Post by CodepopeI would note the paper says social landlords, which is a specific
class of landlord covering publicly owned and let properties and
housing associations, not landlords as private individuals.
Yes. And a credit union isn't a credit reference agency, though I am a
bit unclear on exactly what it is.
Anyway, I had a quick look at the proposal, and The Social Security
(Information-sharing in relation to Welfare Services etc.) Regulations
2012 (as amended), which are the Regulations which are to be amended by
The Social Security (Information-sharing in relation to Welfare Services
etc.) (Amendment) Regulations 2015, the new regulations in the proposal.
The main thrust of the proposal is to include Universal Credit in the
list of benefits to which the 2012 Regulations, and the Welfare Reform
Act 2012 under which they are made, apply - but as that list already
includes:
* attendance allowance
* disability living allowance
* income-based jobseeker’s allowance
* income-related employment and support allowance
* income support and
* state pension credit
I don't think the main thrust of the proposed regulations, adding
universal credit to that list, is anything radical. Indeed, the only
newsworthy aspect I can think of is wondering why they haven't already
done it.
However, as is often the case, the proposed Regulations include several
other changes, some largely unrelated to the main thrust.
Including the "universal support initiative" in the list of reasons why
the SoS can share information is new: the other reasons why the SoS can
share information relate directly to specific benefits, and are better
defined, while this is quite a bit woolier.
The "extended benefit unit" is new here too, but the concept already
exists, tucked away in the Universal Credit Regulations 2013 or perhaps
somewhere earlier. Nothing major there, though I expect it will cause
staff some problems; the basic blob of information is no longer just
about an individual but about several different people in the same
"unit". Ouch. What can they tell each person about the other people in
the "unit"? Perhaps that should be thought about a bit more.
The last major change I can see is the proposed regulation 6, where the
list of qualified persons, people with whom information can be shared,
is changed. Like demands for information under RIPA, the list of who can
get data and the reasons they can get data changes frequently.
AFAICT the present list [1] includes, apart from Ministers, their staff,
and the like, only:
* a social landlord; and
* a person who carries out activities in connection with a troubled
families programme.
The proposed new list would also include the following three new entries:
*a member of the National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux or the
Scottish Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux,
*a credit union, and
*a registered charity
This seems like a fairly major change to me, and it doesn't just apply
to Universal Credit recipients, it applies to almost everybody on
benefits of any kind.
The purposes for which these people could be given information, or store
information, are too complex for a quick look - see:
https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/simplifying-the-welfare-system-and-making-sure-work-pays/supporting-pages/welfare-reform-act-2012-regulations
for an explanation of why. Simplifying the welfare system? Bah!
Well, wheew, that's what I think the proposal actually says. I leave it
to others who hopefully will know more about the general benefits
situation to say whether that is good or bad.
-- Peter Fairbrother
[1] in regulation 3 (10) of the Social Security (Information-sharing in
relation to Welfare Services etc.) Amendment and Prescribed Bodies
Regulations 2013,