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Chamber and committees

Support for Citizens Advice Scotland's Call to Stop Accelerated Roll-out of Universal Credit

  • Submitted by: Alex Rowley, Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour.
  • Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 August 2017
  • Motion reference: S5M-07056
  • Current status: Taken in the Chamber on Thursday, 07 September 2017

That the Parliament notes with concern the reported evidence from Citizens Advice Bureaux regarding the initial roll-out areas in Scotland, and elsewhere in the UK, which it believes highlights that the reality of universal credit risks leaving many people in Scotland without the support they need, pushing them into debt and leaving them unable to make ends meet; is further concerned that Citizens Advice Scotland, it understands, has reported that evidence from initial roll-out areas shows that, since universal credit was introduced, bureaux have seen a 15% rise in rent arrears issues compared to a national decrease of 2%, and an 87% increase in Crisis Grant issues compared to a national increase of 9%, and that two of the five bureaux in impacted areas have seen a 40% and 70% increase in advice about access to food banks, compared to a national increase of 3%; notes the call from Citizens Advice Scotland and a host of antipoverty organisations across Scotland for the UK Government to pause the accelerated roll-out of universal credit until the reported design and delivery problems have been addressed; notes the comments from the Chair of Citizens Advice Scotland, Rory Mair, that “universal credit has major delivery and design flaws which risk hurting families instead of helping them. These include long waits for payments that push people into crisis and debt, all the while battling a highly complicated process with little support”; considers that it is not right to proceed with the accelerated roll-out of universal credit in the knowledge that it will, it believes, result in tens of thousands of men, women and children in the Mid Scotland and Fife region and across Scotland being driven into debt and rent arrears and having to turn to foodbanks just to survive, and notes the calls on the UK Government to pause the process, listen to the evidence and act accordingly to address the issues.


Supported by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, Neil Findlay, Kenneth Gibson, Christine Grahame, Iain Gray, Ross Greer, Mark Griffin, Alison Johnstone, Bill Kidd, Monica Lennon, Richard Leonard, Ben Macpherson, John Mason, Joan McAlpine, Ivan McKee, Stuart McMillan, Pauline McNeill, Alex Neil, Mark Ruskell, Elaine Smith, Colin Smyth, Stewart Stevenson, Sandra White