Citizen Advice Scotland, Date received:14 June 2022 Further to the evidence session for the Committee on 12th May, below are comments egarding Lloyds Banking Foundations Report on Deductions from Benefits and further rcomments following the Committee’s Session on Mental Health and Debt Lloyd’s Banking Foundation, Deductions: Driver of Poverty, Citizens Advice Scotland Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) is broadly supportive of Lloyd’s Banking Foundations recommendations but would like to provide further comment on the following areas: › Affordability of deductions › Support for people with mental health needs and other vulnerabilities › Ability for advisers to amend/pause deductions where they cause financial hardship › Treatment of historic debt › Improved communication › Targeted grants for Advance Payments through discretion use of the Household Support Fund Affordability of deductions CAS analysis of 1,928 of our complex debt clients showed that the 131 clients with benefit overpayment debt were more likely to have a negative monthly income than for other kinds of debt.