Progress On Tackling Pensioner Poverty

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Progress on Tackling Pensioner Poverty

Author : Great Britain: National Audit Office
Publisher : The Stationery Office
Page : 44 pages
File Size : 44,5 Mb
Release : 2006-07-21
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9780102942316

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Progress on Tackling Pensioner Poverty by Great Britain: National Audit Office Pdf

The 2002 report Tackling pensioner poverty: encouraging take-up of entitlements (ISBN 0102919577) examined efforts by the Department for Work and Pensions to increase the take-up of benefits by pensioners. It was followed by a report from the Committee of Public Accounts (ISBN 0215009347) that made a number of recommendations. This report looks at the changes the Department have made against those recommendations and the challenges that remain. The overall conclusion is that the Pension Service has made substantial progress in helping pensioners secure their entitlements, using new and thought through approaches. However there is more to be done. This report is accompanied by a technical report that describes the methodology and findings in greater detail.

Progress on Tackling Pensioner Poverty

Author : Great Britain: National Audit Office
Publisher : The Stationery Office
Page : 72 pages
File Size : 46,5 Mb
Release : 2006-07-21
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9780102942408

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Progress on Tackling Pensioner Poverty by Great Britain: National Audit Office Pdf

The main report is also available (HCP 1178-I, ISBN 0102942315). A previous NAO report on this topic (HCP 37, session 2002-03) (ISBN 0102919577) and a report by the Committee of Public Accounts (HCP 565, session 2002-03) (ISBN 0215009347) are also available.

Department for Work and Pensions

Author : Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Committee of Public Accounts
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 38 pages
File Size : 41,9 Mb
Release : 2007
Category : Old age assistance
ISBN : 0215034031

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Department for Work and Pensions by Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Committee of Public Accounts Pdf

A previous NAO report in 2002 'Tackling pensioner poverty: encouraging take-up of entitlements (ISBN 9780102919578) examined efforts by the Department for Work and Pensions to increase the take-up of benefits by pensioners; and it was followed by a report from the Committee of Public Accounts (ISBN 9780215009340) that made a number of recommendations. Following from a subsequent report by the NAO (HCP 1178-I, session 2005-06; ISBN 9780102942316) published in July 2006, this report examines the reasons for unclaimed entitlements, the progress that has been made in encouraging the take-up of benefits since 2003 and the scope for further improvement. Findings include that despite considerable progress at the national and local level to tackle pensioner poverty, there are still over one million pensioners who are not claiming Pension Credits, almost a third of eligible pensioners. Low take-up rates are highlighted amongst older pensioners, those from ethnic minorities and those living in rural areas. The Pension Service needs to improve its co-ordination of partnership work with other health and housing service providers and local groups; and, given the complexity of the benefits system, the DWP needs to develop a target relating to take-up rates for Attendance Allowance and a system that would allow pensioners to claim linked benefits through a single transaction.

Tackling pensioner poverty

Author : Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Work and Pensions Committee
Publisher : The Stationery Office
Page : 136 pages
File Size : 45,9 Mb
Release : 2009-07-30
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 0215540476

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Tackling pensioner poverty by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Work and Pensions Committee Pdf

The level of pensioner poverty has declined markedly since 1997. However, there are still 2 million pensioners in poverty and 1.1 million who live on below 50% of median income. The Committee considers this to be unacceptable, and in this report looks at what more the Government could do to lift pensioners out of poverty. Pension Credit has lifted large numbers of pensioners out of poverty. Take-up of Pension Credit improved rapidly after its introduction, but has since levelled off with many eligible pensioners still not claiming. Despite the best efforts of the Pension Disability and Carers Service (PDCS) it is seeing diminishing returns for its efforts. Take-up of Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit amongst pensioners has also declined since 1997. Improving take-up of all three benefits would markedly improve pensioner poverty. Local Authorities need to work much more closely with PDCS, to ensure that information on people who may be eligible for Pension Credit, Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit are (with permission) exchanged in both directions. This is not done at present and should therefore be trialled and depending on its success applied nationally. The Department has put a lot of effort into encouraging pensioners to claim Pension Credit, then directing them towards other benefits. The Committee concludes that there should be a single phone line for all three benefits.The lack of data PDCS collects on Pension Credit take-up, especially amongst vulnerable groups is a disappointment for the Committee and makes it very difficult for them to suggest ways to effectively target these groups.The automaticity pilots introduced in the Welfare Reform Bill is welcomed as is the Department taking a long term approach and seeking to find innovative ways to improve take-up. Among other benefits the Personal Expenses Allowance (PEA) is looked at, and also the differences between Disability Living Allowance (DLA) payable to those who become disabled under 65, and Attendance Allowance (AA), payable to those who become disabled after the age of 65. The Committee were impressed by the model used by Service Canada, which provides advice on all federal benefits, and provides signposting to other services. While no pensioner should be expected to work after 65, many would like to. Working longer can allow them to maintain social contacts, and to defer claiming a pension, something that can have a positive effect on their future income. The Committee calls for the Default Retirement Age to be abolished and for protection from discrimination for older workers to be strengthened, to ensure that every pensioner who wishes to can continue working. Past recessions have led to disproportionate numbers of older workers over 50 losing their jobs and never working again. The Department must not allow this to happen again.

