Simon Collyer
Live - The Work and Pensions Committee Examines Universal Credit Roll-out
Work and Pensions Committee
Tuesday 24 April 2018 Meeting starts at 9.30am
AGENDA
Subject: Universal Credit rollout
Witnesses: Kit Malthouse, MP, Minister for Family Support, Housing and Child Maintenance
Payment Exception Service Replaces Simple Payment
Simple Payment, which allowed people without a bank account to collect benefit or pension payments, was replaced by the Payment Exception Service on 29 March 2018.
Ahead of the introduction of the Payment Exception Service, people using Simple Payment were encouraged to open a bank, building society or credit union account so they could access a wider range of financial services. People who were unable to open an account were transferred to the new service.
People using the Payment Exception Service can continue to collect benefit and pension payments through the PayPoint network.
Access to Work Grants Increased
People who are disabled or have a physical or mental health condition can now claim up to £57,200 a year in Access to Work grants.
The grants can pay for additional support that people may need in the workplace beyond reasonable adjustments.
The grants can cover:
- workplace adaptations
- assistive technology
- transport
- interpreters
Access to Work is part of a range of support available to ensure that people who are disabled or have a physical or mental health condition can enter and thrive in the workplace. It is part of the government’s plan to see one million more disabled people in work by 2027.
ABC Note:
You’re disabled under the Equality Act 2010 if you have a physical or mental impairment that has a ‘substantial’ and ‘long-term’ negative effect on your ability to do normal daily activities.
The Equality Act 2010 doesn’t apply to Northern Ireland.
What ‘substantial’ and ‘long-term’ mean
‘substantial’ is more than minor or trivial, e.g. it takes much longer than it usually would to complete a daily task like getting dressed
‘long-term’ means 12 months or more, e.g. a breathing condition that develops because of a lung infection
There are special rules about recurring or fluctuating conditions, e.g. arthritis.
Progressive conditions
A progressive condition is one that gets worse over time. People with progressive conditions can be classed as disabled.
However, you automatically meet the disability definition under the Equality Act 2010 from the day you’re diagnosed with HIV infection, cancer or multiple sclerosis.
What isn’t counted as a disability
There’s guidance on conditions that aren’t covered by the disability definition, e.g. addiction to non–prescribed drugs or alcohol.
Disability Living Allowance (DLA) For Children – New, Improved Claim Form
DWP has improved the DLA for children claim form.
The improved form:
• includes guidance to help claimants provide the right supporting information
• says that claimants should send photocopies of supporting documents, not original documents
• includes a checklist of what claimants need to do before sending the form
The form is available in English and Welsh.
ABC Note: You can download the form here:
Mandatory Reconsideration Made Easier
The DWP are making Mandatory Reconsideration easier. If someone disagrees with a Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) decision about benefits, tax credits or child maintenance, they can ask DWP to look at the decision again. This is called mandatory reconsideration.
The DWP have recently made this process easier by giving people the option to fill in and return a mandatory reconsideration request form. A notes document explains how to fill in the form and what will happen after the form has been returned.
People can also ask for mandatory reconsideration by phone or by letter, using the contact details on their decision letter.
ABC Note: Read the guidance notes carefully. A copy of the form is available for downloading below.
Santanders Scam Avoidance School With Len Goodman
Santander have published a useful leaflet called 'Scam Avoidance School'. If you are passing one of their branches you might grab a copy. Interestingly scammers target the over 60's says Santander’s research. Whether it is 'Social engineering' 'Phishing' or....'Smishing', you need to be aware of the tricks scammers get up to.
'A fool and their money are soon parted' goes the old adage.
Calling into a Santander branch and picking up a 'Scam Avoidance School' leaflet might stop you being one of them.
We are not sure if being a 'Strictly Come Dancing' viewer might mean you are likely to be more gullible and more susceptible, but the choice of Come Dancing Star Len Goodman might be saying something. Quite what, we dare not say?
TUC Challenges Zero Hours Contracts
Commenting on new figures published today (Monday) by the Office for National Statistics, which show that UK firms used 1.8 million zero-hour contacts in 2017 and that 901,000 people have a zero-hour contract as their main employment (final quarter of 2017), TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said:
“Most people are not on zero-hour contracts by choice. They want the same rights, security and guaranteed hours as other employees.
