Instruments of interest
Social Security Benefits (Claims and Payments) (Amendment) Regulations 2021 (SI 2021/1065)
48.In a number of circumstances, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) may need, as a result of review, to pay arrears to a claimant, which can over time have accumulated to a substantial amount. Currently the Department has the option to pay a lump sum to the individual or to their designated third party. This is a matter of concern in relation to certain particularly vulnerable claimants, for example those with addictions, so this instrument adds a third option: allowing DWP to make such payments by instalments (with the claimant’s consent).As an illustration of the sums involved, the Explanatory Memorandum notes that as at 12 January 2020, under the Employment and Support Allowance corrective review, 112,000 cases had qualified for arrears payments, and around 8,000 retrospective awards have been made under the Personal Independence Payment corrective exercise, with arrears payments under each exercise averaging £5,000.