The Social Security (Lone Parents and Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2008 were laid on 23 November 2008. Its provisions are implemented at varying dates from 24 November 2008 through to 2011, in most cases. Beth Lakhani describes the main changes.

The Government published a Welfare Reform Bill on 14 January 2009. Edward Graham outlines the main proposals in the Bill.

Martin Williams looks at the rules for claiming ESA.

Simon Osborne outlines the rules regarding decision-making and challenges in employment and support allowance (ESA).

Simon Osborne looks at the rules for the new First-tier Tribunals (FTT) for social security, and what they mean for presentation and use of evidence.

Angela Toal describes the main employment and support allowance (ESA) rules for students, pointing out where they are more restrictive than at present.

Pamela Fitzpatrick looks at some problems experienced by work-seekers and workers with the right-to-reside test.

The amount of employment and support allowance (ESA) a claimant is entitled to depends upon a number of factors, including whether the claimant is: single or part of a couple; in receipt of certain benefits; entitled to income-related and/or contributory ESA; and/or still in the initial assessment phase. Edward Graham explains how much ESA a claimant may be entitled to.

In the latest of an occasional series of articles on the decisions of social fund inspectors, David Simmons considers some recent cases about capital, repeat applications and budgeting loans.

Simon Osborne describes the new test for Employment and Support Allowance of whether someone is too ill to work.

A trio of official publications in late 2007 and early this year provide further detail of the increasing compulsion - or conditionality - being applied to benefit claimants, with the accompanying threat of sanctions (and resulting poverty) for non-compliance. Simon Osborne describes the announcements.

Nearly five years on, and the tax credits scheme still appears to be a work in progress. Mark Willis looks at some of the latest changes and performance.