Publications

We have responded to the Scottish Government's consultation on how the mobility component of the new Adult Disability Payment is working.

Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) is supportive of the proposed approach to ending poverty and the need for food banks. The twin emphasis on prevention and response ensures the reasons for food bank use are tackled at source, rather than focusing only on how emergency support is delivered, and overall CAS would agree that moving towards a cash-first approach to food aid is a positive step. Measures which enable people to choose their own food can restore dignity in emergency food provision, enable people to buy food they enjoy and choose the items that will make the most difference to themselves and their families.

However, there are additional dimensions to the need for food banks that CAS would call for further consideration of. These include:

›     The role of advice services in food bank referrals

›     Availability of social security support for different types of people

›     Debt as a driving factor in food bank use

›     Fuel poverty as a driving factor in food bank use

›     Housing costs as a driving factor for food bank use

›     Potential barriers to a cash-first scheme

Citizens Advice Scotland welcomes the positive changes made so far in the latest version of the regulations, but based on evidence from clients and advisers with experience of the current social security system, some concerns remain in a number of areas.

Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) warmly welcomes the increased payment of the Carer’s Allowance Supplement. CAS recommended that the Carer’s Allowance Supplement be doubled again, to provide additional financial support to carers, in our October 2020 response to the Social Security Committee’s COVID-19 inquiry and are pleased to see this recommendation taken forward by the Scottish Government.

CAS believes the main purpose of carer’s social security payments should be to equally to compensate carers for income that would have been earned through employment, recognising the equal value of the work that is caring. Whilst there is more to be done to ensure that carers have the financial support they need and social security system they deserve, this further additional payment is a welcome step in the right direction.

Citizens Advice Scotland recommends the draft regulations are amended to change or clarify a number of areas to improve the social security support provided to disabled adults in Scotland through Adult Disability Payment. 

Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) welcomes the opportunity to comment on the draft regulations. CAS warmly welcomes the introduction of the Scottish Child Payment (SCP), which is an excellent example of imaginative use of Scotland’s devolved social security powers to provide much-needed support to Scotland’s citizens. Scotland’s CAB network regularly advises clients who have required crisis support from the Scottish Welfare Fund or food banks due to their social security entitlements not being adequate to pay for essential costs. The Scottish Child Payment promises to be an effective tool for reducing child poverty in Scotland.

A fundamental review of disability assistance in Scotland must be initiated by the Scottish Government during the next parliament, according to a coalition of organisations campaigning for a long-term improvements to social security for disabled people. 

Following the devolution of powers over disability and ill-health benefits to the Scottish Government, the Scottish Campaign on Rights to Social Security, has launched its long-term vision for disability assistance in Scotland. 

Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) welcomes the opportunity to provide evidence on the Bill. The Bill provides an opportunity to make minor amendments to address issues which have been identified since the passage of the Social Security (Scotland) Act 2018, including making provision for the introduction of the Scottish Child Payment. CAS welcomes the Bill and is broadly content with its provisions, although there are a number of areas that the Committee may wish to consider in its scrutiny.

Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) welcomes the opportunity to provide evidence to the inquiry. In 2018-19, Scotland’s CAB network provided advice on 311,714 issues related to benefits, representing 44% of all advice given in that year. To further inform our submission, CAS surveyed 65 CAB advisers, representing a wide range of geographical areas, to gain their insight into issues surrounding benefit uptake.