Recommendation 10

We understand that to increase legacy benefits, changes must be made to DWP IT systems several months in advance—with work needing to be completed by the end of November, for increases to be enacted the following April. Parliament however is not presented with the secondary legislation to approve these changes until months after the decision is announced, by which time it would not be possible for the Government to change its course should it be persuaded. We are concerned that the process does not provide genuine opportunity for Members to scrutinise the Government’s plans. The Government should devise and bring forward further opportunities for Parliament to scrutinise its decisions on benefit uprating. For example, ahead of debate on the benefit Uprating Order, the Government should provide this Committee with a statement of how its decision on benefit uprating has taken into account its newly stated set of principles and objectives.