Scottish Government – Page 209 – The NEN

SARCS: Rape and sexual assault support service launched

Improving healthcare choices and support

A marketing campaign has been launched to ensure people know about a dedicated national NHS service that offers choices in healthcare, forensic examination and support after a rape or sexual assault.

The national service, which is to be implemented across all health boards, will allow those aged 16 and over to self-refer for a forensic health examination at a Sexual Assault Response Coordination Service (SARCS), whether or not they wish to report to the police.

Funding of £11.7 million has been invested by the Scottish Government alongside the unanimous passing of Forensic Medical Services Act 2021 by Parliament. This money has gone towards creating healthcare facilities for examinations across all health boards, to recruit more specialist staff and set up a single point of contact for self-referral through NHS 24.

The campaign which will run across digital channels and outdoor advertising sites encourages people who have experienced a sexual crime to visit the NHS Inform website for information to help them decide the best next step for them.

Chief Medical Officer, Professor Sir Gregor Smith said: “It is very important that everyone knows about this service and while I hope that people will never need to use it, for those that do, knowing where to turn for support and information is a vital part of giving them back control.

“This legislation marks an important step in ensuring that those who have experienced a sexual assault have access to healthcare and support, even if they don’t feel ready to report it to the police.

“The campaign will be running over the next few months to raise awareness of the Sexual Assault Response Coordination Service (SARCS), to help improve the experience of those who have suffered a sexual crime.”

Jennifer Wilson, Nurse Director for NHS Ayrshire & Arran added: “Improving healthcare services for victims of sexual offences is a priority for NHS Ayrshire & Arran.

“We are committed to the Taskforce vision of consistent, person-centred, trauma-informed healthcare and forensic medical services and access to recovery, for anyone who has experienced rape or sexual assault in Scotland.

“With the launch of the FMS Act and the National Self-Referral Service we can now offer local services to victims of sexual assault who require a Forensic Medical Examination (FME) and who do not wish to, or are not yet ready to report this to the Police.

“This is a vital part of improving services for victims of sexual assault and making sure that timely healthcare support, including a forensic medical examination, is available to victims of rape and sexual assault in a way that is sensitive, compassionate and reduces the risk of any re-traumatisation.”

Sandy Brindley, Chief Executive of Rape Crisis Scotland said: “This is a huge step forward in improving responses to rape in Scotland. Immediately following rape or sexual assault can be a really difficult time to make a decision about whether to report what has happened to the police, but there are time limits involved in being able to capture forensic evidence.

“Self-referral means that if someone doesn’t feel ready to make the decision about reporting they can ensure all the evidence is captured and make the decision when they are ready.”

Truss: We will not rest until Putin fails and Ukraine prevails

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss gave a speech at the British Embassy in Poland about stepping up our efforts to stop Putin’s appalling war in Ukraine

Welcome to the British Embassy in Warsaw. It’s good to have the opportunity to hear from my friend and colleague Dmytro Kuleba, the Ukrainian Foreign Minister at what is an extremely difficult time.

What we have seen on the streets of Irpin and Bucha are scenes that we will never forget. We have seen butchery, evidence of rape and sexual violence as well as the indiscriminate killing of civilians.

We will ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice for these barbaric crimes. And together with our allies we will step up our efforts to stop Putin’s appalling war.

Three weeks ago, the UK led 41 states to refer these atrocities to the International Criminal court. We are providing additional funding to the ICC.

The UK military and police are providing technical assistance to the investigations. And the Metropolitan Police War Crimes unit have commenced the collection of evidence. We are working very closely with the Ukrainian government on this.

We have appointed former ICC judge Sir Howard Morrison as an independent adviser to the Ukrainian prosecutor general.

And today, I can announce that we are launching a £10 million civil society fund to support organisations in Ukraine, including those helping the victims of conflict-related sexual violence.

We will not rest until these criminals have been brought to justice.

We are clear that after these appalling crimes Russia has no place on the Human Rights Council.

And it is the responsibility of the UK and our allies – and that is what Dymtro and I discussed today – to step up our support for our brave Ukrainian friends. That means more weapons and more sanctions. Putin must lose in Ukraine.

Later this week, the G7 Foreign Ministers and the NATO Foreign Ministers will meet. We need to announce a tough new wave of sanctions.

