Social Security (Up-rating) (Miscellaneous Amendments) (Scotland) Regulations 2022: scrutiny report
The Scottish Commission on Social Security's scrutiny report on the draft Social Security (Up-rating) (Miscellaneous Amendments) (Scotland) Regulations 2022 with recommendations for the Scottish Government.
Contents
- Document Cover
- Summary of recommendations and observations
- Executive Summary
- Introduction
- Inflation
- Scottish Child Payment
- Best Start
- Child Winter Heating Assistance (CWHA)
- Coronavirus Carer’s Allowance Supplement (CCAS)
- Annex A: Overview – powers and constraints
- Annex B: Summary of key provisions in the draft
regulations - Annex C: Scrutiny timeline
Annex B: Summary of key provisions in the draft
regulations
- The CPI rate in September has been agreed as the measure of price-inflation. The rate in September 2021 was 3.1%. However, the Scottish Government has uplifted the value of certain forms of assistance beyond that.
- The Scottish Government has a statutory requirement to uprate (if deemed materially below the inflation-adjusted level):
- Young Carer’s Grant – Provides eligible young carers aged 16, 17 and 18 with an annual payment of £308.15. This will be uprated to £317.70.
- Funeral Support Payment – A one-off payment to help meet the costs of a funeral. The flat rate is £1010.00. This will be uprated to £1041.30.
- Child Disability Payment – Provides support for the extra costs that a disabled child may have and is available to children and young people from the age of 3 months to 18 years old who have care and/or mobility needs. There are two components to this assistance; a care component and a mobility component. Claimants may be eligible for either or both, paid either four weekly in arrears, or for terminally ill children weekly. The care component has three rates; £23.70 to be uprated to £24.45, £60.00 to be uprated to £61.85) or £89.60 to be uprated to £92.40). The mobility component has two rates; £23.70 (if the child is aged 5 or over) to be uprated to £24.45 and £62.55 (if the child is aged 3 or over) to be uprated to £64.50.
- Adult Disability Payment – Will provide financial assistance to help meet the additional costs of living with a disability or health condition, replacing Personal Independence Payment (PIP) for those aged between 16 and (subject to some exceptions) state pension age who are making an application for disability assistance. ADP will consist of two components; the daily living component and mobility component. The daily living component will assist claimants who face barriers to carrying out daily living activities as a result of physical or mental health condition(s) and/or disability with two rates £60.00 (standard) to be uprated to £61.85 and £89.60 (enhanced) to be uprated to £92.40. The mobility component similarly provides two levels of assistance for individuals who face increased barriers to carrying out mobility activities as a result of physical or mental health condition(s) and/or disability. There are two rates; £23.70 (standard) to be uprated to £24.45 and £62.55 (enhanced) to be uprated to £64.50.
- Scottish Child Payment – Provides assistance towards the costs of supporting a family and is paid as a top up of certain qualifying reserved assistance payments. The payment is £10 per qualifying child per week. Instead of just uprating it by 3.1%, the Scottish Government has decided to increase the rate by doubling it to £20.
- Child Winter Heating Assistance – The Scottish Government has exercised discretion to increase Child Winter Heating Assistance (CWHA) by 5% instead of uprate by 3.1%. Rates will rise from £202 to £208.25. CWHA provides an annual payment to disabled children and young people in receipt of the highest rate of the care component of Disability Living Allowance/Child Disability Payment or the enhanced rate of Personal Independence Payment. It supports households with the additional costs of winter fuel bills.
- Carer’s Allowance Supplement – Provides an extra payment for claimants in receipt of Carer’s Allowance. Under section 81 of the Act this is a different uprating provision, but Scottish Government are still obliged to uprate it and have done so from £8.90 to £9.15.
- The Scottish Government has not exercised discretion to uprate or increase the value of Best Start Grants (BSG), which will remain at 2021/22 levels.
- The Scottish Government has not exercised discretion to uprate or increase the value of Best Start Foods (BSF), a prepaid card with which people can buy healthy food. This was, however, increased in August 2021.
- However, the Scottish Government are using these regulations as a vehicle for increasing the income thresholds for BSF with the aim of taking account of the increases in the National Living Wage and the increased levels of Working Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit.