For as long as I can remember, and probably a long time before that, ‘our ageing society’ has been a ubiquitous phrase. Despite recent wobbles, life expectancy is far higher than it was a couple of generations ago, and more …
I was delighted to be appointed to the Social Security Advisory Committee (SSAC) in January 2026. SSAC is an independent statutory body that provides impartial advice on social security related matters. It scrutinises the majority of complex secondary legislation that underpins …
It feels slightly surreal to be writing this. After eight years as the Wales member of the Social Security Advisory Committee (SSAC), I’m stepping away. That’s long enough for the role to stop being “new” and start feeling like part …
The Social Security Advisory Committee (SSAC) exists to provide impartial advice to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and the wider ministerial team on the social security system. As part of our independent work programme we have just …
The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) laid emergency regulations last week to ensure that people recently evacuated by the government from Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories could apply for means-tested, disability and carer benefits straight away. Without these …
It is not uncommon that the Social Security Advisory Committee's recommendations, while not wholly accepted at the time they are made, feature in some shape or form in policy announcements in the years that follow. The Secretary of State for …
I joined the Social Security Advisory Committee (SSAC) in January 2025 and it is an extremely rewarding role. We get involved in many aspects of the welfare system, not just scrutinising secondary legislation but receiving updates on various aspects of …
I joined the Social Security Advisory Committee (SSAC) in 2014 as an academic with twenty years research and teaching expertise in social security law, alongside ten years as Executive Director of the Law Centre Northern Ireland. While all of this …
I grew up in a first-generation immigrant household, and having experiences of homelessness and disability within our family, we were supported by social security benefits which provided a stepping stone out of poverty, but also demonstrated to me some of …
I never had a misspent youth. As a student I spent my Saturday mornings volunteering on a Durham market stall containing (then) DHSS[1] leaflets, answering basic queries and offering appointments for more complex issues. Not knowing what I wanted to …