Tories Will Promise New Powers to Evict Gypsies

The Conservatives are to unveil tough measures to deal with illegal gypsy encampments, including setting up special magistrates courts that can order evictions on weekends and during the night, a Cabinet minister has indicated. Chris Grayling, the Justice Secretary, said that the issue of travellers occupying land “requires attention as soon as we get a Conservative government re-elected”. It is understood the Conservatives could pledge to appoint specialist magistrates who sit at short notice and out of hours so that councils can get rid of travellers. Senior Conservative MPs want the party in its manifesto to announce plans to create a new criminal offence of trespass. Read more on the Daily Telegraph website.

Universal Credit: National Roll-Out Delayed, Claims Labour

The national roll-out of the government's flagship universal credit scheme has been hit by fresh delays, Labour claims.  Six centres will begin taking universal credit claims from October - in addition to four other centres already trialling the new system.  The government had initially planned to make it available to for all new claimants from that date.  But in 2011, then welfare minister Chris Grayling told MPs that, from October 2013, "all new claims for out-of-work support would be treated as claims to universal credit".  The aim was then to get all existing claimants moved across to the new system between April 2014 and October 2017. Read more on the BBC website.

Criminalise Squatting In Commercial Premises, Say Tory MPs

It could soon be chucking out time at the Black Bull. The disused inn, around the corner from Chelsea's football ground in south-west London, has been occupied by squatters for two weeks. The landlord wants his property back and the Ministry of Justice says it is considering whether to criminalise the squatting of commercial properties.  Tory MP Mike Weatherley, who represents Hove and Portslade in East Sussex, has met the justice secretary, Chris Grayling, to press him on the matter.  Most squatting, he said, was not about homelessness, as it was carried out by "web-savvy and educated" young people. Guidance provided to the police already warned they should be careful charging people if "there are genuinely homeless people involved".  Read more on the Guardian website.

Universal Credit – Parliamentary Written Answer

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 24 April 2012, Official Report, column 794W, on universal credit, what options he is considering to ensure that universal credit is payable to people without a bank account.

Chris Grayling: Wherever possible, universal credit will be paid directly into a claimant's bank or building society account. Facilities such as direct debits and standing orders are important tools for helping claimants to managing their benefit payments and for gaining access to discounts for household bills which are especially important for those on low incomes. We are working with a range of banking and financial product providers to encourage more claimants to use a bank account for managing their earnings and benefit income.  For those claimants who cannot access any form of bank account the Department has signed a seven year contract with Citibank, working in partnership with PayPoint to provide a new Simple Payment service as an alternative to cheque payments. The Simple Payment service is based on the electronic transfer of funds in the same way that the BACS system works for direct payment into a bank/building society account and has been designed specifically for those people who are unable to make use of mainstream bank accounts.

Spare Rooms – Parliamentary Oral Answer

Emma Reynolds (Wolverhampton North East) (Lab): Many of my constituents have raised concerns with me about the forthcoming bedroom tax, especially given the lack of affordable alternative housing in Wolverhampton. Specifically, can the Secretary of State reassure me that individuals or families with disabilities who are in adapted housing, and who have waited some time to secure it, will not be subject to reductions in their housing benefit as of April next year?
Chris Grayling: We have ensured that local authorities have a substantial amount of money in discretionary funds to take into account the kind of situation that the hon. Lady describes, but the reality is that in the social rented sector we have about 1 million spare rooms, and at a time when people are queuing up on waiting lists throughout the country, it makes no sense for the taxpayer to pay for that.