The reality is that money is still flowing from the West into Putin’s war machine, and that has to stop.

In Brussels, I’ll be working with our partners to go further as has been advocated by Dmytro in banning Russian ships from our ports, in cracking down on Russian banks, in going after new industries filling Putin’s war chest like gold, and agreeing a clear timetable to eliminate our imports of Russian oil, gas and coal.

We also need even more weapons of the type the Ukrainians are asking for.

The UK is supplying more including next-generation light anti-tank weapons, Javelin Missiles and Starstreak anti-aircraft systems. And last week, we hosted a donor conference with our allies to secure more.

The fact is that being tough is the only approach that will work. Putin has escalated this war.

And this approach is vital to ensuring he loses in Ukraine, and that we see a full withdrawal of Russian troops and Ukraine’s hand is strengthened at the negotiating table.

There should be no talk of removing sanctions whilst Putin’s troops are in Ukraine and the threat of Russian aggression looms over Europe.

We need to see Putin withdraw his troops. We need to see Ukraine’s full territorial integrity restored. We need to see Russia’s ability for further aggression stopped. We need a plan to rebuild Ukraine. And we need to see justice done at the International Criminal Court.

Dmytro – we salute your bravery and the bravery of the Ukrainian people.

We are determined to help in whatever way we can. We will back you unwaveringly in your negotiations.

And together, we will not rest until Putin fails and Ukraine prevails.

Scotland: Strengthening sanctions on Russia

Public bodies in Scotland are being given advice on how to handle contract bids from companies linked to Russia.

To help strengthen economic sanctions imposed on Russia following the illegal invasion of Ukraine, guidance has been published on how to reject bids to procure a contract for goods or services from firms which are established in Russia and Belarus. This also applies to companies with substantial business operations in Russia, as well as those under the control of a person with links to the Russian regime.

Business Minister Ivan McKee said: “The Scottish Government has been clear since the beginning of the illegal invasion of Ukraine, that the business community has a moral responsibility to take economic action by reviewing operations for links and connections to Russia – and severing them where it is possible to do so.

“While it is up to the contracting authority as decision-maker to make an informed, rounded, case-specific assessment, this guidance will ensure public bodies can exclude companies from new contracts, or terminate existing ones, if the bidder has connections to the Russian regime.”

Read the guidance in full here.

Scottish Child Payment doubles

104,000 children have payment increased to £20 per week

The flagship family payment – Scottish Child Payment – has now doubled to £20 per week per child. 104,000 children are already benefiting from this increase.

The payment, which is unique to Scotland, was designed to tackle child poverty head on. It is one of five family benefits which provides financial support to low income families with children aged under 6.

The benefit will be extended at the end of the year to all eligible children under the age of 16 – and at that point also increase further from £20 to £25.

Once extended, it is expected over 400,000 children could be eligible. The newly doubled Scottish Child Payment, together with the three Best Start Grant payments and Best Start Foods, will provide families with more than £10,000 by the time their first child turns 6 and £9,700 for subsequent children.

This compares to less than £1,800 for an eligible family’s first child in England and Wales, and less than £1,300 for subsequent children.

Visiting Glasgow based family charity Govan Help, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “We are using our social security powers to take immediate steps to put cash in the pockets of families by doubling the Scottish Child Payment to £20 per week per child – support not replicated anywhere else in the UK.

“This is a key part of our national mission to tackle child poverty. We will further increase this payment to £25 by the end of 2022 – five times the amount campaigners originally asked. This will gives families additional financial support of £1,300 for each eligible child every year. We will back this with investment of around £671 million over the next two years – just part of our package of support for families.

“Our Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan will also build on our investment in employment support for parents, through new skills and training opportunities and key worker support to help reduce household costs and drive longer term change.

“We are determined to give children the best start and a bright future by putting more money into the pockets of those who need it most. Increasing the Scottish Child Payment will make a real difference to families and help to build a more equal and fairer Scotland for everyone.”

Viv Sawers, Chief Officer at Govan Help, said: “This is a fantastic measure from Scottish Government in tackling Child Poverty in Scotland. The roll out and the uplift in Scottish Child Payment will have an incredible impact on the families across Scotland who need it most and we are delighted to see money going directly to families who we know are struggling to meet their basic cost of living.

