Latest news with #AdultDisabilityPayment
The Herald Scotland
13 hours ago
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Shame on the firms which are taking money away from the disabled
Yet if the prospect of future cuts to essential support isn't concerning enough, private commercial firms too are taking money away from disabled people. And this is happening right now, in plain sight. In recent months, we have identified instances of private firms offering a "no win, no fee" service to access social security payments. Commercialising a service that people may not always know is freely available. Most recently, we've seen examples of this for Adult Disability Payment (ADP) – which replaces the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) for working-age adults in Scotland. Some of the activity is happening through sophisticated, targeted social media marketing. People are being charged up to £400 plus VAT per successful application, with as much as a 10% deduction from their ongoing monthly payments. Over the course of a multi-year award, this could earn the private firm thousands of pounds – clearly a lucrative if thoroughly unethical approach. For us, this is a pernicious practice – profiteering from people who need support most. It is the very worst kind of innovation and opportunism, clearly undermining the policy intent of these payments to provide vital financial support to those who need it most. Expert, impartial, and confidential advice should be free of charge to everyone who needs it in Scotland. And that is what we in the CAB network provide. If the advice sector was the health service, we would be accident and emergency. Because while our advice and information is for everyone – somewhat naturally demand is greatest where need and crisis is most acute and urgent. Like no one else, the Citizens Advice network supports people who are experiencing most harm. And so people are presenting with ever-more challenging circumstances, usually at a point of crisis where they have nowhere left to turn. Our essential frontline service provides a lifeline to over 190,000 people in Scotland every year. We are so very often the last door open for people who are out of options and facing unimaginable difficulty – frequently acting as a backstop for failure everywhere else, from social security to energy markets. We know ours is advice that changes lives because people tell us that. During the first three months of this year alone, our advisers secured ADP Daily Living entitlements worth £6,659,046, mostly upon initial application. In simple terms, what does that mean? Well, it means securing the right outcome, first time-round for people who then get the essential support they need. As we wrote here last week, day-to-day, essential living already costs more when you have less. It shouldn't cost you anything to access that kind of expert advice. David Hilferty is Director of Impact at Citizens Advice Scotland
The Herald Scotland
13 hours ago
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
How private firms are siphoning money from social security
Such firms offer services such as filling in claim forms and medical questionnaires, communicating with the Department for Work and Pensions and preparation for tribunals. Read More: Often targeted by social media advertising, people are paying up to £400 plus VAT per successful application for things like the Pension Age Disability Payment (PADP) and the Adult Disability Payment (ADP). Companies are deducting as much as 10% from ongoing monthly payments, potentially earning up to thousands of pounds over years. CAS offers free advice to those in need of social security, helping close to 192,000 people in 2023-24. David Hilferty, director of impact at Citizens Advice Scotland said: "This is a pernicious practice – profiteering from people who need support most. "It is the very worst kind of innovation and opportunism, clearly undermining the policy intent of these payments to provide vital financial support to those who need it most. "Expert, impartial, and confidential advice should be free of charge to everyone who needs it in Scotland. "
Scottish Sun
a day ago
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Labour rebels who forced Keir Starmer into a U-turn set to demand axe to two-child benefit cap
The reforms are expected to pass next Tuesday 'dog's dinner' Labour rebels who forced Keir Starmer into a U-turn set to demand axe to two-child benefit cap Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) LABOUR rebels who forced Sir Keir Starmer into a U-turn are to demand the two-child benefit cap is axed. The PM faces the fresh test after watering down a £5billion savings package amid backbench unrest. Sign up for the Politics newsletter Sign up 1 126 Labour MPs threatened to scupper the moves Credit: PA People down south currently receiving Personal Independence Payment and Universal Credit will continue to get them, with the cuts only hitting new claimants. The Labour Government made the concession after 126 Labour MPs threatened to scupper the moves. The reforms are expected to pass next Tuesday but experts warned tax rises may be needed to afford them. And it emerged Labour rebels now have the two-child cap in their sights. It follows an earlier climbdown on winter fuel payments. The PIP changes don't affect Scots as it has been replaced here by the Adult Disability Payment. But Nats ministers could be boosted by extra cash freed up by the U-turn — as the SNP pushes ahead with £150million plans to scrap the two-child cap in Scotland. Nats MP Kirsty Blackman accused Labour of creating 'a dog's dinner of a system' down south that punishes the young and newly disabled. She said: 'If these cuts go ahead, they'll embed discrimination, creating an unfair two-tier system. The SNP Scottish Government is clear it won't follow these discriminatory, two-tier disability cuts.' Labour peer Lord Hutton accused Sir Keir of putting 'party before country' by caving in to rebels'. Keir Starmer 'to BACK DOWN' on benefits cuts as he faces major revolt from MPs But Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall downplayed Labour splits, insisting: 'We have listened to people.' No10 claimed there would be no 'permanent' increase in borrowing as a result of the U-turn but declined to rule out tax rises to fund it.
The National
a day ago
- Business
- The National
Will changes on disability benefit cuts affect Scotland?
