Harman Patil (Editor)

Welfare benefit simplification

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United Kingdom

The British House of Commons Work and Pensions Committee has announced an inquiry to "examine the feasibility of simplifying the UK benefit system".

Contents

Particular areas of interest are likely to include:

  • the consequences of historical benefit changes and reform on the current system
  • the effectiveness of the Benefits Simplification Unit, progress of the Department for Work and Pensions Simplification Plan and implications of the Freud review
  • international examples, where benefit systems have been reformed and/or developed to retain relative simplicity

    • New Zealand

    Also known as Working New Zealand

    In the late 1980s Minister of Social Welfare Dr Michael Cullen announced the then Labour Government’s intention to move to a universal benefit. The Labour government subsequently lost the next election and the policy was dropped by the incoming National government.

    In 2001 the Labour-led government began its overhaul of social welfare with Pathways to Opportunity. Its aims were to:

  • create a simpler system
  • make work pay and investing in people
  • support families and children
  • ensure mutual responsibilities
  • build partnerships
  • tackle poverty and social exclusion

    • On October 26, 2006 the Labour-led government announced a number of changes to the welfare system. The changes include continuing to align rules and criteria of different benefits.

    References

    Welfare benefit simplification Wikipedia
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