“Govan has higher than average rates of Child Poverty so this will have a hugely positive impact on the quality of life for families in this local community. We see families struggling daily, they have told us what a difference this has made already with the cost of living increases, we look forward to supporting more families to access this as it rolls out to children up to age 16 later this year.

“We know parenting is a really hard job, without financial pressures, this funding will go a long way to removing stresses that can impact on healthy family functioning and wellbeing.”

Scottish Child Payment increased to £20 from Friday 1 April
Parents and carers do not need to reapply and will see their payments increase automatically
Social Security Scotland administers five benefits for families on tax credits and certain benefits. These include Best Start Grant Pregnancy and Baby Payment, Early Learning Payment, School Age Payment, Best Start Foods and Scottish Child Payment. Parents and carers can find out more and apply at mygov.scot or by calling 0800 182 2222
Ahead of extending the Scottish Child Payment to under 16s, the Scottish Government is set to invest £225 million this year (2022-23) in our Scottish Child Payment.
The Scottish Government is also putting around £150 million in the pockets of families through Bridging Payments to families of 145k children in receipt of free school meals across 2021 and 2022
The extension of Scottish Child Payment is subject to data on qualifying benefits being received from the Department of Work and Pensions
The Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan 2022-26 – Best Start, Bright Futures outlines actions to be taken to provide immediate support to children and families and to break the cycle of child poverty

Funding for local food initiatives

Projects that celebrate locally sourced and produced food and drink are being encouraged to apply for funding.

The Regional Food Fund aims to support the food and drink sector’s recovery from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic with £110,000 of Scottish Government funding.

The fund, managed by Scotland Food & Drink, provides grants of up to £5,000 to applicants across the country.

Last year the fund was allocated across 42 projects, which varied from helping regional food group producers in Argyll & Bute grow their sales, to supporting the expansion of the Bowhouse market in Fife to allow more local producers to showcase their food and drink offerings.

Mairi Gougeon, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Islands said: “This government is committed to supporting and promoting Scotland’s local produce, which is some of the finest in the world.

“I would encourage eligible groups and businesses to apply for this year’s Regional Food Fund.

“Since its launch in 2018, the Regional Food Fund has provided over £550,000 to 121 projects, and this additional funding will support many more projects and initiatives.”

Fiona Richmond, Head of Regional Food at Scotland Food & Drink, said: “The Regional Food Fund has already played an important role in promoting food and drink in local communities and delivering benefits to Scotland’s local food and drink sector over the long-term.

“It’s great to see the fund reopen and continuing to promote and encourage great local food initiatives by supporting regional activities, networks and collaborative initiatives across the country.”

Regional Food Fund information and application

Who can apply?

individual businesses in the food and drink sector, including primary producers, on behalf of a collaborative group or project
regional and community groups (both rural and urban)
individuals on behalf of a collaborative group or project

The deadline for applications is 5pm, 9 May 2022.

Employment support to improve lives

Further funding to provide a route out of poverty

Employability services to help those most at risk of long-term unemployment will receive up to £113 million of funding.

To deliver the ambitions set out in the National Strategy for Economic Transformation and the Child Poverty Delivery Plan, tailored services based on local needs will ensure the right help is given to ensure people are supported to move towards and into work.

The No One Left Behind approach – which includes the Young Person’s Guarantee – sees services funded through Local Employability Partnerships (LEPs) bringing together local government, Skills Development Scotland, Department for Work and Pensions, colleges, the third sector and other partners to provide support that meets both individual and labour market needs in each area. This is crucial to achieving shared aims around tackling poverty and inequalities.

The National Strategy for Economic Transformation aims to build a fairer and more equal society by ensuring economic transformation which tackles inequality, drives up working standards and improves pay. It also outlines how partnership working can support people into jobs by tackling labour market inequalities and unlocking Scotland’s economic potential.

Employment Minister Richard Lochhead said: “Redesigning services with the user in mind is part of the bold steps we’re taking to achieve the goals of the National Strategy for Economic Transformation.

“If delivering on our objectives involves change to get a better outcome for the people of Scotland, we won’t duck from that challenge.

“We have always been clear that No One Left Behind places people at the centre of employability services and support, to give them help tailored to their specific needs. I’m pleased that in 2022/23 we are able to invest up to £113 million to support those at risk of long-term unemployment.