But while there are rebels who have been appeased, others do not feel the Government have done enough to convince them to vote for the bill next week. But what exactly has changed about their proposals, and will they have any impact on Scotland? What has changed? In March, reforms to the welfare system – aimed at encouraging more people off sickness benefits and into work – were announced by Labour. The Government said the changes, including restricting access to the main disability benefit south of the Border, known as the Personal Independence Payment (PIP), and the sickness-related element of Universal Credit, were expected to make welfare savings of £4.8 billion by 2029/30. An impact assessment published alongside the bill included estimates that changes to PIP entitlement rules would see about 800,000 people lose out. READ MORE: Waspi women call for 'hat-trick of U-turns' amid welfare climbdown But amid huge discontent among their own MPs, Labour have been forced to make concessions. Now, only new claims from November 2026 will come under the tightened eligibility requirements. While this might sound like an improvement, Labour are now being accused of creating a 'two-tier' system, where new claimants will not get the same benefits as those before them. How does this affect Scotland? PIP does not exist in Scotland as it has been replaced by the devolved Adult Disability Payment (ADP), administered by Social Security Scotland. So while changes around PIP will not impact on benefit claimants in Scotland directly, the changes made south of the Border will hit Scotland financially due to the Barnett formula. Shirley-Anne Somerville (below) said back in March the impact on Holyrood's budget would be 'really quite severe' when Labour announced their initial package of reforms. (Image: Jane Barlow) The main concern in Scotland will be for those who in future will need to claim the sickness element of Universal Credit – a reserved benefit. READ MORE: Keir Starmer suggests he didn't check 'island of strangers' speech In a briefing to MPs, Trussell estimated that there are around 300,000 Scots in receipt of the health element of Universal Credit and associated benefits facing cuts. These people will now not be affected by changes to eligibility criteria, but new claimants of the UC health element will be impacted from November next year. Other questions still remain as to how new claimants in Scotland will prove their eligibility for this too. The UK Government announced from 2028/29 onwards, the Work Capability Assessment is set to be binned by DWP and instead people will be assessed for the health element of Universal Credit via the Personal Independence Payments (PIP). With PIP not existing in Scotland, the UK Government is yet to confirm whether the assessment criteria for ADP will be sufficient for proving eligibility. What are disability campaigners saying? Mikey Erhardt, from Disability Rights UK, accused the Government of 'playing politics with our lives', insisting the bill must still be pulled. He said the changes will mean 'a benefits system where future generations of disabled people receive less support than disabled people today' and added that, in making the original announcement of cuts, the Government had 'prioritised balancing its books over improving the lives of disabled citizens'. The MS Society said the Government was simply 'kicking the can down the road and delaying an inevitable disaster', and urged MPs 'not to be swayed by these last-ditch attempts to force through a harmful Bill with supposed concessions'. Food bank network Trussell welcomed the 'significant' concessions but said the proposals 'still present a bleak future for future claimants and still risk placing the Government's commitments to end the need for emergency food and tackle poverty in serious jeopardy'.
The National
a day ago
- Business
- The National
Scotland reacts as Labour announce 'two-tier' benefits U-turn
The Labour UK Government has been forced into a partial U-turn on its welfare reform bill after more than 120 party MPs threatened to rebel against the government in a vote next week. As part of the concessions, people who currently receive Personal Independence Payments (PIP), or the health element of Universal Credit, will continue to do so. But planned cuts to these payments will still hit future claimants, with the fresh package of measures now being branded as a 'two-tier system' that will see the 'young treated worse than the old'. The new plan still keeps in place proposals to change the eligibility criteria for PIP for future claimants. READ MORE: No changes to council tax 'in this decade', says Scottish Government Shirley-Anne Somerville, Scotland's Social Justice Secretary, has criticised the 'backroom late night deal', highlighting disabled people had still not been consulted on the plans. And she has stressed such measures will not be implemented in Scotland. She posted on Twitter/X: 'A two-tier system cannot be a fair system. 'That's what disabled people would have told the Labour Government if they had actually asked them rather than making a backroom late night deal with their own MPs. 'And this half U-turn still does not scrap the 4+ points rule which will prevent support for 100,000s with diffuse disabilities in the future. @scotgov will not follow Labour's lead on any of these changes.' Scotland does not have PIP and instead has a separate devolved payment known as the Adult Disability Payment, but decisions made in London on disability benefits will still impact on Scotland financially. The concessions have gone down well with some of the Labour rebels including ringleader Meg Hillier (below), who is now expected to withdraw her reasoned amendment that had been signed by nearly 130 Labour MPs, including 12 Scottish ones. (Image: House of Commons/UK Parliament/PA Wire) But others have stressed the plan remains inadequate, with Labour MP Nadia Whittome saying the revised proposals are 'nowhere near good enough'. She BBC Radio 4's Today programme that cutting disability benefits will 'in the long-term mean more spending because it has knock-on consequences'. 'Voting for this bill would mean pulling up the ladder and baking in poverty for future disabled people,' she went on. Peter Lamb, Labour MP for Crawley, also wrote on social media that he would still not support the bill, calling the changes "insufficient" and accusing ministers of ignoring better options. Scottish Labour MP Brian Leishman said the concessions were "not enough because disabled people will still become poorer". SNP MP Pete Wishart said he hoped the rebels would stand firm and continue to oppose the bill. Sharing news of the changes, he tweeted: 'Not nearly good enough. A two-tier system which will depend on when you claim for your support. Let's hope the 'rebellion' won't settle for this.' Former Labour MSP Neil Findlay also said that MPs 'need to stand firm and see off Government attempts to divide those opposed to their dreadful cuts.' READ MORE: Question Time called out as Reform councillor on St Andrews panel SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn said Keir Starmer is 'on the brink of creating a two-tier disability system where the young will be treated worse than the old'. He added: 'The message from the Labour Party is clear – if you have an accident that causes a disability, develop a disability over time or if you have a child with a disability you will receive less support than those who have come before you." If the legislation passes on Tuesday, it will then face a few hours' examination by all MPs the following week, rather than days or weeks in front of a committee.
