Minimum Income Guarantee: Experts by Experience Panel report

Footnotes

Regular research on the Minimum Income Standard (MIS) produces budgets for different household types, based on what members of the public think is needed for a minimum acceptable standard of living in the UK. It is carried out by Loughborough University's Centre for Research in Social Policy (CRSP). The MIS informs the setting of the living wage.

panel members talked about fairness in relation to the Minimum Income Guarantee throughout the panel and during the development of this principle to mean:

1. A system that does not discriminate and is easy to access

2. A system that is fair to wider society. In general members meant this to mean avoiding financial implications through taxation on those who reach the Minimum Income Guarantee level through work as opposed to those who meet the level through payments.

3. A system that does not reproduce existing inequalities. This includes for example, ensuring that households where someone has a disability do not face any barriers or negative financial implications, and putting in safeguards against financial domestic abuse.

We understand this to mean that bespoke information should be available on entitlement to a Minimum Income Guarantee for any individual or household situation.

We understand this to mean that information about how to apply for a Minimum Income Guarantee should include information on the objectives of the Minimum Income Guarantee, information relating to any eligibility criteria, information explaining the benefits of the Minimum Income Guarantee, as well as information on the application process itself.