“This investment will build on existing support to deliver more localised help around employability and skills to people most disadvantaged in the labour market. It will also align more closely with other local services in housing, justice, advice, and health.”

Read about the Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan here.

£25 million funding for drugs services

A total of 77 initiatives working with people affected by drug use are to receive awards totalling more than £25 million over the next five years.

Grants of more than £6 million in total have been allocated to 16 organisations providing residential rehabilitation and pre and post rehabilitation support to enable them to further enhance their services.

The charity Teen Challenge UK, which supports young people with drug and alcohol addictions is among the recipients. An award of almost £800,000 will be used to improve and increase capacity at their Sunnybrae and Benaiah rehabilitation centres in Aberdeenshire by increasing staffing and carrying out refurbishment work.

A further 38 awards totalling more than £10 million have been made to organisations who support people through recovery including WRASAC (Women’s Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre) Dundee & Angus Ltd.

The money will be spent on establishing a women’s hub in Dundee to support women with substance dependency and additional complex needs.

In addition, 23 projects working with children and families have received funding of almost £9.5 million.

Drugs Policy Minister Angela Constance said: “I am pleased that so many organisations doing valuable work around the country are to benefit from this latest round of funding from our Improvement Fund and Children and Families Fund.

“The grants awarded will enable services to increase and improve the support available for people suffering from addiction and of course, their families.

“Getting more people into the treatment which works for them is central to our National Mission and we continue to embed the new Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) standards which reinforce a rights-based approach for people who use drugs and the treatment they should expect regardless of their circumstances.

“We aim to increase the number of publicly funded residential rehabilitation placements by more than 300 per cent over the lifetime of this Parliament and I recently announced a treatment target to increase the number of people with problematic opiate drug use accessing community treatments.

“I am determined that the £250 million we are investing in tackling this public health emergency will make a difference and we will continue to prioritise our efforts to turn this crisis around.”

Teen Challenge North East Scotland Area Manager Gordon Cruden said: “We are extremely grateful to have been awarded this funding for our work at Teen Challenge North East Scotland.

“We are passionate about seeing people set free from addiction and this funding will help us support more men and women to freedom.

“The grant has been specifically awarded to improve, expand and increase the capacity of our two residential centres – our men’s centre, Sunnybrae, and women’s centre, Benaiah – through increased staffing, improvements to equipment and minor refurbishments.

“A main aim of ours is to see each resident progress on with positive personal life goals in the areas of home, career, financial stability and social network and this funding will help us to support people to achieve just that.”

Information on the national mission

Corra Foundation

Teen Challenge UK

Persistent poverty levels ‘stable’

Latest Official Statistics published

Between 2016 and 2020, one tenth of people in Scotland were in persistent poverty after housing costs. Persistent poverty identifies individuals who live in relative poverty (have a household income of less than 60% of the UK median) for at least three years out of the last four.

Persistent poverty rates were similar for children and working-age adults (10%) and pensioners (11%). Over time, persistent poverty rates have been fairly stable for all age groups, except for children in the most recent period.

Persistent child poverty saw a relatively large drop compared to previous estimates, from 15% to 10%. This observed fall should be interpreted with caution as persistent poverty estimates do tend to fluctuate. So not all of this decrease is likely to reflect real change and will be due to a range of factors.

Some low income households will have benefitted from increased financial support during the pandemic. At the same time, reduced earnings and job losses may have resulted in a lower median income, leading to a fall in the poverty line, and a drop in the relative poverty rate.

Not everyone in poverty is in persistent poverty: More than a third of people in poverty move out of poverty each year. At the same time, a similar number of people who were not in poverty before enter poverty each year.

The persistent poverty report usually goes alongside the main poverty statistics publication Poverty and Income Inequality in Scotland. This will not be published this year due to the disrupted data collection during COVID-19 restrictions.

An analytical report will be published instead to explain the limitations of the most recent data. Users should note that the latest reliable figures are those previously published.

These figures are produced in accordance with professional standards set out in the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.

Reacting to the publication of new statistics on poverty in Scotland and across the UK, Poverty Alliance director Peter Kelly said: “In a compassionate society like ours, we believe in looking after one another and protecting each other from harm. But these new figures show that we are failing to put that compassion into practice.

