowed mother’s allowance

Welfare Reform Bill

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48

Widowed parent’s allowance

Disability living allowance: age conditions

49

Care component of disability living allowance: persons under the age of 16

50

Mobility component of disability living allowance: persons under the age of

16

Social fund

51

Matters to which regard must be had in awarding budgeting loans

52

Allocations from Social Fund

Vaccine Damage Payments Act 1979

53

Overseas vaccinations

54

Appeals to appeal tribunal in Northern Ireland

Compensation for pneumoconiosis etc.

55

“Relevant employer”

56

“Dependant”

Other

57

Power to stop payment of allowances to care home residents

58

Independent Living Funds

59

Minor and consequential amendments relating to Part 4

Part 5

General

60

Northern Ireland

61

General interpretation

62

Financial provisions: general

63

Repeals

64

Transition

65

Extent

66

Commencement

67

Short title

Schedule 1   —

Employment and support allowance: additional conditions

Part 1   —

Contributory allowance

Part 2   —

Income-related allowance

Schedule 2   —

Employment and support allowance: supplementary

provisions

Schedule 3   —

Consequential amendments relating to Part 1

Schedule 4   —

Transition relating to Part 1

Schedule 5   —

Minor and consequential amendments relating to Part 2

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Schedule 6   —

Schedule to be inserted in the Pneumoconiosis etc. (Workers’

Compensation) Act 1979

Schedule 7   —

Minor and consequential amendments relating to Part 4

Schedule 8   —

Repeals

© Parliamentary copyright 2006
Revised 4 July 2006