Under a proposal contained in the State Pension age review, the State Pension age will increase to 68 between 2037 and 2039. Under current legislation, the State Pension age will rise to 68 between 2044 and 2046.

The change, which is subject to parliamentary approval, will affect everyone born between 6 April 1970 and 5 April 1978. However, under the proposal they will, on average, still receive more State Pension over their lifetime than generations before them.

No one born on or before 5 April 1970 will see a change to their current proposed State Pension age.

The change is intended to maintain fairness between generations in line with continuing increases in life expectancy.

As part of HMRC’s crackdown on white-collar tax evasion, it has launched 669 in 2016/17 compared to 499 in 2011/12, according to research from law firm Pinsent Masons. 

Overall, the total number of property raids undertaken by HMRC rose 8% last year, from 1,449 in 2015/16 to 1,563 in 2016/17. 

The Revenue, says Pinsent Masons, is under pressure to increase the number of successful tax evasion prosecutions and has been granted more resource to do so. 

Also, a new corporate criminal offence of failure to prevent the facilitation of tax evasion comes into force on 30 September, which will give HMRC new powers to prosecute companies and partnerships. 

The Government has been urged to delay the introduction of radical changes to the benefits system amid fears it will plunge families into debt over Christmas.

MPs have written a letter calling on the Department for Work and Pensions to rethink plans to introduce Universal Credit during November and December.

They said: “There is a real worry that the introduction of UC at this time will cause extreme hardship for many people in vulnerable situations, exacerbated by the financial burdens of the festive period.”

The letter was organised by North West Durham Labour MP Laura Pidcockand signed by other MPs including Helen Goodman, Labour MP for Bishop Auckland; Ian Mearns, Labour MP for Gateshead, and Kevan Jones, Labour MP for North Durham.

Image: MP Laura Pidcock

They are concerned about the introduction of the new benefit system, which replaces a range of allowances including housing benefit.

It is being rolled out across the country, but comes into effect at different times in different parts of the country.

And it is to be introduced at a number of job centres in the North East in December and November.

But MPs warn that where Universal Credit has already been introduced, it has led to delays of up seven weeks before benefits are paid - causing people to fall into debt and in some cases to rely on food banks.

"It is a vanity project and people in the North East should not be conned" said MP Kevan Jones

Introducing the benefit over Christmas will leave people without money in the festive season and into January, when they are already likely to be struggling, MPs say.

The letter, published in The Guardian, said: “We are concerned about the Department for Work and Pensions’ proposed rollout of Universal Credit in our constituencies during November and December.”

Fears aired that Universal Credit will have 'scrooge' effect when rolled out at Christmas time.

The MPs added: “We understand that the proposed changes were designed to make the social security system simpler, more reactive to individuals’ issues and more efficient. However, evidence from other parts of the country where UC has been introduced already, shows that it is far from the efficient system trailed.

“In many cases, recipients have had to wait seven weeks for payment of the benefits. This puts an incredible strain on individuals and we have seen in other areas an increased use of food parcels during this period.

“There are also issues around the removal of the severe disability premium, which leaves many disabled people in a precarious position.”

Ms Pidcock said: “The government recognises there are many difficulties with the system so why don’t they do the decent thing and pause the roll out until they have sorted the issues?”

A DWP spokesman said: “We are rolling out universal credit in a gradual, safe and secure way and the majority of people are managing their budgets well. The best way to help people improve their lives is to help them into work, and under universal credit people are moving into work faster and staying in work longer than under the old system.”

Tenants in Newcastleran up arrears of £381,000 with Your Homes Newcastle, which manages housing on behalf of the city council, after the benefit was introduced in parts of the city earlier this year.

The figure was revealed in the House of Commons by Newcastle MP Catherine McKinnell.

Image: MP Catherine McKinnell

Universal Credit is 'failing thousands of people', says head of Citizens Advice

Universal Credit is to be introduced at job centres in Bishop Auckland, Consett, Crook and Stanley in December.

It will also be introduced at Blaydon Job Centre Plus in November.

Nationally, the benefit will also be introduced to job centres Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Cornwall, Fife and several London boroughs in December.

The cruel regime created by Iain Duncan Smith is slowly being dismantled. 

Thousands of benefit claimants have won what is a major legal victory over the Tory government's welfare program. This was a case was brought by two disabled women who challenged the need to appeal within one month or have an appeal dismissed.

Three top judges today ruled a one-month time limit on appealing against a benefits decision is unlawful. 

In a test case, the Upper Tribunal criticised the DWP’s policy of denying claimants an appeal if they failed to act within a month.

The tribunal said many claimants will be vulnerable and that it was ‘obvious that there would be a risk’ that people with good claims would miss the deadline.

