UK Inquiry Tracker

Welfare safety net inquiry

Work and Pensions Committee Closed Inquiry

Opened: 4 Sep 2018 Closed: 5 Nov 2019 Parliament page

Report published. Awaiting Government Response. Report: Welfare safety net Report: Welfare safety net (PDF 157 MB) The Committee conducted an inquiry into the current state of the UK’s welfare safety net, prompted by the evidence of debt, hunger and homelessness it has heard across several recent inquiries. The inquiry, launched … Read more Report published. Awaiting Government Response. Report: Welfare safety net Report: Welfare safety net (PDF 157 MB) The Committee conducted an inquiry into the current state of the UK’s welfare safety net, prompted by the evidence of debt, hunger and homelessness it has heard across several recent inquiries. The inquiry, launched as the UN’s Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty makes an investigative visit to the UK, will consider how effectively our welfare system works to protect against hardship and chronic deprivation. The UK’s welfare system is currently undergoing fundamental reform, in the transition to Universal Credit alongside other major and largely untested reforms like Benefit sanctions and the Benefit cap. The Committee’s latest work on Universal Credit looks at how Government will safeguard some of the most vulnerable members of our society as it implements this huge programme of change. After the recent Budget Members from across the House expressed concerns on this issue, including some senior MPs telling Government that continuing the freeze on benefits in place since 2010 was “immoral”. The previous Work and Pensions Committee inquired into the Local welfare safety net in response to changes in the Welfare Reform Act 2012—which replaced several centrally administered schemes with locally run provision—and further changes in the Summer 2015 Budget. It looked at whether these changes represented “localism in action” or rather created a postcode lottery of service provision, with people falling through the gaps or “holes” in the welfare safety net and the costs shunted on to local authorities, services and charities. The Committee concluded that Welfare reforms risk leading people into severe hardship and called on Government to: Ensure reforms such as the benefit cap do not inadvertently penalise groups who cannot actually adapt to it or offset its effects, and that appropriate mitigation strategies are in place For example, some claimants cannot find or move to cheaper housing, because none is available, or cannot move in to work because they are a single parent and there is no appropriate childcare in their area. Conduct robust, cross-departmental evaluation on the impact of local schemes on the most vulnerable households Co-ordinate with local government better to ensure more consistent quality of provision Since then indicators suggest chronic deprivation is on the rise. These include numbers of households in temporary accommodation, rough sleepers, and people referred to foodbanks. Send us your views The Committee is now inviting evidence, whether you are an individual, group or organisation, on any or all of the following questions. How should hardship and chronic deprivation be measured? What do we know about chronic deprivation and hardship in the UK? Is it changing? How? Why do some households fall into poverty and deprivation? What factors best explain the reported increases in indicators of deprivation like homelessness, rough sleeping and increased food bank use? What about the local variations in these markers of deprivation? Do Jobcentre Plus procedures and benefit delays play a role? What role does Universal Credit play in in relation to deprivation, or could it play in tackling it? Is our welfare safety net working to prevent people falling into deprivation? If not, how could it better do so? What progress has been made on addressing the issues identified in the Committee’s 2016 Report, (described above / link)? What are the remaining weaknesses, how should these now be addressed? Show less

1 Report

3 Oral sessions

3 Letters

3 Events

Activity timeline 11 events

5 Nov
2019

Report published

Government Response to the Committee's Welfare Safety Net Report

4 Nov
2019

Correspondence

Letter from The Baroness Stroud Chair Social Metrics Commission re follow-up of welfare safety net evidence session 18 January 2019

31 Jul
2019

Report published

28th Report - Welfare safety net

25 Apr
2019

Correspondence

Correspondence from Will Quince MP, Minister for Family Support, Housing and Child Maintenance, regarding follow-up of evidence session 27 …

27 Mar
2019

Oral evidence

Oral evidence session

27 Mar
2019

Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 8, Palace of Westminster

Committee event

27 Feb
2019

Correspondence

Letter from Michael Griffin, Senior Policy and Campaign Adviser, Parkinson’s UK, re follow-up on welfare safety net inquiry - dated 14, 02,…

13 Feb
2019

Oral evidence

Oral evidence session

13 Feb
2019

Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 8, Palace of Westminster

Committee event

16 Jan
2019

Oral evidence

Oral evidence session

16 Jan
2019

Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 16, Palace of Westminster

Committee event

Oral evidence sessions 3 sessions

27 Mar 2019

View on parliament.uk

13 Feb 2019

View on parliament.uk

16 Jan 2019

View on parliament.uk

Reports 1 report · click to expand

Title	HC No.	Published	Items	Response
28th Report - Welfare safety net	HC 1539	31 Jul 2019	0	Responded

Correspondence 3 letters

4 Nov 2019 To committee Letter from The Baroness Stroud Chair Social Metrics Commission re follow-up of welfare safety net evidence session 18 January 2019

Parliament page

25 Apr 2019 Correspondence from Will Quince MP, Minister for Family Support, Housing and Child Maintenance, regarding follow-up of evidence session 27 March 19, dated 12 April 2019

Parliament page

27 Feb 2019 To committee Letter from Michael Griffin, Senior Policy and Campaign Adviser, Parkinson’s UK, re follow-up on welfare safety net inquiry - dated 14, 02, 2019

Parliament page