Poverty in Scotland

Author : Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Scottish Affairs Committee
Publisher : The Stationery Office
Page : 396 pages
File Size : 50,6 Mb
Release : 2007-12-20
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 0215037812

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Poverty in Scotland by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Scottish Affairs Committee Pdf

Incorporating HC 168-i to x, session 2006-07

Opportunity Age

Author : Great Britain. Department for Work and Pensions
Publisher : The Stationery Office
Page : 136 pages
File Size : 48,6 Mb
Release : 2005
Category : Family & Relationships
ISBN : 0101646623

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Opportunity Age by Great Britain. Department for Work and Pensions Pdf

Dated March 2005. - 2 vols. not sold separately. Contents: Vol. 1: [Report]; Vol. 2: A social portrait of ageing in the UK: a snapshot of key trends and evidence.

Blair's Britain, 1997–2007

Author : Anthony Seldon
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 19 pages
File Size : 40,6 Mb
Release : 2007-09-20
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781139468985

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Blair's Britain, 1997–2007 by Anthony Seldon Pdf

Tony Blair has dominated British political life for more than a decade. Like Margaret Thatcher before him, he has changed the terms of political debate and provoked as much condemnation as admiration. At the end of his era in power, this book presents a wide-ranging overview of the achievements and failures of the Blair governments. Bringing together Britain's most eminent academics and commentators on British politics and society, it examines the effect of the Prime Minister and his administration on the machinery of government, economic and social policy and foreign relations. Combining serious scholarship with clarity and accessibility, this book represents the authoritative verdict on the impact of the Blair years on British politics and society.

A More Equal Society?

Author : Hills, John,Stewart, Kitty
Publisher : Policy Press
Page : 408 pages
File Size : 44,6 Mb
Release : 2005-01-12
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781861345776

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A More Equal Society? by Hills, John,Stewart, Kitty Pdf

As the Labour government approaches the end of its second term in office there is a need to assess the welfare issues that have been put into place and examine what has been achieved. 'Poverty, Inequality and Exclusion' brings together the expertise of a range of authors to provide this evaluation.

Towards a more equal society?

Author : Hills, John,Sefton, Tom
Publisher : Policy Press
Page : 496 pages
File Size : 40,9 Mb
Release : 2009-02-25
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781447315384

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Towards a more equal society? by Hills, John,Sefton, Tom Pdf

When New Labour came to power in 1997, its leaders asked for it to be judged after ten years on its success in making Britain 'a more equal society'. As it approaches the end of an unprecedented third term in office, this book asks whether Britain has indeed moved in that direction. The highly successful earlier volume A more equal society? was described by Polly Toynbee as the LSE's mighty judgement on inequality. Now this second volume by the same team of authors provides an independent assessment of the success or otherwise of New Labour's policies over a longer period. It provides: · consideration by a range of expert authors of a broad set of indicators and policy areas affecting poverty, inequality and social exclusion; · analysis of developments up to the third term on areas including income inequality, education, employment, health inequalities, neighbourhoods, minority ethnic groups, children and older people; · an assessment of outcomes a decade on, asking whether policies stood up to the challenges, and whether successful strategies have been sustained or have run out of steam; chapters on migration, social attitudes, the devolved administrations, the new Equality and Human Rights Commission, and future pressures. The book is essential reading for academic and student audiences with an interest in contemporary social policy, as well as for all those seeking an objective account of Labour's achievements in power.

Stability, Security and Opportunity for All

Author : Great Britain, Treasury Staff,Great Britain. Treasury
Publisher : The Stationery Office
Page : 214 pages
File Size : 42,6 Mb
Release : 2004
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9780101623728

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Stability, Security and Opportunity for All by Great Britain, Treasury Staff,Great Britain. Treasury Pdf

White paper dated July 2004.

Department for Work and Pensions

Author : Great Britain. National Audit Office
Publisher : The Stationery Office
Page : 44 pages
File Size : 53,5 Mb
Release : 2009
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 010295478X

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Department for Work and Pensions by Great Britain. National Audit Office Pdf

The Department for Work and Pensions has made progress in reducing the number of leaflets that it produces for its customers and in making application forms simpler and shorter. The Department has significantly changed the way in which it provides information in recent years with a growth in telephone enquiries and in online provision. The Department has reduced the quantity of leaflets that it produces for customers, from 208 different leaflets in 2005 at a cost of �10.3 million to 53 leaflets in 2008 costing �1.7 million. It has also reduced the length of most of its forms, though some are unnecessarily long and guidance notes are complicated and the Department's computer generated letters are overly long and confusing for customers. The Department has put telephone calls at the centre of its application process. It is also increasingly using the internet to communicate with customers. In response to the rise in applications for the Jobseeker's Allowance, up by 81 per cent in the six months to January 2009, the Department plans to implement systems giving customers the option of full online applications for contributory Jobseeker's Allowance from summer 2009, rather than February 2010 as originally planned. Cost efficiencies from online provision have still to be realised fully. Though forms can be downloaded from the internet it is not yet possible to apply for most benefits online, meaning that staff and customer time is taken up handling claims over the telephone or face to face.