Since 2013 a claimant wishing to challenge a decision to refuse them benefits has had to apply for a ‘mandatory reconsideration’ before appealing to an independent tribunal. Where a mandatory reconsideration application is made too late, there is no right of appeal to the tribunal. 

The tribunal, chaired by Mr Justice Charles, said the DWP’s position would improperly make the Secretary of State ‘gatekeeper to the independent tribunal system’.

Image: Mr Justice Charles

Instead, the tribunal said the correct position is that where a claimant makes a mandatory reconsideration request at any time within 13 months of the original decision, they will, if dissatisfied, subsequently be entitled to pursue the challenge to a tribunal.

The government argued that there was no need to have access to the tribunal because its decisions on late mandatory reconsideration requests could be challenged by judicial review.

However, the tribunal said that out of 1,544,805 mandatory reconsideration decisions made by government since 2013, not one had been subject to a judicial review challenge of the kind the government suggested was a reasonable alternative.

The Child Protection Action Group CPAG brought the case on behalf of two women with serious mental and other health issues.

They were both denied the disability benefit Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) after meeting a disability assessor.

But they left it too late - five months in one case and 10 months in the other - to lodge their appeal.

The case challenged Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) rules which say anyone who wants to appeal must go through an internal system called 'mandatory reconsideration' first.

Those rules say most reconsiderations must be brought within a month.

Instead the judges said the time limit should be 13 months after someone's benefits are rejected.

The Upper Tribunal, which rules in the most serious benefit disputes and includes a High Court judge on its panel, said its decision is likely to affect "many thousands" of cases "at the very least".

A DWP spokesperson said: ’We have received the tribunal’s decision and are considering the judgment.’

White collar crime prosecutions fell from 9,489 in 2015 to 8,304 last year. Since 2011, when there were 11,261 prosecutions, there has been a 26% drop in prosecutions.

Meanwhile the number of reported fraud offences increased 4% in the last year, to 641,539 in 2016 up from 617,112 in 2015. Since 2011 the number of reported crimes has risen nearly four-fold, from 142,991 offences.

White collar crime includes corruption, bribery, insider dealing, computer fraud, and false accounting practices. Online fraud was the most commonly-reported offence last year and according to a recent National Audit Office report, cost private sector businesses an estimated £144 billion last year and individuals £10bn.

Image: The right-wing media exagerates welfare fraud, putting much less emphasis on white collar fraud. 

Overall welfare fraud and error stayed at 1.8% with claimant and official error both falling to record lows.

Dedicated investigators work hard to pursue and prosecute those who try to defraud the system. Last year £980 million of taxpayers’ money was recovered – the highest amount ever and £50 million more than the previous year.

The Department for Work and Pensions administers welfare benefits to around 22 million people.

A typical situation is a single mother with child meets a man who comes to live with her. She does not declare the change in her situation. If woman or man is found to be living with someone who is working more than 16 hours a week, the household would lose income support and probably housing benefit, council tax benefit, free school meals, dental help, school uniform help and free prescriptions. A falling out with a friend could see the person being reported to the national benefit fraud hotline, which is frequently used to settle personal scores. 

'A "welfare cheat" was no different to a mugger who robs you on the street', said George Osborne when he was Chancellor who then went on; “Nor will fraud in the welfare system be tolerated any more. We estimate that £5bn a year is being lost this way."

Compared to the £144 billion last year and individuals £10bn that stole money in white collar crimes, the emphasis on benefits cheats seems misplaced.

Image: Mum-of-three Jaine Miller of Selwyn Drive, Broadstairs, who worked at Margate Job Centre, was jailed for a year for benefit fraud. One of a number of Jobcentre Plus staff procecuted. 

Many would question the statement, that claimants who have someone living in the house, they do not declare are like 'muggers' as rather exaggerated? Many Claimants are just trying to survive and the numbers compared to white collar crime are trifling. If a single mum meets a man, the assumption he should assume total financial responsibility for the household seems sexist and outdated.

Back in the day; The Department of Work and Pensions under Chancellor Osbourne announced a zero-tolerance approach that would involve the recruitment of "another 200 anti-fraud officers to sanction a further 10,000 fraudsters every year", and proposed introducing a "system for rewarding members of the public who provide information that results in significant recovery of public funds". The department promised an additional £425m funding to combat the problem over the next four years, hoping this will deliver a £1.4bn reduction in fraud and error by 2014/15

Errors by the DWP such as overpayment are far more significant. 

You can also report suspected benefit fraud online or by post.

Report someone living in Spain or Portugal

Use the local numbers if you’re calling from Spain or Portugal.

Please read the report below. 

The latest data on deaths related to drug poisoning in England and Wales for 2016 has been published today. 

Over half (54%) of all deaths related to drug poisoning in 2016 involved an opiate (mainly heroin and / or morphine), while people aged 40 to 49 had the highest rate of drug misuse deaths. 

