Recommendation 109

DWP was keen to highlight its approach to tackling poverty in Scotland and around the UK. It argues that the welfare reforms carried out since 2010 have brought a ‘holistic approach to supporting individuals and households’283 with their ‘fundamental principle of being better off working than not, unless you cannot work’284 being the driving force of removing the old legacy benefits system which it thought ‘dis-incentivised progression in and extension of work.’285 The Department argue that as a result of the welfare reforms since 2010, including the roll out of Universal Credit, absolute poverty in Scotland had fallen ‘from 17% in the three years leading up to 2009/10 to 14% in the three years up to 2018/19.’286 It also outlines plans to ‘level up’ across the country and will continue to tackle 274 Department for Work and Pensions, Universal Credit work allowances, April 2021 275 Department for Work and Pensions, Universal Credit work allowances, April 2021 276 Citizens Advice Scotland (WPS0014) 277 Explanatory memorandum to the Universal Credit (Work Allowance) Amendment Regulations 2015 278 Citizens Advice Scotland (WPS0014) 279 Q52 280 Q101 281 Q101 282 Citizens Advice Scotland (WPS0014) 283 Department for Work and Pensions (WPS0021) 284 Department for Work and Pensions (WPS0021) 285 Department for Work and Pensions (WPS0021) 286 Department for Work and Pensions (WPS0021) Welfare policy in Scotland 43 poverty through its ‘new schemes such as Kickstart and Job Entry Targeted Support’287 as well as ‘doubling the number of work coaches who [ … ] will provide more people with the tailored support they need to move into or back into work and towards financial independence.’288