“More than half of zero-hour contract workers have had jobs cancelled with less than a day’s notice. Zero-hour contracts are a licence to treat people like disposable labour and the government should ban them.”
The TUC is holding a march and rally on London on Saturday 12 May demanding a new deal for working people.
- A TUC commissioned poll of workers on zero-hour contracts published in December 2017 found that:
- More than half (51%) of zero-hours workers have had shifts cancelled at less than 24 hours' notice.
- Nearly three-quarters (73%) have been offered work at less than 24 hours' notice.
- Only 25% say they prefer being on zero-hours contracts
- Only 1 in 8 (12%) say they get sick pay.
- Only 1 in 14 (7%) would get redundancy pay.
- Two-fifths (43%) say they don’t get holiday pay.
- Half (47%) say they do not get written terms and conditions.
- Just 1 in 20 (5%) say they have the right to a permanent contract after working the same hours consistently.
The poll was conducted online during August 2017 by GQR Research. It surveyed 300 workers on zero-hours contracts and 2987 other workers, all in Great Britain. Results were weighted to the national profile of working people, by age, gender, ethnicity, full/part time contracts, public/private sector and industry. The zero-hours sample was separately weighted to national statistics for zero-hours workers, by gender, age, region, full/part-time hours and industry.
- For more information on A New Deal For Working People, the TUC’s march and rally on 12 May, please visit: www.tuc.org.uk/new-deal-working-people-tuc-march-and-rally
- The Trades Union Congress (TUC) exists to make the working world a better place for everyone. We bring together more than 5.5 million working people who make up our 49 member unions. We support unions to grow and thrive, and we stand up for everyone who works for a living.
Scottish Benefit Sanctions Soar While 65% of DWP PIP Decisions are Overturned at Tribunal
Scots have been sanctioned by the DWP over 400,000 times since 2010, figures compiled by the Scottish Parliament’s Information Centre (SPICe) show.
The figure does not include sanctions that were later overturned on appeal. The punitive sanctions regime has been a key driver in the rapid growth in foodbanks under the Tories, with sanctions increasing after extreme new rules were introduced in 2012.
Claimants have seen their support suddenly withdrawn because strict, and often ludicrous, conditions have not been met. Some of the absurd reasons for sanctions include claimants missing appointments due to being at a job interview or being hospitalised.
Over half of disability benefit appeals in Scotland are successful, figures uncovered under FOI show.
An FOI response to the SNP shows that over 55% of appeals to overturn Personal Independent Payment (PIP) assessments in Scotland were successful in 2016/17.
Just under 8,000 Scots and around 67,000 people in the whole of the UK appealed the private assessors’ decision to take away their disability benefits last year - and 65% of these decisions were overturned overall.
Relative Child Poverty in Wales Set Increase Substantially
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) recently published its findings on the potential cumulative impact of implemented and proposed UK Government tax and welfare reforms on people sharing different protected characteristics.
The report analyses policy changes made between May 2010 and January 2018, which will have been implemented by the financial year 2021-22. It finds nearly half of all households in Wales will lose out from the reforms, and that the largest impact will be felt by people on the lowest incomes.
The report also shows:
- relative child poverty in Wales will increase substantially – by 50,000 children (or 8 percentage points) by 2021/22 because of the tax and welfare reforms analysed
- large families will be particularly hard hit by the reforms with those families that have three or more children losing around £5,600 a year
- the child poverty rate for those in lone parent households in Great Britain is forecast to increase from 37% to over 62%, with lone parents losing an average of £5,250 a year, almost one-fifth of their annual income.
In a joint letter to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, the Minister for Children and Social Care, Huw Irranca-Davies, Leader of the House with responsibility for equalities, Julie James and Minister for Housing and Regeneration, Rebecca Evans, have called on the UK Government to reconsider its tax and welfare reform policies, because of the negative financial impacts they will have on the most disadvantaged.
Image: Huw Irranca-Davies
Minister for Children, Huw Irranca-Davies said:
"The Welsh Government’s efforts to tackle child poverty and improve the lives of low income families are being damaged by the UK Government’s package of tax and welfare reforms - by changes to the benefit system such as the freeze in working-age benefit rates, changes to disability benefits and reductions in Universal Credit rates.
