Publications

A briefing sent to MSPs ahead of the Stage 1 Perliamentary debate on the Scottish Civil Justice Council and Criminal Legal Assistance Bill.

This briefing for MSPs outlines the importance of ensuring that the Scottish Government’s Welfare Reform (Further Provision) (Scotland) Bill provides the citizens of Scotland with access to passported benefits when current benefits are effectively abolished and replaced in 2013 by the new Universal Credit. 

In 2003, the Scottish Parliament passed legislation stating that everyone who is homeless will have a right to a home by 2012. In practice, this means ending the system of assessing people as 'priority' or 'non-priority' homeless and giving entitlement to permanent accommodation for all those who are unintentionally homeless. Local authorities will have a duty to house all those who are found to be homeless from January 2013 and to provide the same level of service to all homeless people.

A technical briefing for local authorities, published in November 2010, updated March 2012.

A briefing to Scottish MPs on the seven amendments to the Welfare Reform Bill brought forward and passed by the House of Lords prior to the Westminster debate on the 1st February 2012. The briefing looks at the negative impact of the bill on the people, society and economy of Scotland, and discusses ways in which the proposed amendments would decrease these impacts.

CAS's submission to the Scottish Parliament Health & Sport Committee, which will be scrutinising the UK Welfare Reform Bill Legislative Consent Motion, gives detail on the impact of aspects of the bill to Scotland’s people, services and economy. In addition it sets out our arguments for the establishment of a Scottish Parliament Welfare and Benefits Committee and our position on the LCM.

Scrutiny of the forthcoming spending review and draft budget for 2012-13, in response to the call for evidence on preventative spending.

A guide for Parliamentarians to the work of the Citizens Advice Bureau Service in Scotland. The guide provides information on how MSPs and Scottish MPs can help their constituents on a range of issues including debt, advice, housing and employment.

The CAS welfare reform briefing has been sent to all Scottish MPs before the 3rd reading of the Welfare Reform Bill in the House of Commons. The focus of the briefing looks at the major issues affecting our clients in the bill and impact on devolved legislation in Scotland.