Recommendation 87

Marion Davis of One Parent Families Scotland noted that there ‘are huge and significant problems around digital access for parents who do not have a PC or a tablet’.213 Nina Ballantyne at Citizens Advice Scotland agreed saying that ‘a lot of people just do not have access to devices. If they do it is a phone, which is even harder to complete applications on.’214 Polly Jones from The Trussell Trust added to this saying that to make a Universal Credit application via a mobile phone was difficult ‘because the screen is too small and you are very conscious of what you are paying for while you are trying to navigate around.’215 Fife Welfare Reform and Anti-Poverty Partnership wrote about how many people rely on library computer resources to submit Universal Credit claims, and state that ‘the pandemic has highlighted that when centres like libraries and local offices close, there really isn’t much help there for the digitally excluded’.216 Suzanne Lavelle of Southside Housing Association said that in their experience they found the Universal Credit ‘system is clunky and if you are trying to make a Universal Credit claim, for example, and you are doing it for a couple, there is lots of signing in and signing out and it is very difficult to navigate.’217 210 Department for Work and Pensions, Universal Credit, Using your account online, accessed 20 April 2021 211 Q49 212 Q49 213 Q71 214 Q75 215 Q120 216 Fife Council (WPS0020) 217 Q121 36 Welfare policy in Scotland