“It is entirely unacceptable in a civilised nation to ignore the impacts of these reforms on equality of opportunity. It cannot be right, proper or moral for the incomes of protected groups to be impacted in such a disproportionate way.
“As a government, we cannot and will not be silent as the UK Government’s damaging tax and welfare reforms threaten to plunge 50,000 more Welsh children into poverty and increase levels of deprivation for our most vulnerable families.
“We have called on the UK Government to take urgent action in relation to these policies, which will result in profound hardship. It is essential that these policies are revisited as a matter of priority and rigorous equality impact assessments are undertaken to safeguard the well-being of those who are most vulnerable.”
Access Changes For Irish Jobseekers
The Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection, Regina Doherty, T.D., has today announced that she will facilitate access, from 1 June this year, to Community Employment (CE) and Tús schemes for long-term unemployed jobseekers who are engaging in JobPath. This has a number of benefits both for the vital services provided at a local level by participants on CE and Tús programmes and directly for the Department’s customers. It maximises the assistance and services for people who are long-term unemployed through a combination of a quality work placement and personalised job seeking support provided through the JobPath service.
Customers currently engaged with the JobPath service and those who may be referred in future will have the option of applying for CE and Tús placement while continuing to engage with JobPath.
Minister Doherty today said “My Department and I consult widely with our customers and those delivering local services. I would like to ensure that local services will remain, and that my Department’s customers continue to benefit from practical work experience. I want to make sure that their valuable contribution to their local communities will continue, and that they continue to benefit from the personalised, case-managed activation support of the JobPath service.”
The Minister added: “By facilitating jobseekers who are on JobPath to also avail of a Tús or CE placements, we can ensure that they can benefit from the jobseeking support of JobPath while also availing of a part-time work placement provided by Tús, or a quality training and development opportunity provided by a CE scheme. In essence we will treat jobseekers in a similar way to the way we deal with part-time workers who are referred to JobPath.”
From a labour market activation policy perspective the implementation of this option is timely given the significant improvement in the labour market and the requirement to ensure that those people who are long-term unemployed continue to be case-managed having commenced on a labour market activation programme such as CE/ Tús.
ABC Note: The Community Employment (CE) programme is designed to help people who are long-term unemployed (or otherwise disadvantaged) to get back to work by offering part-time and temporary placements in jobs based within local communities. Participants can take up other part-time work during their placement. After the placement, participants are encouraged to seek permanent jobs elsewhere, based on the experience and new skills they have gained while on a Community Employment scheme. Critics of the scheme point to forced labour and the 'race to the bottom'.
Executives
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Simon Collyer
Position: Founder & Director
Simon Collyer hails from Brightlingsea in Essex, a small town on the coast between Colchester & Clacton. Simon worked very successfully in the leisure marine industry in the UK and in Australia. Later in London Simon worked in the web development and publishing fields, founding a below-the-line sales promotion agency in the early nineties and then later a software company Red Banner in South Africa (2002-06). Here in South Africa, Simon became interested in the Third Sector and starting his own organisation.
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Christopher Johnson
Position: Bookkeeping and Administration
Chris lived in Oxford for twenty years, having been educated at Magdalen College School. Chris sought a career with British Rail and spent twenty years in railway retail management ending with Virgin Trains at Euston Station. Christopher retrained in bookkeeping and accounts in 2000 and now works for Chelmsford Community Transport.
A strong, enthusiastic team player with a meticulous eye for detail, Christopher brings a range of skills to the ABC.
Team
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Frances Rimmer
Position: Researcher
When not charming snakes Frances is a Modern History student at the University of Essex, focusing specifically on social history. The lives and experiences of the ordinary person rather than on politics or the military. Outside of her studies, Frances enjoys film and writing. As a keen roller skater who plays roller derby with the Kent Roller Girls, Frances secret wish would be to become a skating instructor and open her own rink, as she has always wanted to help people in some way, and feels it would be great to do so while also sharing her passion with like-minded people.
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Stuart Meyers
Position: Researcher
Stuart Meyer, is a final year American Studies student at the University of Essex. Stuart focussed his academic life on global justice and the rights of migrants. Additionally Stuart has a passion for writing, both creatively and with the aim of providing accessible information to those who need it most Stuart has made a great contribution to our library of Advice Guides demonstrating his versatility by writing intelligently on a wide range of topics.
