Tag: DWP

Scottish Government acts to protect families hit by welfare changes

“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

Employability and social security legislation come into effect

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 online money advice service from DWP

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.

Continue reading New online money advice service from DWP

Job Centre closures ‘wrong-headed’

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’.

Continue reading Job Centre closures ‘wrong-headed’

Our sick society?

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 …

terri Smith

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?

Universal Credit’s now Scotland-wide

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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:

  • Arbroath
  • Blairgowrie
  • Forfar
  • Montrose
  • Perth

The DWP has produced a short video about Universal Credit (below)

Universal Credit will eventually replace 6 existing benefits:

  • Jobseeker’s Allowance
  • Income Support
  • Employment and Support Allowance
  • Working Tax Credit
  • Child Tax Credits
  • Housing Benefit

See the list of jobcentre areas where you can claim Universal Credit.

What’s your experience of Universal Credit? Let us know!

Women hit hardest by welfare reforms

‘inequalities faced by women have been exacerbated by the welfare reform agenda’ – Clare Adamson MSP

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Women are being hit hard on multiple fronts by changes to the benefits system, according to a report published by Holyrood’s Welfare Reform Committee today.

The Committee found women are ‘disproportionately impacted’ by welfare reform across a range of issues and benefits. Its report includes recommendations to the Scottish Government and Department of Work and Pensions, aimed at mitigating the impact of welfare reform on women, including:

  • An integrated approach to job seeking support across health, housing and social care, to better meet the needs of women.
  • To tackle the greater dependence of women on the benefits system due to low pay and insecure employment, the Committee calls for better measures to close the gender pay gap and end occupational segregation.

Committee Convener Michael McMahon MSP, said: “The evidence we have set out confirms the devastating impact on women of the UK Government’s reforms to the social security system. Of particular concern is the cumulative impact on women hit by multiple benefits cuts, from child support to carer’s allowance.

“The UK Government urgently needs to look at how women are being affected by these changes and we are also calling on the Scottish Government to look at the gender impact of their own policy decisions.”

Deputy Convener Clare Adamson MSP, said: ““Our report shows inequalities faced by women in Scotland have been exacerbated by the welfare reform agenda. With the Scotland Bill still making its way through Westminster and the Chancellor set to announce even deeper cuts to welfare spending, the Committee is urging the Scottish Government to make use of expected new powers over welfare to help mitigate more of the negative impact of welfare reform on women.

“The Committee would, for instance, support a move away from monthly and single household payments under Universal Credit, as a way of protecting women’s financial autonomy.”

The report will come as no surprise to many, but perhaps of more concern is the scale of cuts still to come: Chancellor George Osborne is expected to announce a further £12 billion of welfare ‘savings’ in his budget on Wednesday.

Welfare Minister Margaret Burgess said more women could be pushed into poverty and disproportionately affected by social security reforms if the UK Government cuts £12 billion from its welfare budget.

Commenting on the Scottish Parliament’s Welfare Reform Committee’s Women and Social Security report Mrs Burgess expressed her fears that the UK Government’s emergency budget would only deepen the gender inequalities highlighted in the findings.

The report backed Scottish Government recommendations on payment flexibilities under Universal Credit and it also highlighted the need for gender impacts to be factored into any policy decisions.

Mrs Burgess will meet women at One Parent Families Scotland in Glasgow today  to hear their views on how the Scottish Government can create a Fairer Scotland. This comes on the same day as Barnardo’s Scotland and the Scottish Government joined forces to call a halt to proposed cuts.

Mrs Burgess said: “It is alarming to see that women have been disproportionately affected by the UK Government’s benefits cuts and are twice as dependent on social security than men. I am deeply concerned that the UK Government’s £12 billion cuts will only widen this gap.

“With our new powers we will create a fairer and simpler social security system that aims to tackle gender and other inequalities. However we need to know how the UK Government’s cost cutting will affect benefits that are to be devolved.

“Organisations like One Parent Families Scotland and Barnardo’s Scotland see the effects of social security changes on the groups the report highlights as being particularly vulnerable, on a day to day basis, and are rightly concerned about the devastating impact further cuts could have on children.

“We welcome the Committee’s recommendations over Universal Credit and sanctions, and we will continue to do all we can to break down the barriers that prevent women from entering into work.

“Over the next few months we’ll be listening to the people affected by the UK Government’s welfare changes and cuts and, will be making sure we get the views of women on how we can create a system that suits their needs.

“Despite challenges from the UK Government we are tackling poverty head on. Our new Independent Adviser on Poverty and Inequality will be looking at what more we can do to lift people out of poverty, we have invested £296 million in welfare mitigation measures, extended our childcare and are encouraging employers to pay the Living Wage.”

