Housing Benefit Questions (HB, LHA, DSS)

[jpkeates]

MOT tests are slightly different as the term “MOT” is still used in the legislation so is still the official term even though the Ministry of Transport hasn’t existed since 1970.

My point is that the government hasn't changed the name because everyone calls it an MOT and they don't think that would change even if they renamed it.

I think LHA is still in use as LHA rates are still in use to determine how much someone can claim.

My point was that LHA is not a term in common use, and most people wouldn't have a clue what it was.
I agree it's the correct term - but most people wouldn't know what it stood for without working it out from the context.

[DoricPixie]

My point is that the government hasn't changed the name because everyone calls it an MOT and they don't think that would change even if they renamed it.

It isn’t just a case of rebranding though it would be a case of changing legislation.

My point was that LHA is not a term in common use, and most people wouldn't have a clue what it was.
I agree it's the correct term - but most people wouldn't know what it stood for without working it out from the context.

The purpose of this thread was to encourage the use of correct terms and not to continue using the out-dated term “DSS”.

[jpkeates]

It isn’t just a case of rebranding though it would be a case of changing legislation.

I know.
And the reason that they didn't change the legislation when they had to change loads of other terminology is because they decided that it was easier to stick with the term that everyone was using than to try and change the usage in the general population.

Let me try another example - the pronunciation of Braun the makers of razors is problematic in English, because it's correctly pronounced "brown", but they don't advertise that in England, they pronounce their brand "brawn" - because that's how everyone in England pronounces it, and it's easier to use the popular term rather than try and educate the masses.

Similarly, Nike doesn't advertise itself as "nike-ee" in the US, because everyone pronounces it to rhyme with bike, and it's too hard to change people's minds.

The purpose of this thread was to encourage the use of correct terms and not to continue using the out-dated term “DSS”.

But it isn't outdated.
It's in use all the time and everyday.

Shelter's campaign to make discrimination because of benefits illegal was called "Stop DSS Discrimination", for example.

It's not technically correct, but it's commonplace.

[boletus]

But it isn't outdated.
It's in use all the time and everyday.

Exactly, it is common parlance.

People with questions about it use it in their searches. Removing it from the board title would do more harm than any 'good'.

[DoricPixie]

People pronouncing Nike to rhyme with bike has always irritated me. The Greek Goddess of Victory’s name does not rhyme with bike! Grrrr!

I don’t know the reasons as to why MOT is still the term officially used in the legislation, maybe it is because people are used to it, it was way before my time. I wasn’t even a twinkle in my father’s eye when the Ministry of Transport ceased to exist.

DSS is still different though in my opinion as it isn’t still used in legislation and it is only seemingly a small minority of people continuing to use the archaic term rather than try to convince all of ‘Murica that Nike does not rhyme with bike.

[jpkeates]

I don’t know the reasons as to why MOT is still the term officially used in the legislation, maybe it is because people are used to it, it was way before my time. I wasn’t even a twinkle in my father’s eye when the Ministry of Transport ceased to exist.

I do keep telling you.
It was decided to keep the name MOT explicitly so as not to confuse people who'd got used to calling it an MOT.

Something they've looked at and arrived at the same conclusion several times since.

It's not some theory of mine, it's what happened.

DSS is still different though in my opinion as it isn’t still used in legislation and it is only seemingly a small minority of people continuing to use the archaic term.

The judgement (and the judge) that made it illegal to discriminate by having a "no DSS" policy framed it using that specific phrase.

There are more than 900 hits searching for it on the Shelter website, and they've added "No DSS" and "DSS" as search terms to guide people to pages that discuss benefits but otherwise wouldn't be found doing a search because the text DSS is (quite correctly) not used on the page.

They do that because that's what people search for.

[DoricPixie]

jpkeates,

You can keep telling me but that doesn’t alter that comparing MOT to DSS is like comparing apples with oranges. You still get MOT test centres whereas you do not still get DSS offices. Some of us are not old enough to have ever stepped foot in a DSS office, branch or whatever they were called.

The Shelter website only returned 28 results for me and as nukecad points out, most people have moved on except for a few in the PRS.

[Mrs Mug]

Some of us are not old enough to have ever stepped foot in a DSS office, branch or whatever they were called.

I'm old enough to have stepped into a DHSS office, and that's what I still call it.

[JK0]

I'm old enough to have stepped into a DHSS office, and that's what I still call it.

Do you remember the nickname?

Department of Stealth and Total Obscurity.

[Mrs Mug]

Do you remember the nickname?

No. I'm old, don't remember that.

[DoricPixie]

I'm old enough to have stepped into a DHSS office, and that's what I still call it.

Ok Boomer

(The above is said firmly with tongue in cheek)