Recommendation 144

The lack of rolling out the remaining two Scottish Choices options (split payment between couples on Universal Credit, and removing the underoccupancy charge (Bedroom Tax) at source in Universal Credit) was identified by witnesses and in written evidence as issues that should be resolved as a priority. Citizens Advice Scotland’s written evidence notes that removing the underoccupancy charge at source would limit the need for its mitigation through Discretionary Housing Payments, thereby reducing complexity.355 However it notes that this will ‘require IT changes from DWP to ensure that if the charge is removed then people are not then affected by the Benefit Cap’.356 The Scottish Federation of Housing Associations noted that: ‘As split payments were originally meant to ensure 347 Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (WPS0017) 348 Q123 349 Q123 350 Q123 351 Q167 352 Q197 353 Q198 354 Q197 355 Citizen’s Advice Scotland (WPS0014) 356 Citizen’s Advice Scotland (WPS0014) 52 Welfare policy in Scotland that members of a household would be protected from financial abuse by a partner, this extremely low level of use must raise grave concern’,357 a point also raised in the Scottish Government’s written evidence.358