It may be tempting to think that all that matters in the benefits system is getting the level of entitlements right for different benefits; that once you make sure that the values of different benefits are enough to live on, and appropriately reflect the different needs of different household types, then the job’s done.

But setting the values of different benefits is only the first part of making the benefits system work. This part of the book is about making sure that the right people get paid the right amount at the right time.

This part of the book addresses five key themes. The first is how well the benefits system determines who should receive support on account of ill health or disability. This includes (in Chapter 15) the effectiveness of assessments of ill health and disability for the purposes of awarding benefits such as Employment and Support Allowance and the Personal Independence Payment.

Second, even if it has been determined that a claimant is entitled to receive a certain amount of benefit paid at a certain rate, this doesn’t necessarily mean that they receive the right amount at the time when they need it. Problems with the administration of the benefits system frequently mean that money gets paid late or not at all, or, as discussed in Chapter 16, that overpayments of benefit lead to families getting into serious and unavoidable benefit debt.

Third, there is a question of whether there are circumstances under which payments of benefit should stop or be reduced. Chapter 17 considers the application of benefit sanctions, and raises concerns that too often decisions about sanctions are being made in the wrong way, and for the wrong reasons.

Fourth, this part of the book also considers whether it is best to administer certain benefits at a national or local government level. Chapter 18 looks in particular at two key forms of support that have recently been localised: Council Tax Benefit, and emergency aid now provided through Local Welfare Assistance schemes. There are both potential advantages and risks to local benefit administration, and we also discuss concerns that ‘localisation’ of benefits may be used as a way of passing across responsibility for cuts to provision from national to local government.