Drug use and drug dependence are known causes of premature mortality, with drug poisoning accounting for 16% of deaths among people in their 20s and 30s in 2016. Drug-related deaths occur in a variety of circumstances, each with different social and policy implications. Consequently, there is considerable political, media and public interest in these figures.

Figures are presented for deaths related to drug poisoning (involving both legal and illegal drugs) and drug misuse (involving controlled drugs) in England and Wales from 1993 onwards. The definition of a drug poisoning death is based on the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) code assigned as the underlying cause of death. A list of the ICD codes included in the definition can be found in the Quality and Methodology Information (QMI) report.

For both males and females, the greatest proportion of drug misuse deaths registered in 2016 were from accidental poisonings, with 1,561 male deaths and 501 female deaths (82% and 72% of all drug misuse deaths respectively). In females, accidental poisonings due to drug misuse increased between 2015 and 2016 from 428 deaths to 501 deaths, whereas in males accidental poisoning deaths remained stable in 2016.

Deaths from mental and behavioural disorders due to drug use only account for about 5% to 6% of drug misuse deaths and this has remained stable since 2012. These deaths are essentially deaths from drug dependence or abuse, but they may involve an acute overdose of drugs similar to an accidental poisoning (see the Quality and Methodology Information report for further information on the coding of drug misuse deaths).

• There were 3,744 drug poisoning deaths involving both legal and illegal drugs in England and Wales registered in 2016; this is 70 higher than 2015 (an increase of 2%) and the highest number since comparable statistics began in 1993.
• Of these 3,744 deaths, 69% (2,593) were drug misuse deaths.
• There has been an increase in the rate of deaths related to drug misuse in Wales from 58.3 deaths per 1 million population in 2015 to 66.9 per 1 million in 2016; deaths in England have remained comparable between 2015 and 2016.
• People aged 40 to 49 years had the highest rate of drug misuse deaths in 2016, overtaking those aged 30 to 39 years.
• Over half (54%) of all deaths related to drug poisoning in 2016 involved an opiate (mainly heroin and/or morphine).
• The highest mortality rate from drug misuse was in the North East with 77.4 deaths per 1 million population, a 13% increase from 2015; the lowest rate (29.1 deaths per 1 million population) was in the East Midlands, which remained stable.

The concept of a job for life has come to an end, but is the Universal Basic income the solution or is this a case of business just passing over all the unemployed they are creating onto the government and the taxpayer. This podcast from the RSA attempts to explore this issue.

We already featured the Gig Economy review by Martheww Taylor, Chair of the Royal Society of Arts. We did not however feature the whole report which is below.

Why does the Taylor report we think good work matters?

Because despite the impact of the national living wage and tax credits there will always be people who are in work but finding it hard it make ends meet. Our social contract with those people should include dignity at work and the realistic scope to progress in the labour market.

Because bad work – insecure, exploitative, controlling – is bad for health and wellbeing, something that generates cost for vulnerable individuals but also for wider society.

Because, as many business leaders recognise, low quality work and weak management is implicated in our productivity challenge. Improving the quality of work should be an important part of our productivity strategy.

Because technology – like robotics and machine learning – is going to have a big impact on jobs and the tasks that make up those jobs. As we seize these technological opportunities – as we must – we should do so with the aim of making working lives better, taking away the drudgery and leaving the human contact and creativity that machines can’t provide.

And, finally, because if we want citizens who are engaged, responsible, active, who – to coin a phrase – ‘take back control’ we should encourage those same virtues in the workplace. Our idea of what it is to be a respected citizen should not stop at the office or factory door.

Image: Mathew Taylor

You can see what you think of the report which is downloadable below:

We already featured the Gig Economy review by Martheww Taylor, Chair of the Royal Society of Arts. We did not however feature the whole report which is below.

Why does the Taylor report we think good work matters?

Because despite the impact of the national living wage and tax credits there will always be people who are in work but finding it hard it make ends meet. Our social contract with those people should include dignity at work and the realistic scope to progress in the labour market.

Because bad work – insecure, exploitative, controlling – is bad for health and wellbeing, something that generates cost for vulnerable individuals but also for wider society.

Because, as many business leaders recognise, low quality work and weak management is implicated in our productivity challenge. Improving the quality of work should be an important part of our productivity strategy.

Because technology – like robotics and machine learning – is going to have a big impact on jobs and the tasks that make up those jobs. As we seize these technological opportunities – as we must – we should do so with the aim of making working lives better, taking away the drudgery and leaving the human contact and creativity that machines can’t provide.

And, finally, because if we want citizens who are engaged, responsible, active, who – to coin a phrase – ‘take back control’ we should encourage those same virtues in the workplace. Our idea of what it is to be a respected citizen should not stop at the office or factory door.

You can see what you think of the report which is downloadable below.

Image: Mathew Taylor