People due to retire this year could boost New State Pension payments by over £600

Adult Disability Payment and Child Disability Payment are new health benefits replacing Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and Disability Living Allowance for Children (DLA for Child) for existing claimants living in Scotland. The devolved benefits provide financial support for young children and those between 16 and State Pension age, who are disabled, have a long-term health condition or a terminal illness.

The final report from the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) on its independent investigation into changes made to the State Pension age is expected to be published early this year. However, Labour MP Alistair Strathern, has asked the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) if any recent assessment of the “potential merits of compensating women born in the 1950s affected by changes to State Pension age legislation” has been made.

State Pension payments are due to rise by 8.5 per cent and most benefits by 6.7 per cent in April, however, many people may not be aware that the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) will implement the annual uprating on two separate dates. New HMRC payment rates for 2024/25 will start from April 6 while DWP rates will begin on April 8.

Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) figures indicate that fraud and error in the benefit system is falling after the UK Government restated its determination to drive levels down further and protect taxpayers’ money. The latest national statistics show that in the 2022/23 financial year, fraud and error rates fell to 3.6 per cent (£8.3 billion) from 4.0 per cent (£8.7 billion).

Road House remake yesterday, along with the debut poster, and now we can reveal that the Doug Lyman-directed film will open this year’s SXSW festival in Austin, Texas. We also have the first trailer for the film which you can check out below.Led by Jake Gyllenhaal, the film features Daniela Melchior, Billy Magnussen, Jessica Williams, Joaquim de Almeida, Conor McGregor, Lukas Gage, Arturo Castro, B.K.

The latest statistics from the Stroke Association indicate that there are 1.3million stroke survivors across the UK. The charity’s research also suggests 100,000 people have a stroke each year and that someone will suffer a cerebrovascular accident (stroke) or a transient ischaemic attack (TIA) - often referred to as a ‘mini-stroke’ - every five minutes.

Pension experts at Spencer Churchill are urging older women, mostly in their 60s and 70s, to be on the lookout for letters from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) regarding State Pension arrears payments worth around £5,000. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) recently confirmed that HMRC has issued thousands of letters to older people who may have Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP) missing from their National Insurance (NI) record.

Millions of people claiming their State Pension can look forward to a bumper income boost this year when payments rise by 8.5 per cent from April 8, 2024. Under the wages growth measure of the Triple Lock policy, those on the full New Sate Pension can expect an annual increase of £902, while those on the full Basic (or Old) State Pension will see an uplift of £692).

The Notorious B.I.G’s estate has settled a lawsuit over some iconic photos of the late rapper at the World Trade Centre.In 1996, late photographer Chi Modu took the photos of Biggie – real name Christopher Wallace. The images, which show the rapper in front of the World Trade Centre towers, were taken five years before the September 11 attacks in New York City.At the filing of the initial lawsuit in 2019, Biggie’s estate claimed Modu was illegally licensing the photos for use on such things as shower curtains and NFTs “in complete disregard for BIG’s rights.” The photographer passed away in 2021.In 2022, a judge ruled that images used in this way on such merchandise did likely violated the rapper’s likeness rights.Now, this week, Billboard reported that Staci Jennifer Trager, who represented The Notorious B.I.G.’s estate, announced that a settlement has been reached regarding the lawsuit on January 18.While the terms of the settlement were not made public, Trager said the resolution was between Biggie’s children and Modu’s widow who are all executors of the estates of the deceased artists. “Pictures of Christopher cannot be commercially exploited without a license from our client,” Trager said.

The latest figures from the Scottish Government indicate there are around 850,000 people living in Scotland with some form of hearing loss and of those, 70 per cent are over 70 - some 595,000. Across Great Britain, there are believed to be 12 million adults living with a hearing condition or deafness, however, just 44,838 of them are receiving extra financial support through Personal Independence Payment (PIP), Adult Disability Payment (ADP) or Attendance Allowance.

The Uk Government has announced further details on its plans to ensure parents and carers are able to claim National Insurance (NI) credits for years where they have not claimed Child Benefit. This will help more people to fill gaps in their National Insurance record to claim more State Pension in retirement.

R.E.M., Steely Dan, Timbaland, and songwriters Dean Pitchford (“Footloose”) and Hillary Lindsey (“Jesus Take The Wheel”) are this year’s inductees into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, the organization announced today.

A new online petition is calling for the UK Government to reform the State Pension system and link the payment rate to the National Living Wage. Petition creator Michael Thompson, also proposes making a ‘universal State Pension’ available to everyone over the age of 60, worth £549.12 each week - equivalent to 47 hours at the National Living Wage rate.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has confirmed that HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has issued thousands of letters to older people who may have been underpaid their State Pension due to missing information on their National Insurance (NI) record. The issue affects mostly women in their 60s and 70s who may have Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP) missing from their NI record.

Thousands of people in receipt of Personal Independence Payments (PIP) could be due arrears from as far back as April 2016, following a recent change to the assessment rules or the Daily Living component around the definition of ‘social support’. Around 284,000 existing PIP claimants and those who may have had heir claim rejected, are being urged to contact the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), if they think they may have been affected.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has published online guidance for next of kin, or an executor of someone’s estate, on requesting information about State Pension underpayments - worth up to an average of £112,383 - for someone who has died. DWP explained that changes have been made to “provide further clarity” on the situations when people should contact them, if they believe an underlayment may have occurred.

Millions of older people in receipt of the New or Basic State Pension are set for another significant increase this year after Chancellor Jeremy Hunt confirmed that payments will rise by 8.5 per cent from April 8, 2024. This means that someone on the full New State Pension will see payments go up from £203.85 per week to £221.20 and as payments are typically made every four weeks, this amounts to £884.80 each pay period.

Ariana Madix is putting Le Scandoval behind her!

The Scottish Government recently announced a new devolved disability payment designed to provide additional financial support for people of State Pension age will not include a mobility component. However, it has also confirmed the new benefit will not include any face-to-face assessments as part of the application process.

21 Savage has unveiled a new trailer for his upcoming biopic – starring appearances from Donald Glover and Caleb McLaughlin. Check it out below.The forthcoming project is titled American Dream: The 21 Savage Story and is set to follow the life and career of the rapper, as well as the struggles he has faced along the way.In the new trailer, three generations of 21 Savage are depicted, each “in the heat of a personal crisis” at that stage in his life.