“When the Chancellor raised Universal Credit by £20 a week, he lifted 400,000 children across the UK out of poverty. But when he cut that £20 lifeline, many of those children and their families will have been pulled back into poverty’s grip. It was an unjust and scandalous decision then, and its impact on people’s lives is becoming even clearer now.

“The Scottish Government’s actions to increase the Scottish Child Payment show what can be done when we make our compassion concrete and is a good example to build on. We need to make sure that the money gets to the people who need it, as soon as possible, and that wider action on transport, childcare and housing all ramp up in ambition to help us meet our child poverty targets.”

The full publications are available here:

Persistent Poverty in Scotland presents estimates of the proportion of people in Scotland who live in persistent poverty. The data come from the Understanding Society Survey, and the latest statistics cover the period from 2016 to 2020.

These poverty statistics are used by the Scottish Government and other organisations to monitor progress in tackling poverty and child poverty, and to analyse what drives poverty and what works for tackling poverty and income inequality.

Poverty and Income Inequality in Scotland – analytical report provides information on the limitations of the most recent data for 2020/21 from the Department for Work and Pensions Family Resources Survey Households Below Average Income dataset.

This report and dataset are not official statistics. Users should note that the latest reliable figures are those previously published for 2019/20.

The latest estimates are unreliable as they are based on data collected during the first year of the coronavirus pandemic and associated restrictions. These affected the data collection and as a result, it was not possible to obtain a representative sample for Scotland. UK income and poverty figures are published on the same day by DWP.

Key poverty measures:

Relative poverty: A household is in relative poverty if its income is below 60 percent of the middle household income in the UK (the poverty threshold). Relative poverty is a measure of whether the income of the poorest households are keeping pace with middle income households across the UK.

Persistent poverty identifies the number of people in relative poverty for three or more out of four years. People who live in poverty for several years are affected by it through their lifetime.

Household income is adjusted for household size.

The poverty publications present poverty figures before and after housing costs. Before housing costs figures are a basic measure of household income from earnings and benefits.

After housing costs figures subtract spending on rents, mortgage interest payments and other unavoidable housing costs from this basic income. In Scotland, poverty statistics focus mainly on poverty after housing costs.

The poverty estimates in this summary refer to relative poverty after housing costs.

Delivering The Promise

Blueprint to ‘transform’ the care system

A major plan containing 80 actions to improve the lives of children, young people and families in and around the edges of care has been published.

The ‘Keeping The Promise Implementation Plan’ aims to significantly reduce the number of children in care, with at least £500 million over this Parliamentary term to help families stay together.

The Scottish Government will also introduce a national allowance for foster and kinship carers and provide a £200 grant each year for 16 to 25-year-olds with care experience.

Other commitments include:

redesigning the Children’s Hearings System
redesigning the governance of the care system
ending the placement of 16 and 17-year-olds in young offender institutions
reducing the use of restraint in residential or secure care

Minister for Children and Young People Clare Haughey said: “More than 5,500 people – half of them children and young people with experience of care – told the Independent Care Review that change is needed. This plan sets out, for the first time, over 80 actions that the Scottish Government will take to keep The Promise to deliver that change.

“These ambitious actions will help families to thrive so they can safely stay together. They will also support carers and families engaged with the care system, as well as care leavers and care experienced people in education and employment.

“Alongside The Promise Scotland, the care community, local government, and many others, we are building on work that is already under way to bring forward change as quickly as possible.”

In February 2020 the Independent Care Review published The Promise setting out recommendations to improve outcomes for those with care experience.

Keeping the Promise Implementation Plan

Rebuilding and Revitalising Independent Cinema in Scotland

New Funding for Cinemas Across the Country

From Annan’s Lonsdale Cinema to Mareel in Shetland, 29 independent cinemas and two touring cinema operators from across Scotland have received new funding support from the Scottish Government through Screen Scotland.

The £3.19 million Recovery Fund for Indie Cinemas will help stabilise, rebuild and revitalise independent cinema businesses in Scotland, by supporting new activity and initiatives that help address the fundamental shifts to the industry brought about by COVID-19.

Edinburgh’s Dominion Cinema is among the beneficiaries.

Sambrooke Scott, Head of Audience Development at Screen Scotland said: “Scotland has a marvellously unique cohort of independent cinemas serving communities across the country, from historic purpose-built venues to arts centres and multi-screen cinemas.

