Welfare Reform Act 2007

1. Introduction

2. Expand +/Collapse -

   Summary and Background

   1. Employment and Support Allowance

   2. Housing benefit and council tax benefit

   3. Sharing and use of social security information

   4. Overpayment recovery

   5. Benefit fraud: local authority prosecution and investigation powers

   6. Benefit fraud: the “two strikes” rule

   7. Benefits for bereaved persons

   8. Disability living allowance: age conditions

   9. Social Fund

   10. Vaccine Damage Payments: overseas vaccinations

   11. Vaccine Damage Payments: appeals to appeal tribunals in Northern Ireland

   12. Compensation for Pneumoconiosis

   13. Attendance allowance/disability living allowance and care home residents

   14. Independent Living Funds

   15. Medical Examinations

3. Act Overview

4. Territorial Extent

5. Territorial Application: Wales

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   Commentary on Sections

   1. PART 1: Employment and Support Allowance

      1. Entitlement

         1. Section 1: Employment and support allowance

         2. Section 2: Amount of contributory allowance and; Section 3: Deductions from contributory allowance: supplementary

         3. Section 4: Amount of income-related allowance

         4. Section 5: Advance award of income-related allowance

         5. Section 6: Amount payable where claimants entitled to both forms of allowance

         6. Section 7: Exclusion of payments below prescribed minimum

      2. Assessments relating to entitlement

         1. Section 8: Limited capability for work

         2. Section 9: Limited capability for work-related activity

         3. Section 10: Report

      3. Conditionality

         1. Section 11: Work-focused health-related assessments

         2. Section 12: Work-focused interviews

         3. Section 13: Work-related activity

         4. Section 14: Action plans in connection with work-focused interviews

         5. Section 15: Directions about work related activity

         6. Section 16: Contracting out

      4. Miscellaneous

         1. Section 17: Income and capital: general

         2. Section 18: Disqualification

         3. Section 19: Pilot schemes

         4. Section 20: Relationship with statutory payments

         5. Section 21: Deemed entitlement for other purposes

         6. Section 22: Supplementary Provisions

         7. Section 23: Recovery of sums in respect of maintenance

      5. General

         1. Section 25: Regulations

         2. Section 27: Financial provisions relating to Part 1

         3. Section 28: Consequential amendments relating to Part 1

         4. Section 29: Transition relating to Part 1

   2. PART 2: Housing benefit and council tax benefit

      1. Section 30: Local housing allowance

      2. Section 31: Loss of housing benefit following eviction for anti-social behaviour, etc

      3. Section 32: Housing and Council Tax Benefit for persons taking up employment; Section 33: supplemental; and Section 34: interpretation

      4. Section 35: Information relating to housing benefit

      5. Section 36: Supply of information by rent officers

      6. Section 37: Payment of housing benefit

      7. Section 38: Duty to send inspection reports to the Secretary of State and; Section 39: Directions by Secretary of State

   3. PART 3: Social Security Administration: General

      1. Sharing and use of social security information

         1. Section 41: Social Security Information

         2. Section 42: Information relating to certain benefits

         3. Section 43: Unlawful disclosure of certain information

      2. Overpayment recovery

         1. Section 44: Recovery of overpaid benefit: Great Britain

         2. Section 45: Recovery of overpaid child benefit and guardian’s allowance: Northern Ireland

      3. Benefit fraud

         1. Sections 46 and 47: local authority powers to investigate and prosecute benefit fraud

         2. Section 48: Local authority functions relating to benefit: information

         3. Section 49: Loss of benefit for commission of benefit offences

   4. PART 4: Miscellaneous

      1. Benefits for bereaved persons

         1. Section 50: Widowed mother’s allowance

         2. Section 51: Widowed parent’s allowance

      2. Disability living allowance: age conditions

         1. Section 52: Care component of disability living allowance: persons under the age of 16

         2. Section 53: Mobility component of disability living allowance: persons under the age of 16

      3. Social Fund

         1. Section 54: Matters to which regard must be had in awarding budgeting loans

         2. Section 55: Allocations from the Social Fund

      4. Vaccine Damage Payments Act 1979

         1. Section 56: Overseas vaccinations

         2. Section 57: Appeals to appeal tribunal in Northern Ireland

      5. Compensation for pneumoconiosis etc.

         1. Section 58: “Relevant employer”

         2. Section 59: “Dependant”

      6. Other

         1. Section 60: Power to stop payment of allowances to care home residents

         2. Section 61: Independent Living Funds

         3. Section 62: Medical Examinations

      7. General

         1. Section 64: Northern Ireland

         2. Section 67: Repeals

      8. Schedules

         1. Schedule 1 – Employment and support allowance: additional conditions

         2. Schedule 2 – Employment and support allowance: supplementary provision

         3. Schedule 3 – Consequential amendments relating to Part 1

         4. Schedule 4 - Transition relating to Part 1

         5. Schedule 5 – Minor and consequential amendments relating to Part 2

            1. Billing authorities

            2. Administration of housing and council tax benefits

            3. Services benefits

            4. Local housing allowance

            5. Revisions of decisions and appeals

         6. Schedule 6 – Schedule to be inserted in the Pneumoconiosis etc. (Workers’ Compensation) Act 1979

         7. Schedule 7 – Minor and consequential amendments relating to Part 4

7. Transposition Notes

8. Commencement

9. Hansard References