Second Report - Welfare policy in Scotland

The government rejects the recommendation to extend the £20 uplift to legacy benefits, stating there was never a plan to do so, and implies the uplift for UC was a temporary measure during the pandemic, now focusing on the 'Plan for Jobs' for economic recovery.

The government rejects the recommendation to extend work allowances to single adults, stating it has no such plans and that work allowances are targeted at those with the greatest barriers to the labour market. It highlights previous increases and annual uprating.

The government explains the existing advance payment system, including extended repayment periods, and rejects non-repayable advances due to fraud risk, administrative burden, and high costs.

The government rejects alternative arrangements like a 'starter payment', defending its existing New Claim Advances system and citing increased fraud risk, administrative burden, and high costs for non-repayable grants.

The government rejects the recommendation to pause sanctioning, stating that Work Coaches already ensure claimant commitments are reasonable and consider Covid-19 circumstances, and existing appeal and hardship payment processes are in place.

The government rejects the call for increased resources, stating existing provisions are sufficient, including the Freephone helpline, Jobcentre support, recruitment of additional Work Coaches, and continued funding for Citizens Advice Scotland's Help to Claim service.

The government stated that the Universal Credit uplift was temporary, focusing instead on supporting people back into work through schemes like Kickstart rather than a permanent increase in benefits.

The government rejected making the £20 uplift permanent or extending it to legacy benefits, stating the uplift was temporary and focused on Universal Credit/Working Tax Credit claimants due to the pandemic's specific economic shock. Instead, the government emphasized its Plan for Jobs.

The government rejects the view that the Universal Credit uplift should be made permanent and extended to legacy benefits, stating it was a temporary measure and there was no plan to extend it, focusing instead on helping people into work through its Plan for Jobs.

The government reiterated that the Universal Credit uplift was a temporary measure during the pandemic, and its strategy focuses on supporting people back into work through initiatives like the Plan for Jobs and Kickstart Scheme.

The government explicitly states it has no plans to extend the work allowance to single adults, explaining its current policy of targeting those with the greatest barriers to the labour market and detailing past increases.

The government defends its policy of targeting the work allowance to those with the greatest barriers to the labour market, stating it has no plans to extend it to single adults, and highlights past increases to work allowances.

The government rejects extending the work allowance to single adults, stating it is targeted at those with the greatest barriers to the labour market and is increased annually as part of the normal uprating process.

The government rejects the recommendation, stating the £20 uplift was always a temporary measure for Universal Credit claimants and there was never a plan to extend it to legacy benefits, instead focusing on helping people into work.

The UK Government rejects extending the work allowance to single adults and states that work allowances are increased annually as part of normal uprating, highlighting a past increase in 2018, but does not commit to a specific new raise beyond routine adjustments.

The government explained how Universal Credit Advance payments function to mitigate the five-week wait, including an extended repayment period, and rejected the introduction of non-repayable advances due to fraud risks, administrative burden, and significant costs.

The government details the existing repayable advance system and rejects the introduction of non-repayable advances, citing increased fraud risk, potential for inappropriate gain, and estimated costs between £2.2 and £2.8 billion.

The government stated that claimants can access advances on their Universal Credit payment, detailing the repayment terms and recent changes. It rejected the idea of non-repayable advances, citing increased fraud risk, administrative burden, and significant costs.

The government outlines the existing repayable advance system, including the extended 2-year repayment period for advances, and rejects the introduction of non-repayable advances due to fraud risks, potential for inappropriate gain, and significant costs.

The government explained that New Claim Advances allow claimants to access their estimated Universal Credit payment upfront, with repayment now spread over 2 years for advances issued from April 2021. It rejected the introduction of non-repayable advances, citing fraud risk, administrative burden, and estimated costs of £2.2-£2.8 billion.

The government details the existing repayable advance system, including recent changes, and rejects the introduction of non-repayable advances, citing fraud risks, potential for inappropriate gain, and significant costs between £2.2 and £2.8 billion.

The government rejects the introduction of non-repayable advances, explaining that New Claim Advances already allow claimants to receive payment upfront and arguing that non-repayable grants would increase fraud risk, impose administrative burdens, and be costly.

The government rejects the recommendation to consider alternative arrangements, such as a starter payment, stating that introducing non-repayable advances would increase fraud risk, allow inappropriate gain, and cost between £2.2 and £2.8 billion.

The government implicitly rejects pausing sanctions, stating that Work Coaches will continue to ensure claimant commitments are reasonable and consider 'good reason' for failures, including Covid-19 related circumstances, when deciding on sanctions.

The government explains that the Scottish Government's policy is to offer Scottish Choices in the second assessment period, allowing time for Alternative Payment Arrangements to protect vulnerable claimants, effectively justifying the current delay in access.

The government rejects the implied recommendation to present Scottish Choices in the first interview, stating that the current policy offers them in the second assessment period to allow claimants time to consider DWP Alternative Payment Arrangements.

The government rejected the recommendation to make Scottish Choices available from the start of a Universal Credit claim, stating current policy offers it from the second assessment period to allow consideration of DWP Alternative Payment Arrangements.