“Despite facing unprecedented challenges as we adapt to living with COVID they have continued to provide vital cultural, social and economic hubs for the towns and cities they serve.

“This fund will ensure they are able to continue that work and make vital changes to welcome cinema-goers back, to reach new audiences and future generations to come.”

Culture Secretary Angus Robertson said: “We’re delighted to support independent cinemas across the country to build back and adapt their businesses in the light of the challenges faced by the industry throughout the Covid pandemic.

“Local cinemas are a focal point for communities and these funds will help them to develop new activities to re-engage with, and grow, their audiences.”

This latest funding takes the total emergency funds awarded to cinemas, from the Scottish Government through Screen Scotland, since the pandemic began in March 2020 to £8,727,829 through the Independent Cinema Recovery and Resilience Fund and the Recovery Fund for Indie Cinemas.

Increase in social security payments

Social Security Scotland: Payment rates for benefits increase from April

EIGHT of the benefits delivered by Social Security Scotland will now increase by 6%. The increase in payments for low income households and carers comes as the cost of living continues to rise.

Benefits and assistance including Job Start Payment, Young Carers Grant, Funeral Support Payment and Carer’s Allowance Supplement were due to be increased by 3.1% for 2022/23. Subject to parliamentary approval, the increases will now be almost doubled to a 6% uprate.

In addition, the three Best Start Grant payments, which we had not previously planned to uprate, will also now be uprated by 6%, and Child Winter Heating Assistance, which was previously set to rise by 5%, will now also rise by 6%.

From tomorrow (1st April), there will be a 100% increase in Scottish Child Payment, which will double from £10 per week to £20. Best Start Foods was already increased from £4.25 to £4.50 a week in August (5.88%).

Adult Disability Payment and Child Disability Payment will still increase by 3.1% on April 11 in line with the equivalent benefits (Disability Living Allowance and Personal Independence Payment) which are still administered by the Department for Work and Pensions under agency agreement.

This is to avoid creating a two-tier system where individuals paid by Social Security Scotland are paid more than clients whose cases have not yet transferred to the Scottish system.

Payment rates for 2022-2023 are:

Benefit	Rates 2021-2022	Rates 2022-2023	New rates 2022-2023 (6% uprate)
Best Start Grant
Best Start Grant Pregnancy and Baby Payment (1st Child Payment)	£606.00	£606.00	£642.35
Best Start Grant Pregnancy and Baby Payment (Subsequent Child Payment & Extra Payment for Twins/Triplets)	£303.00	£303.00	£321.20
Best Start Grant Early Learning Payment	£252.50	£252.50	£267.65
Best Start Grant School Age Payment	£252.50	£252.50	£267.65
Child Winter Heating Assistance
Child Winter Heating Assistance (annually)	£202.00	£212.10	£214.10
Funeral Support Payment
standard rate for other expenses element	£1,010.00	£1041.30	£1,070.60
other expenses element where there is a funeral plan	£123.25	£127.05	£130.65
removal of implanted medical devices	£20.55	£21.20	£21.55
Job Start Payment
Job Start Payment (one-off) standard rate	£251.25	£260.35	£267.65
higher rate	£404.00	£416.50	£428.25
Young Carer Grant
Young Carer Grant (annually)	£308.15	£317.70	£326.65
Carer’s Allowance Supplement	£8.90	£9.15	£9.45

Child Disability Payment	Rates 2021-2022	Rates 2022-2023*
Care Component Highest Rate	£89.60	£92.40
Care Component Middle Rate	£60.00	£61.85
Care Component Lowest Rate	£23.70	£24.45
Mobility Component Higher Rate	£62.55	£64.50
Mobility Component Lower Rate	£23.70	£24.45

Adult Disability Payment	Rates 2021-2022	Rates 2022-2023*
Daily Living Component Standard Rate	£60.00	£61.85
Daily Living Component Enhanced Rate	£89.60	£92.40
Mobility Component Standard Rate	£23.70	£24.45
Mobility Component Enhanced Rate	£62.55	£64.50

* 3.1% increase in line with the equivalent benefits (Disability Living Allowance and Personal Independence Payment) which are still administered by DWP under agency agreement.