Last week the children’s commissioners for Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland warned in a report to the United Nations that government austerity measures had failed to protect the most vulnerable children. The report said the £12bn of planned cuts would have the biggest effect on the 2.3 million children in the UK estimated to be living in poverty.

Food bank fear factor: Holyrood committee ‘surprised and saddened’

‘It is a sad state of affairs when vulnerable people are frightened to engage with the very system that is supposed to offer them support and care.’ – Michael McMahon MSP

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Evidence that shows the link between the UK Government’s welfare reform and an increase in the use of food banks has been sent to Scotland Office Minister David Mundell MP by the Scottish Parliament’s Welfare Reform Committee.

This follows a call from Mr Mundell to show him evidence of the impact of these policies after he expressed doubt that an increase in food bank use was as a direct result of welfare reform.

Much of this evidence has now been forwarded to UK Ministers and the Department of Work and Pensions – but many benefit claimants declined to send in their cases  for fear that they might be subject to unfair treatment and reprisals from the DWP if their identity is revealed.

Committee Convener Michael McMahon MSP said: “The Welfare Reform Committee has amassed a growing volume of evidence documenting the impact of welfare reform on Scotland’s communities. We have now sent a further batch of evidence to Mr Mundell and the DWP. However, what we discovered during the course of our enquiries has surprised and saddened us. It is a sad state of affairs when vulnerable people are frightened to engage with the very system that is supposed to offer them support and care.”

Deputy Convener, Clare Adamson MSP said: “UK Government ministers continue to turn a blind eye to the appalling impact that their welfare policies are having on some of the most vulnerable members of society. We have now provided Mr Mundell and the DWP with irrefutable evidence that benefits cuts and sanctions are driving people in ever greater numbers to seek the assistance of food banks and other charities.”

The Background:

  • Committee’s letter to Rt Hon David Mundell MP.
  • David Mundell MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Scotland, gave evidence to the Committee on 3 February 2015 link to official report.
  • The Committee first evidenced the link between welfare reform and food bank use in its report, published in June 2014.
  • The Committee has submitted a file of evidence to Mr Mundell and the DWP. To protect identities, this information is not being published. The Committee received evidence from a number of housing and third sector organisations acting on behalf of their clients, and MSPs on the Committee also brought forward case studies involving their constituents. Evidence includes benefits recipients who have been sanctioned and individuals whose benefits payments has been subject to delay, all of which has led to an increased demand on food bank services.

 

EU jobseekers barred from claiming Universal Credit

‘Universal Credit is a new benefit that will make work pay and help lift people out of poverty and it is already transforming lives’ – Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith

job centre

New EU migrants who have arrived in the UK will be prevented from claiming benefits until they have started work. The new regulations, introduced yesterday, mean that under Universal Credit no EU households will be able to access means-tested benefits in the UK without having worked here first.

Action has already been taken to halve the amount of time EU jobseekers can claim Jobseeker’s Allowance, Child Benefit and Child Tax Credit and means that if they don’t have a job after 3 months they will lose their right to reside in the UK. New migrant jobseekers are also now unable to claim Housing Benefit.

These tough new rules are part of the government’s long-term economic plan to protect the benefits system and ensure EU migrants come to this country for the right reasons and to contribute to the economy.

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Work and Pensions Secretary, Iain Duncan Smith (above) said:

“Universal Credit is a new benefit that will make work pay and help lift people out of poverty and it is already transforming lives.

“As part of the government’s long-term economic plan we have led the way with a series of measures to tackle abuses, tighten immigration routes, and toughen up the rules on access to UK benefits – and we have seen other European countries follow our lead and take similar action.

“Our new rules for Universal Credit will ensure we have a fair system where people cannot claim means tested benefits until they have worked.”

The department is abolishing 6 existing income-related benefits:

  • Jobseeker’s Allowance
  • Employment and Support Allowance
  • Housing Benefit
  • Income Support
  • Child Tax Credit
  • Working Tax Credits

The Westminster government has introduced a number of measures to make sure that the benefit and tax credit system for EU migrants is increasingly focused only on those who contribute through work:

  • all EU jobseekers need to live in the country for at least 3 months before they can claim income-based JSA, Child Benefit and Child Tax Credit
  • after 3 months, jobseekers have to take a stronger, more robust Habitual Residence Test if they want to claim income-based JSA
  • after 3 months on Jobseeker’s Allowance, they have a ‘genuine prospect of work’ test – if they do not have an imminent job offer they will lose their benefits and their right to reside in the UK as a jobseeker
  • new migrant jobseekers from the EU are no longer able to claim Housing Benefit
  • migrants from the EU who claim to have been in work or self-employed in order to gain access to a wider range of benefits now face a new robust test to decide whether they should be considered a worker or ex-worker with a minimum earnings threshold.