The Welfare Benefits Up-rating Order 2014

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Order)

This Order is made under the Welfare Benefits Up-rating Act 2013 (“the Up-rating Act”) which provides for the up-rating of certain social security benefits and payments in various tax years.

The Order includes details of the sums mentioned in paragraph 1 of the Schedule to the Up-rating Act which are increased by 1 per cent in the tax year 2014-15.

Article 3 increases the weekly rate of statutory sick pay.

Article 4 increases the weekly rate of statutory maternity pay.

Article 5 increases the weekly rates of ordinary and additional statutory paternity pay and of statutory adoption pay.

Article 6 and Schedule 1 increase certain personal allowances used in the calculation of income support.

Article 7 and Schedule 2 increase certain personal allowances used in the calculation of housing benefit.

Article 8 increases the age-related amounts for contribution-based jobseeker’s allowance.

Article 9 and Schedule 3 increase certain personal allowances used in the calculation of income-based jobseeker’s allowance for the purposes of the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations 1996 (S.I. 1996/207).

Article 10 increases the amounts of jobseeker’s allowance for the purposes of the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations 2013 (S.I. 2013/378).

Article 11(1) and Schedule 4 increase the contributory allowance of employment and support allowance and the prescribed amounts for income-related employment and support allowance for the purposes of the Employment and Support Allowance Regulations 2008 (S.I. 2008/794). Article 11(2) increases the work-related activity component for the purposes of those Regulations.

Article 12 increases the contributory allowance of employment and support allowance and the work-related activity component set out in regulation 62 of the Employment and Support Allowance Regulations 2013 (S.I. 2013/379) and in that regulation as modified under the Welfare Reform Act 2012 (Commencement No. 9 and Transitional and Transitory Provisions and Commencement No. 8 and Savings and Transitional Provisions (Amendment)) Order 2013.

Article 13 and Schedule 5 relate to universal credit. They increase the standard allowance, the additional amount for a disabled child or qualifying young person (lower rate) and the limited capability for work element.

In accordance with section 1(4) of the Up-rating Act, a copy of the report of the Government Actuary giving his opinion on the likely effect on the National Insurance Fund of the making of this Order will be laid before Parliament.

A full Impact Assessment has not been published for this instrument as it has no new impact on business or civil society organisations.