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Press release: Benefit cap restores fairness to the system

New analysis has revealed how the cap restored fairness to the system – before they were capped, nearly 180 households were getting the equivalent of a pre-tax salary of at least £57,000 in benefits.

Since its introduction in 2013, 26,000 households who were previously capped have moved into work, with a further 14,000 reducing their housing benefit claim, or ending their claim altogether. Anyone eligible for Working Tax Credits is exempt from the cap, providing a clear incentive to move into work.

The new benefit cap, limiting the total amount workless households can receive in benefits to £20,000 across the UK or £23,000 within Greater London, is now in place across the country following its successful rollout.

Work and Pensions Secretary Damian Green said:

Since the benefit cap was introduced in 2013, people in tens of thousands of households have moved into work. The new lower cap continues to build on that success by incentivising work.

There are over three quarters of a million job vacancies across the country, and we are determined to do everything we can to help people into work.

We are creating a country which works for everyone, and the lower cap ensures the system remains fair to both the taxpayers who pay for it and to those people who need it.

Anyone eligible for Working Tax Credits is exempt from the cap, providing a clear incentive to move into work. People claiming Carer’s Allowance, Guardian’s Allowance, and most disability benefits are also exempt from the cap, ensuring those who cannot work are supported.

The Department for Work and Pensions is also working closely with local authorities, and will have provided them with over £1 billion of Discretionary Housing Payments by the end of this Parliament to support people transitioning to our reforms, as the new cap is introduced.

The new benefit cap is set at £20,000 a year outside London and £23,000 in Greater London to reflect higher rent costs. For single people without children, the cap is £15,410 in Greater London and £13,400 elsewhere.

Anyone working and receiving Working Tax Credits is exempt from the cap, as are households where someone receives Disability Living Allowance (DLA), Personal Independence Payment (PIP), or the support component of Employment and Support Allowance (ESA).

Those claiming Carer’s Allowance or Guardian’s Allowance are exempt from the new cap, in recognition of the valuable contribution they make to society.

Statistics on the new lower benefit cap will be released in May 2017.

Media enquiries for this press release – 020 3267 5111

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HM Government • • •

News story: CMA welcomes new Project Director

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has today announced the appointment of Alison Gold as a Project Director.

Alison joins from the BBC, where she was Head of Strategy at the BBC Trust.

Daniel Gordon, CMA Senior Director, Markets, said:

I am delighted to welcome Alison to the CMA. She impressed us deeply with her leadership abilities and experience of public policy gained at the BBC Trust, and I am very confident that she will be a very strong addition to the CMA’s senior leadership team.

Alison is the fourth and final recruit to join us following the last successful campaign, which attracted a very competitive field. Fred Houwen, Tim Geer and Lucilia Falsarella-Pereira have each already started in their new posts.

Notes for editors

  1. The CMA is the UK’s primary competition and consumer authority. It is an independent non-ministerial government department with responsibility for carrying out investigations into mergers, markets and the regulated industries and enforcing competition and consumer law. For CMA updates, follow us on Twitter @CMAgovuk, Flickr, LinkedIn and like our Facebook page.
  2. Alison Gold joins from the BBC where she was Head of Strategy at the BBC Trust, running a core part of the BBC’s governance and regulatory system and acting as a senior adviser to the Chairman and Board of the BBC. She was previously a strategy management consultant at KPMG and at a media sector specialist advisory firm.
  3. Media enquiries should be directed to Simon Belgard (simon.belgard@cma.gsi.gov.uk, 020 3738 6472).
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HM Government • • •

Press release: Huge response to dangerous driving proposals

Thousands of people have had their say on plans to introduce life sentences for killer drivers.

The consultation, which opened on 5 December 2016, attracted over 1,000 replies in just 3 days, reaching more than 9,000 when it closed yesterday (1 February 2017).

The overwhelming response is one of the highest for a Ministry of Justice (MOJ) consultation, and included contributions from victims, bereaved families, road safety groups and charities.

Justice Minister Sam Gyimah said:

Killer drivers ruin lives. While we can never compensate for the loss of a loved one, we are clear that the punishment must fit the crime.

So I would like to thank the thousands who have contributed to this consultation. We will now carefully consider each of these and will set out our plans as soon as possible.

The consultation sought views on whether the current maximum penalties available to the courts should be increased.

The proposals included:

  • increasing the maximum sentence for causing death by dangerous driving from 14 years to life
  • increasing the maximum sentence for causing death by careless driving whilst under the influence of drink or drugs from 14 years to life
  • creating a new offence of causing serious injury by careless driving, with a maximum sentence of 3 years
  • increasing minimum driving bans for those convicted of causing death.

The plans build on the government’s pledge to consider sentencing powers available to the courts for the most serious driving offences. The government will consider the responses and set out its plans in the coming months.

Notes to editors

  • The UK has one of the best road safety records in the world – but deaths and serious injuries cause devastation to victims and their families.
  • The consultation looked at the most serious road offences. It did not cover other driving or regulatory offences such as speeding, the setting of drink drive limits, the basic offences of careless or dangerous driving and driving whilst using a mobile phone.
  • This follows further action in 2015, when the government increased the maximum custodial sentence for causing death whilst driving when disqualified from 2 to 10 years. A new offence of causing serious injury when driving whilst disqualified was also created, with a maximum penalty of 4 years imprisonment. It also brought into force the statutory requirement to extend a driving ban to take account of any time spent in custody.
  • Sentencing remains a matter for independent judges, with decisions made based on the full facts of the case.
  • For more information call the MOJ press office on 020 3334 3503 or 020 3334 3529.
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HM Government • • •

Improving access to critical care key – Vaughan Gething

Health Secretary Vaughan Gething today outlined how the NHS is working to improve care for critically ill people in Wales. The delivery plan for the critically ill to 2020 is published today [Thursday 2 February].  

Thursday 02 February 2017

Mr Gething said:

“This plan, developed by critical care specialists, sets out how the NHS will meet the needs of people who are critically ill, or are at risk of becoming critically ill. It also outlines plans to improve the early identification of patients, which is key to preventing unnecessary transfers to busy critical care units. 

“We know that there is work to do to improve access to critical care in Wales and we are seeing progress; the group has identified areas where bed numbers could be increased without significant staffing increases. 


“This plan has been developed by The Critical Care Trauma Network and Critically Ill Implementation Group and outlines the actions we need to take over the next three years.

“Wales faces the same challenges we see elsewhere in the UK in terms of recruitment and rising demand for critical care, and we expect health boards to collaborate and plan services on a regional basis to deliver high-quality care.

“We have seen an improvement in survival rates in recent years and also reductions in the numbers of patients who are re-admitted to critical care soon after leaving it, which is encouraging.  This plan outlines how health boards can work together to build on this progress for the future.”

 
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Welsh Government • •