Social policy

In October 2011, Citizens Advice Scotland published a briefing entitled The Impact of  the Welfare Reform Bill on Scotland’s people and services. The briefing showed that  an estimated £2.5 billion would be taken out of the local economy in Scotland during  the lifetime of this Parliament and predicted what the impacts would be on people. 

The Department for Work and Pensions is asking for ideas about how they can make jobsearch requirements work for in-work benefit claimants.  Read CAS' response here.

The Scottish Government has set up an Expert Group to examine what a benefits system could look like in an indepedent Scotland.  The publication sets out what CAS believes are the core principles for a new social security system for Scotland.

This report provides a snapshot of the issues that are affecting consumers in Scotland, examining both national and local trends in consumer issues. This is based on data provided by the majority of citizens advice bureaux in Scotland and data from the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline. We will aim to publish Consumer Snapshot on a regular basis to provide an up-to-date overview of the issues facing consumers in Scotland.

This report covers the first two quarters of the financial year 2012/13 from April-September 2012.

In November 2012, the UK Government launched its Government Digital Strategy . This paper sets out how the Government will transform the way it delivers services to citizens, including moving services online – a change in ethos to “digital by default”. Citizens Advice Scotland is concerned that a digital by default approach to welfare benefits could exclude some of the most vulnerable and marginalised members of society from accessing the very services they rely upon.

Based on the responses from bureau advisers to the recent Social Policy questionnaire, the Policy and Communications team have put together a forward work plan for 2013/14. This covers the issues that we plan to address over the coming year and the ways in which we plan to undertake this work.

The Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee launched an enquiry into the issue of underemployment which CAS and Norma Philpott (Chief Executive of CARF) were invited to provide oral evidence to on the 23rd January.  This written evidence followed the oral session, reinforcing the arguments made on the day.

Background

The Welfare Benefits Up-rating Bill was announced following the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement in December. It will introduce a cap of 1% for three years from 2013/14 on most working-age benefits and tax credits.  MPs debate the Bill on Monday 21st January 2013.

This report examines the types of issues on which clients sought advice with regards to their household energy in 2011/12. It also examines the client profile of people seeking help on such issues, thus allowing support to be targeted at the groups where it is most needed.

Citizens Advice Scotland's response to the Scottish Court Services consultation on the future of Scotland's Court services.