Budget Measures and Low-income Households

Author : Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Treasury Committee
Publisher : The Stationery Office
Page : 300 pages
File Size : 46,8 Mb
Release : 2008
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 0215521293

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Budget Measures and Low-income Households by Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Treasury Committee Pdf

This report examines the impact of the abolition of the 10 pence rate of income tax, considering separately the effects of initial implementation and the effects in the light of the changes to personal allowances announced on 13 May 2008. The losers from the measures as initially implemented were people whose taxable income was small and for whom the loss might be significant when required to manage a personal or household budget at a time of sharply rising prices for many essential goods and services. For the current tax year, in the circumstances which the Chancellor of the Exchequer faced, the option chosen on 13 May of increasing personal allowances, but confining the benefits to basic rate taxpayers, was probably the least bad option, with the benefits of simplicity, transparency and greater incentives to work on the basis that fewer taxpayers face high marginal deduction rates. However, £2 billion of the £2.7 billion committed to that measure is not devoted to compensating losers from the removal of the starting rate of income tax, and is not well-targeted. The Government must learn lessons relating to budgetary processes. The Government should publish a Household Impact Assessment alongside future Budgets and Pre-Budget Reports. There is a pressing need for the Government to compensate the remaining 1.1 million households who lose from the removal of the starting rate of income tax even after the 13 May changes. In the longer-term, reforms should be centred on the greater challenges faced by the Government in combating poverty. The Committee recommends the establishment of a Poverty Commission on a similar basis to the Pensions Commission to examine the public policy challenges relating to poverty.

Delivering Successful IT-enabled Business Change

Author : Great Britain: National Audit Office
Publisher : The Stationery Office
Page : 88 pages
File Size : 47,5 Mb
Release : 2006-11-17
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780102943719

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Delivering Successful IT-enabled Business Change by Great Britain: National Audit Office Pdf

This is a companion volume to the main NAO report (HCP 33-I, session 2006-07, ISBN 0102942323) and it contains details of 24 case studies which form the basis of the NAOs analysis of factors that contribute to successful delivery of IT-enabled programmes and projects which have achieved tangible benefits for citizens and taxpayers. Drawn from the public and private sectors in the UK and overseas, these case studies include: i) the Department for Work and Pensions Payment Modernisation Programme which cost £824 million and has transformed the payment of benefits and pensions through direct bank payments; ii) the Oyster electronic smartcard introduced by Transport for London in 2003 and a capital cost of £40 million; and iii) from the private sector, the UK trade associations chip and PIN programme at a cost of £1.1 billion.

Local government finance

Author : Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Communities and Local Government Committee
Publisher : The Stationery Office
Page : 40 pages
File Size : 54,9 Mb
Release : 2007-08-07
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 0215035992

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Local government finance by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Communities and Local Government Committee Pdf

Attitudes towards the council tax are influenced by views as to its fairness, with one of the concerns being that it does not take sufficient account of a household's income. Council tax relief enables the liability of some households to be reduced. Although it is not a benefit, it is called a benefit and in many ways operates like a benefit. People only receive it if they make a claim and as a result there is an estimates £1.8 billion unclaimed each year. The Committee believe that there are two main weaknesses in the operation of the current system. Firstly the rules of eligibility are too tightly drawn to adequately reduce the burden to those in greatest need. Secondly the take up is low. They call on the Government to take urgent actions to tackle these problems

Public Sector Auditing

Author : Sir John Bourn
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
Page : 426 pages
File Size : 50,6 Mb
Release : 2008-07-31
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 0470725346

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Public Sector Auditing by Sir John Bourn Pdf

Drawing on 20 years of experience as Comptroller and Auditor General, and head of the United Kingdom National Audit Office, Public Sector Auditing: Is it Value for Money? is Sir John Bourn’s own account of the role and influence value for money auditing has in holding governments to account and in helping public bodies improve the ways in which they deliver services. Key features include: In-depth case studies from UK, US, Canada, China, India and Australia; Detailed analysis of complex areas of public expenditure such as health, education, privatisation, regulation, defence and IT; Examples of how auditing can promote positive outcomes rather than negative post mortems. This book is relevant for people working in both the public and private sectors, and should be essential reading for the staff of public sector audit institutions around the world, as well as commercial accountancy firms and students of accountancy, politics, economics and public management.