Recommendation 9

HM Government · verbatim extract Accepted

UK Government Response: DWP delivers reserved benefits in Scotland and is temporarily delivering some devolved benefits under Agency Agreements on behalf of the Scottish Ministers. We will continue to ensure benefits are delivered effectively with appropriate sign-posting. These initiatives include: • DWP, in partnership with the Scottish Government, has developed a toolkit for Work Coaches to signpost people towards Scottish Government benefits administered by Social Security Scotland. • Links between GOV.UK and MYGOV.SCOT ensure cohesion between services for people when looking for the right benefits online. The first UK Government regular-payment benefit to be replaced by Scottish Government provision is Disability Living Allowance for children, which was replaced by the Child Disability Payment initially in Dundee City, Perth and Kinross and Western Isles from 26th July 2021 (applications for children living elsewhere in Scotland will open in Autumn 2021). • DWP and the Social Security Scotland have recently established a regular Operational Reference Group to look at ways to continuously improve the benefit experience of DWP and Social Security Scotland’s shared customers. The Group will review service delivery issues arising from people looking to access DWP/ Social Security Scotland benefits and consider any improvements for future benefit delivery. DWP staff in Scotland are focused on delivering a user-centred service. They have access to, and are fully aware of, the DWP Customer Charter and the Scottish Social Security Charter. With respect to the Joint Ministerial Working Group on Welfare, it is co-chaired by the Secretary of State for Scotland and the relevant Cabinet Secretary in the Scottish Government, and attended by DWP Ministers, with the primary purpose of allowing Ministers to oversee, engage with and review progress on the implementation of the devolution of social security powers1 set out in the Scotland Act 2016. Its role is not operational. Scottish Government Response: The Scottish Government welcomes the Committee’s recommendation that the Department for Work and Pensions and Social Security Scotland work together to promote take-up of all benefits across Scotland. As you know we have a duty within the Social Security Act to promote take up of devolved benefits and have an active take- up plan. We agree that, in order to ensure that people receive all the benefits they are entitled to it is clear that a more strategic approach to promoting take-up across the UK is required and the UK Government has a responsibility to support people to claim the reserved benefits they are due. Scottish Ministers have consistently urged the Department for Work and Pensions to do more in this area, particularly in areas such as Pension Credit. As eligibility for many devolved low income benefits relies on receipt of a Department for Work and Pensions benefit, the take-up of devolved benefits is dependent on the levels of take-up of reserved benefits in Scotland. With this in mind, it is vital that jobcentre staff in Scotland are equipped to make people aware of what they are entitled to through both the reserved and devolved systems.