to worry that some people on benefits won't manage when payments are made monthly

[SuedeEffectPochette]

Of course, many people on benefits are doubtless great at managing a budget, but at the moment people are paid weekly, so if money runs out, it's only a day or so (still bad enough). But when payments are monthly, some people may have a couple of weeks of no money - what is going to happen to them? Also Housing Benefit won't be paid direct to landlords any more, which will lead to a massive increase in homelessness if that money is not passed on. If you have run out of money for food, you won't be paying any to your landlord will you? I think the government should stick to weekly payments.

Temporary Absence
26. Universal Credit brings together several benefits and credits with a number of separate sets of temporary absence rules which require simplifying and aligning across adult claimants, children and non-dependents. Under Universal Credit there are two categories of absence that would generally make a new adult claimant ineligible for Universal Credit. These are being outside GB and being in prison. In addition, where a new claim includes a child in prison or one that has been taken into Local Authority Care the child will similarly be ignored for benefit calculation purposes.
27. However where a Universal Credit claim is already ?live?, we will allow a temporary period of absence for these reasons to avoid the need for frequent changes of circumstances and to offer a level of stability when someone is removed from the household. This means allowing, for existing members of a Universal Credit claim (whether adults, children or non-dependents):

^^
Hmm this reads very much like your not allowed to go abroad on holiday and remain eligible.

Is that meeting in Exeter by any chance?

If so see you there as I've been invited to a dwp thing on that day.

"Hmm this reads very much like your not allowed to go abroad on holiday and remain eligible."

That's currently true for JSA. IIRC correctly you can go on holiday for 2 weeks within the UK and still keep your claim (you have to fill out a holiday form), but you can't go out of the country.

If they are extending this restriction to everyone currently now on WTC that's a massive difference!

The HA I work for, although I personally don't work in housing, has taken on three money advice/ benefit advice workers in preparation for the changes. They are expecting real issues with tenants not paying and the knock on effect this will have on building new developments.

Cant see the holiday thing being a problem, we couldnt afford to go away when H was working, much less now. And with further cuts being made a week in a tent will be beyond most claimants reach.

It sounds like that's whats intended but its from the same the link you posted.

If a employee is able to have 4 weeks holiday a year they should be able to go where they want.

I know loads of families who club together to fund adult children and grand children's holidays or ones with there only family abroad, or and ones who go without to save to take children away on cheap holidays.

So they are now turning holidays into a priviledge only available to the rich.

Disgusting.

I can't afford a holiday anyway so it won't be an issue for me unless a wealthy relative gifts one lol. Be interesting to know if this will be the case though. I have serious worries about a friend of mine who has real mental health problems and lots of debt. Can see her going into HB money to pay stuff ....simply because she IS unwell and not always able to manage her money.

Honestly ...I really don't know how ANYONE on benefits can fund a holiday abroad. I am currently in that position and cannot afford to do so....and I get higher benefits because DS is disabled....still doesn't stretch to foreign holidays....or even UK ones.

....though am interested to know what the position would be if a generous relative paid for one. My last holiday was a treat to us from exH parents and fully paid for including meals and travel. Be interesting to know the position in that situation.

I am not talking about someone on the full equivalent of JSA. I am talking about someone who is working and gets topped up with the equivalent of TCs.

If they are working hard and saving for a holiday they will lose their llTCs for the two weeks they arent here? Because the govt refuses to do anything about high living costs and low wages they get penalised? Thats fair? No I dont bloody think it is.

FWIW I have never been on holiday. I dont really care about it for me.

Why should the govt have any say where they go on holiday?

It is a big deal.

The govt arent topping up benefits for the good of the people. They are doing it for big businesses and so they can have control over peoples lives. Its truely horrifying.

It might not be to you, but when you rely on the help and then get told you are scum for doing so it gets a bit annoying.

Cant see the holiday thing being a problem, we couldnt afford to go away when H was working, much less now. And with further cuts being made a week in a tent will be beyond most claimants reach.

But there are always reasons/different circumstances.

One of my friends has a teenage son, when he was 10 - 14 and she was working and claiming CTC he went to stay with his grandmother for the summer holidays. He was too young to leave alone at home.

His grandmother happens to live in Spain. And that is not so unusual.

It's also not unusual for pensioners to go abroad for holidays, are they going to be stopped?

Some people have relatives abroad who will put them up, so are not splashing loads of cash on a holiday. People should be able to see their families.

Many, many years ago, I had signed on for various reasons. A family member paid for me to go on holiday to help look after their dcs. I was happy to provide childcare for the cost of a holiday. The point is, that somebody may have a holiday offered, so before you start your Daily Mail, knee jerk reaction of my tax shouldn't pay for their holidays, have a think before touching the keyboard.

I went to Disneyland Paris, exILs paid for the travel, the big pink hotel and all meals....was lovely.

With regard to holidays here and abroad all I can say is that from my years of working and holidaying it seems cheaper on many occasions to holiday abroad. Odd but true.....might have all changed now though.

Are some people really as - innocent lets say of the realities of life, so I don't get deleted - as they come across on this thread?

I'm in Scotland sock, so no not exeter. Tbh and to be completely fair Thr scottish government are working hard to negate some of the effects of reform where they can but I'm interested to see how that would pan out if there is a yes vote in this stupid referendum next year (would also like to know how much that vanity exercise is costing that could be spent better elsewhere).

Rhiannon,

Why not they do now.

"people shouldn't be going on holiday if they are reliant on benefits. Particularly foreign holidays. It serves absolutely no purpose."

Woah! This is a really dangerous attitude!

We are not talking about people who are put of work and currently claiming job seekers (they are already restricted from leaving the UK).

If this applies to everyone on UC, then we are talking about hard-working people on low wages (teaching assistants in our DC's schools for example) - anyone who currently gets assistance with housing benefit or through tax credits to top up their wages.

Why shouldn't a Teaching Assistant get to go on holiday?

Freedom of movement is a basic human right. If this applies to all on UC, then they are talking about restricting the freedom of movement for everyone on low wages basically, that's really serious.