The Work and Pensions Committee has announced its first oral evidence session in its inquiry into simplifying the UK benefits system, to take place Wednesday 2 May 2007, in the Grimond Room, Portcullis House.
Particular areas of interest are likely to include:

• the consequences of historical benefit changes and reform on the current system;
• the effectiveness of current communications between the relevant executive agencies and claimants;
• issues surrounding the delivery of three ‘types’ of benefit in the system – means tested, universal and contributory;
• the consequences of the current system on incentives and disincentives to work;
• the effectiveness of the Benefits Simplification Unit, progress of the DWP Simplification Plan and implications of the Freud review;
• case study examples to illustrate the reality of a complex benefits landscape in terms of application for, interrelation of and communication about benefits; and
• international examples, where benefit systems have been reformed and/or developed to retain relative simplicity.

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