Source · Select Committees · Scottish Affairs Committee
Recommendation 109
109
DWP was keen to highlight its approach to tackling poverty in Scotland and around the...
Conclusion
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
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
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.