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Louis Jones
Position: Film Maker
Louis is a 19 year old TV and film student studying at Colchester Institute. Along with hand-picked fellow students, Louis made the ‘Membership’ video that can be seen on the ABC website. Louis volunteers at, Hospital Radio Colchester, as a football commentator. A true fan of the ‘Great Game’ Louis insights have been sought after on occasions by key local media, the Colchester Daily Gazette & even BBC Essex.
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Marcus Pierpont
Position: Film Director
Talented student film maker, Marcus Pierpoint, directed the ABC 'Membership' film which can be seen on the organizations website. Marcus has recently graduated from a BTEC course, studying Creative Media Production at Colchester Institute and he claims a true passion for films and filmmaking. Marcus also enjoys radio work and volunteers at the local hospital radio station, producing and presenting his own show. Marcus is enrolled at the University of Greenwich, and dreams of a career in the media industry.
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Shane Mitchell
Position: Film Maker
Shane Mitchell, is another Colchester Institute Film and TV student that aspirers to be a Director of Photography in the future. Shane was the camera operator for the ABC Membership video, fun to make says Shane but it is also work he is very proud of. Shane loves all things ‘film’ and he makes videos even in his spare time.
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Joe Corlett
Position: Film Director
Ex-student script writer/director, Joe Corlett, directed the ABC's corporate video (About Us) which is now viewable on the main website. Joe graduated from the Colchester Institute with a BTEC diploma in the field of media. Joe is passionate towards film making and hopes to continue making more that are constructed form his own material. On the side he's loves being out jogging in all terrains and when not out side he's writing scripts for future projects. Joe is now out in the world ready to start his life goal of working in the Media industry.
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Jon Taylor
Position: Film Maker
Jonathan Taylor has been working in the media sector for 3 years and for our filming projects he worked as the production manager. John worked on graphical elements of our film, About Us for example, rendering images and making them look good on screen.
Jon is also experienced in animation and he made the logo and animation sequences in the ABC corporate videos.
Part of Jon’s brief was to also organise the administration side of filming, known collectively to admin experts the world over as ‘the paperwork’.
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Thomas Hearn
Position: Film Maker
Thomas Hearn, has been involved in media, for about three years. Tom likes to work a lot at a computer, particularly the editing suite. For the ABC project, Tom worked on the edit itself; created and pieced together both the footage and the music, Tom created the visual elements of the ABC ‘About Us’ video and put most of the visual effects on the video.
I think we can agree that along with the rest of our youthful student team; Tom has done a very fine job indeed.
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Max Gillard
Position: Film Maker
The last of our film team Max Gillard has recently finished college studying Creative Media Level 3 and Max hopes to continue the course on to University to someday gain a job in the media industry.
We wish Max the best of luck.
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Harry
Position: Film Maker
My name is Harry Genge and I am an aspiring film maker. I have skills in the majority of film orientated jobs, though I am most interested in the creative roles such: Directing, Director of Photography and Writing. In my spare time I make short films, write, read, draw/paint and take the dog out for long walks.
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Ned
Position: Producers
My name is Ned Woodcraft and I’m an aspiring Producer. As well as completing a diploma in media production I have also had a number of jobs in the professional market. I’m also a keen sailor and water sport enthusiast.
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Brandon
Position: Producer
My name is Brandon and I’m an aspiring producer and actor. I enjoy bringing a production together with planning and preparations to create a great finished product. My hobbies also include street magic and bass playing.
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Callum
Position: Writer and Director
My name is Callum Olive and I’m an aspiring writer and director. I’m always looking for a new project and love writing new stories and screenplays at home and on the move. My hobbies include playing the piano and street magic.
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Joanie DeMuro
Joanie joined ABC team in early 2017. She was one of six student volunteers from the University of Essex in that cohort. The student team focused on a range of projects, including creation of Wikipedia page,‘training manual’ and most importantly, researching and adding entries to the website directory of organisations that assist the unwaged, or those on low incomes. “This placement was very helpful - thanks for the opportunity Simon.”
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Cherry Lam
Cherry Lam has been volunteering for ABC for one month. Although it is a short period of time, she knows a lot more about the running of a charity organisation. Cherry is responsible for adding directories to the organisation website according to categories. Joining this placement helped her improving skills and gaining new experiences. Cherry says is extremely appreciative of the support she has received from ABC which allowed her to improve skills.
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