Amendment summary
Baroness Thomas of Winchester moved to resolve that this House deplores the way that the Social Security (Miscellaneous Amendments) (No. 4) Regulations 2008, laid before the House on 15 September, cut the backdating period for pension credit, housing benefit and council tax benefit in most cases from 12 months to 3 months, and were: (a) presented with inadequate evidence to support the policy; and (b) laid during the summer recess to come into force on the day Parliament returned, thus not allowing Parliament to consider them before they came into effect;and calls on Her Majesty’s Government to revoke the Regulations because they are likely to increase the number of evictions, and cause particular hardship to older pensioners and those with mental health impairments (SI 2008/2424).