Welfare Reform Act 2007
On 3 May 2007 the Welfare Reform Act 2007 was given Royal Assent.
The Act brought into law a number of measures including:
- reform of incapacity benefits by:
- the introduction of a new Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) in 2008 to replace Incapacity Benefit and Income Support based on incapacity or disability
- the introduction of a new Personal Capability Assessment alongside ESA to assess an individual’s entitlement and the possible support needed to get back into the workplace
- the requirement for people who are able to work, to attend work-focused interviews and develop, with their advisers, a plan of action to help them
- changes to the administration of Housing Benefit (HB) with the national roll-out of Local Housing Allowance to the private rented sector, and an HB sanction for people who refuse to engage in rehabilitation following eviction for anti-social behaviour
- powers to improve the sharing of information between DWP and Local Authorities for the purpose of increasing take-up of social security benefits
- other amendments to social security and vaccine damage payments.
You can read other documents supporting the Act below.
- Explanatory Notes for the Welfare Reform Bill 2006 for the Welfare Reform Bill 2006.
- Welfare Reform Bill 2006 Regulatory Impact Assessment (268 KB)
- The Welfare Reform Bill – Draft Regulations and supporting material - During the Bill’s Second Reading, Lord McKenzie of Luton, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the Department of Work and Pensions, undertook to publish for members of the House of Lords draft copies of key regulations setting out the Government’s current intentions in detail.
- The Section 82 Report (226 KB) was laid before the House of Commons on 21 November 2006. The Report requests ‘power to incur' expenditure for the development of the Employment and Support Allowance IT system prior to the Welfare Reform Bill receiving Royal Assent.
- The delegated powers memorandum (381 KB) identifies and describes what powers are delegated to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions by the Welfare Reform Bill. These powers allow the Secretary of State to produce regulations - which will be set out in detail and made available on this site as they are produced.
