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Saturday, December 7

Social Security Scotland Impact Felt Locally

JamieBy 18 Views5 Mins Read Social Security

£37.6m in Key Support Paid Out in Angus

Social Security Scotland has published its Annual Report and Accounts, which shows that it made £1.9 billion in payments to people in Scotland from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024. The payments were made across 14 Scottish benefits, seven of which are not available anywhere else in the UK. 

In Angus alone, the total value of payments made over the year was over £37.6 million.

The nationwide figure includes £942 million for Adult Disability Payment which now supports more than 300,000 disabled people in Scotland. Social Security Scotland also paid £463 million to help families on low incomes with their living costs through five family payments, which includes Scottish Child Payment, which was benefitting more than 329,000 children and young people by the end of March 2024.   

Winter Heating Payment was paid to 400,000 people by February this year to help towards the cost of heating homes and Carer Support Payment which offers help to people who do so much for others began a phased rollout in the Western Isles, Dundee City and Perth and Kinross last year and is now available across Scotland.  Eligible people who get benefits include carers, disabled people and families, pensioners, young people starting jobs and people who need help paying for a funeral.  

The results of the organisation’s annual Client Survey have also been published, showing that 90% of respondents who received a payment from Social Security Scotland say their overall experience was ‘very good’ or ‘good’.    

Among those who responded to the survey, 85% said their experience with staff was also ‘very good’ or ‘good’, 89% said they were treated with kindness while 85% of people surveyed felt they were listened to.    

95% of people with experience of Scottish Child Payment rated their overall experience as ‘very good’ or ‘good’. 

In total, the combination of direct payments made by Social Security Scotland and those paid through Agency Agreements with the Department for Work and Pensions saw the Scottish Government invest over £5.2 billion in benefits across Scotland.    

The eradication of poverty in Scotland remains a defining mission of the SNP in government, and ensuring those most in need get the right support is fundamental to that.

It is clear that the new payments and different approach taken under Social Security Scotland are making a real impact.

From struggling young families to disabled people to fuel-poor pensioners, the devolved welfare system is addressing people’s need in a way which corrects for the failings of the UK Government’s Department of Work & Pensions.

I am encouraged that so many in Angus are benefitting, though we are talking about poverty that has been and continues to be driven by harmful UK-level policy.

GRAEME

We are committed to tackling poverty and supporting people throughout Scotland. At a time when families are struggling with the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, we have been delivering 14 benefits, seven of which are only available in Scotland.    

Winter Heating Payment is a reliable annual payment to people on low incomes in Scotland, including pensioners receiving Pension Credit. We continue to offer vital support to families through our five family payments, including Scottish Child Payment which was helping to support more than 329,000 children and young people by the end of financial year 2023-24.
 
We are focused on ensuring people get the money they are entitled to and that we deliver these payments while treating people with dignity, fairness and respect. 

CABINET SECRETARY FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE, SHIRLEY-ANNE SOMERVILLE

While our service has continued to expand significantly, our clients remain at the heart of everything we do.  

We have focused on delivering new payments to people across Scotland including Carer Support Payment, while ensuring we give our clients an improved experience. This year, we have reduced call waiting and processing times and made it easier for people to submit supporting information for disability benefit applications.  

As the number of people we serve grows, I am delighted we have maintained high client satisfaction rates with our annual Client Survey showing 90% of people who received a payment from us saying their overall experience was ‘very good’ or ‘good’.

DAVID WALLACE, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF SOCIAL SECURITY SCOTLAND

Background

I’m Graeme’s Parliamentary Assistant based at Holyrood, but I support his constituency work as well. Having been Caseworker to an Aberdeenshire MP some years prior, joining Graeme's team in 2019 was a return to this line of work from a role in fundraising.

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