Private pensions cold calling, including emails and text messages, is to be banned.The Westminster government has today confirmed new measures to protect private pension savers from the threat of unscrupulous pension scammers. Continue reading Tough new measures to protect savers from pension scams
New report examines evidence of impact in Scotland
Social Security Minister Jeane Freeman says that women, disabled people and young people would be those disproportionately affected by damaging UK Government welfare cuts.The Minister was commenting on a Scottish Government report detailing the impact of UK Government welfare cuts on people across Scotland published yesterday.
The statutory report, which was submitted to the Scottish Parliament, estimates the impact of all welfare measures passed by the UK Government between 2010 and 2017 drawing upon independent analysis by the Office for Budget Responsibility.
Based on the latest forecasts, it is expected that the UK Government annual social security spend in Scotland will reduce by £3.9 billion by 2020/21. In addition, hundreds of thousands of people have lost or will lose some of their benefit payments.
Local authority level analysis suggests that West Dunbartonshire, North Ayrshire, Dundee, Inverclyde and North Lanarkshire will see the most significant falls in welfare spending by 2020/21 relative to their working-age population size.
Social Security Minister Jeane Freeman said: “This report presents the stark reality of the UK Government’s austerity programme which imposes unjust welfare cuts that not only continue to cause misery and push more people into poverty, but also directly affect local economies across Scotland and attract international criticism.
“These cuts are damaging our people and they are harmful to our communities. Every pound taken away from those entitled to financial support not only affects those individuals and their families, it is also a pound less that is spent locally.
“Shockingly, with many of the harshest cuts still to come, the reforms will reduce spending on welfare in Scotland by nearly £4 billion a year by the end of this decade. This is in addition to the 9.2% (or £2.9 billion) real terms cuts between 2010-11 and 2019-20 that the Scottish Government will see in the day-to-day budget that pays for public services – and that is before the further £3.5 billion of cuts that are expected to be applied to public spending across the UK in 2019-20.
“That will obviously have an impact on the amount of money the Scottish Government has available within its budget to spend. And while we have used over £350 million since 2013/14 to mitigate against the worst damage, it is simply not possible to for us to mitigate all of the UK Government’s welfare cuts without major reductions in our expenditure in other vital public services, in growing our economy and in providing real opportunity to our young people
“The UK Government is responsible for all of this damage to individual lives and local communities and we will continue to use every opportunity to press the UK Government to reverse these unjust policies. They need to recognise that social security is the foundation of a just and decent society and that everyone, no matter their social or economic status, deserves to be treated fairly and with dignity and respect. ”
Yesterday the Scottish Government laid regulations in the Scottish Parliament to help people by making their Universal Credit payments more flexible.
The regulations, which represent the first use of the new devolved social security powers, will give Universal Credit claimants in Scotland the option of :
Welcoming this, Ms Freeman continued: “We have consistently said the new social security system in Scotland will treat everyone with dignity, fairness and respect. Introducing this flexible approach to Universal Credit demonstrates this and I look forward to the new regulations coming into force and making life that little bit easier for a number of people.”
The flexibilities will come in to force on 4 October 2017 and, because Universal credit remains a reserved UK Government benefit, will be delivered by the DWP on behalf of the Scottish Government.
This year the Scottish Government will spend around £454 million on measures that either directly mitigate the changes introduced by the Act or are part of wider measures tackling poverty in Scotland.
Scottish Ministers are required by the Scottish Parliament to report annually on the Welfare Reform (Further Provision) (Scotland) Act 2012.
The report is published here: http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2017/06/6808
Following this publication, a series of shorter reports will be published later this year focusing on groups who are particularly affected by UK Government welfare cuts. The reports will cover the impact on children and families, people with disabilities and the impact of welfare reform on homes and housing.
Universal Credit remains a reserved benefit. In January the Scottish Government committed to introducing flexibilities for Universal Credit. More detail can be found here: https://news.gov.scot/news/scottish-flexibilities-for-universal-credit
The Universal Credit (Claims and Payments) (Scotland) Regulations 2017 can be viewed here: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/
The Scottish Government’s also today published its response to the Consultation on Universal Credit (Claims and Payments) (Scotland) Regulations 2017, which can be viewed here: http://gov.scot/Publications/2017/06/8512
Continue reading Westminster welfare cuts ‘damaging our people’
Over the last year Voluntary Action Scotland (led by Volunteer Glasgow and Trust Volunteering Inverclyde), Department of Work and Pensions and the wider TSI (third sector interface) network have been collaborating on making it easier for those who claim welfare benefits to volunteer. Continue reading Guidance for benefits claimants who volunteer
Thousands of people with direct personal experience of the current benefits system have signed up to help shape the delivery of benefits in Scotland’s new social security system. As recruitment comes to a close, the latest volunteer figures for the Experience Panels stand at 2,335 – far in excess of the minimum 2,000 initially sought after – and applications will still be accepted over the next few weeks. Continue reading Still time to sign on to benefits Experience Panel
“The squeeze will be felt most by families with children, young people and those who have already been hardest hit by continuing UK Government austerity” – Social Security Minister Jeane Freeman
Families with children will be among those worst affected by UK welfare changes coming into effect, Scotland’s Social Security Minister has said. A number of UK Government changes come in to force yesterday which will cut the benefits people in Scotland are entitled to.
Continue reading Scottish Government acts to protect families hit by welfare changes
New arrangements to support people who receive benefits and the long term employed come into effect today. The devolution of powers through the Scotland Act 2016 now has employability services delivered by the Scottish Government with 12 month transitional arrangements set to launch on Monday. Continue reading Employability and social security legislation come into effect
New budgeting support for Universal Credit claimants
Money Advice Service’s Online Money Manager is an interactive tool that offers personalised advice on making the most of your money while you’re on Universal Credit. It offers help and advice on a range of money topics including opening a bank account, keeping on top of bills and dealing with debt.
Scottish politicians have reacted angrily to news that more Jobcentre Plus offices are to close in Scotland. Holyrood’s Minister for Employability and Training Jamie Hepburn said the cuts are disproportionate while both Green MSP Alison Johnstone and North and Leith MP Deirdre Brock said the decision is ‘wrong-headed’.
Terri Smith is a Member of the Scottish Youth Parliament, where she represents Edinburgh Northern and Leith. She is also a young woman with health problems. Read her experience of facing a DWP appeal yesterday – and ask yourself what sort of country we’ve become …
I’ve never felt so belittled and demoralised in my life until today. I was in court this morning fighting against the DWP’s decision to declare me fit for work. Continue reading Our sick society?
Today Arbroath, Blairgowrie, Forfar, Montrose and Perth join the rest of Scotland’s jobcentres in offering Universal Credit to single jobseekers. Nearly 25,000 Scots are claiming Universal Credit and over 9,000 have moved into work under the new system, according to the Department of Work & Pensions.
The DWP says Universal Credit is designed to ensure people will be better off in work and the latest statistics show that people claiming it are finding work faster and earning more.
Those on Universal Credit are significantly more likely to find employment than those on Jobseeker’s Allowance and, for the first time ever, support is being offered to claimants to progress in their careers and increase their earnings.
Today, single jobseekers will be able to claim Universal Credit in:
The DWP has produced a short video about Universal Credit (below)
Universal Credit will eventually replace 6 existing benefits:
See the list of jobcentre areas where you can claim Universal Credit.
What’s your experience of Universal Credit? Let us know!
