Universal Credit Scottish choices: evaluation
Summarises the evidence for the effectiveness for the flexibilities the Scottish Government can offer to Universal Credit to allow twice monthly payments, and direct payment of rent to landlords drawing on management information, populations surveys and commissioned qualitative research.
Annex A – Additional statistical information
| More Frequent Payment (MFP Choice) | Direct Payment to Landlord (DPL Choice) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UC households as of August 2020 | Never Taken Choice | No longer has Choice | Currently Open Choice | Never Taken Choice | No longer has Choice | Currently Open Choice |
| Number of Households | 258,830 | 25,310 | 134,450 | 114,130 | 3,170 | 49,800 |
| Percentage of Eligible Households | 62% | 6% | 32% | 68% | 2% | 30% |
| More Frequent Payment (MFP Choice) | Direct Payment to Landlord (DPL Choice) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Local Authority of UC households as of August 2020 |
Never Taken Choice | No longer has Choice | Currently Open Choice | Never Taken Choice | No longer has Choice | Currently Open Choice |
| Aberdeen City | 9,130 | 850 | 4,060 | 4,310 | 60 | 1,170 |
| Aberdeenshire | 7,400 | 620 | 3,300 | 3,610 | 120 | 1,180 |
| Angus | 4,810 | 540 | 3,210 | 2,550 | 70 | 1,100 |
| Argyll and Bute | 3,590 | 300 | 1,380 | 1,470 | 30 | 490 |
| City of Edinburgh | 20,690 | 1,480 | 7,170 | 10,780 | 120 | 2,110 |
| Clackmannanshire | 2,760 | 340 | 2,090 | 1,210 | 40 | 930 |
| Dumfries and Galloway | 6,360 | 660 | 2,940 | 3,070 | 80 | 1,370 |
| Dundee City | 8,600 | 1,060 | 6,110 | 4,160 | 130 | 2,010 |
| East Ayrshire | 7,050 | 970 | 5,090 | 2,930 | 140 | 2,560 |
| East Dunbartonshire | 3,690 | 270 | 1,330 | 1,150 | 20 | 450 |
| East Lothian | 5,490 | 490 | 2,370 | 2,480 | 30 | 560 |
| East Renfrewshire | 2,650 | 200 | 840 | 750 | 20 | 200 |
| Eilean Siar | 900 | 70 | 330 | 300 | 10 | 110 |
| Falkirk | 7,340 | 870 | 4,630 | 3,170 | 120 | 2,020 |
| Fife | 18,380 | 1,990 | 12,580 | 7,900 | 240 | 4,610 |
| Glasgow City | 39,830 | 3,470 | 15,480 | 17,730 | 470 | 5,760 |
| Highland | 11,320 | 880 | 5,550 | 5,210 | 150 | 2,190 |
| Inverclyde | 5,350 | 530 | 2,720 | 2,440 | 70 | 1,020 |
| Midlothian | 4,620 | 500 | 2,470 | 1,970 | 60 | 1,040 |
| Moray | 3,520 | 310 | 1,640 | 1,730 | 60 | 630 |
| North Ayrshire | 8,130 | 1,050 | 5,180 | 3,490 | 170 | 2,370 |
| North Lanarkshire | 18,280 | 1,950 | 10,750 | 7,130 | 290 | 4,780 |
| Orkney Islands | 530 | 40 | 230 | 260 | 10 | 140 |
| Perth and Kinross | 5,620 | 480 | 2,630 | 2,950 | 90 | 910 |
| Renfrewshire | 8,890 | 790 | 3,710 | 3,520 | 90 | 1,400 |
| Scottish Borders | 4,210 | 390 | 2,500 | 2,340 | 90 | 990 |
| Shetland Islands | 590 | 40 | 310 | 280 | 10 | 110 |
| South Ayrshire | 5,750 | 640 | 2,950 | 2,480 | 50 | 640 |
| South Lanarkshire | 16,090 | 1,770 | 9,320 | 5,850 | 90 | 2,470 |
| Stirling | 3,840 | 370 | 2,280 | 1,590 | 50 | 810 |
| West Dunbartonshire | 5,170 | 520 | 2,500 | 1,810 | 40 | 990 |
| West Lothian | 8,250 | 900 | 4,430 | 3,530 | 170 | 1,670 |
| Unknown | 0 | 0 | 2,390 | 0 | 0 | 1,030 |
| More Frequent Payment (MFP Choice) | Direct Payment to Landlord (DPL Choice) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Household Type for UC households as of August 2020 |
Never Taken Choice | No longer has Choice | Currently Open Choice | Never Taken Choice | No longer has Choice | Currently Open Choice |
| Couple with no children | 18,480 | 910 | 8,610 | 10,380 | 190 | 3,390 |
| Couple with children | 33,030 | 2,610 | 13,630 | 19,260 | 440 | 6,040 |
| Single with no children | 154,220 | 14,030 | 86,330 | 53,620 | 1,270 | 25,990 |
| Single with children | 51,620 | 7,760 | 24,320 | 30,730 | 1,270 | 14,240 |
| Unknown | 1,480 | 0 | 1,570 | 150 | 0 | 150 |
| More Frequent Payment (MFP Choice) | Direct Payment to Landlord (DPL Choice) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Limited Capacity for Work Type for UC households as of August 2020 | Never Taken Choice | No longer has Choice | Currently Open Choice | Never Taken Choice | No longer has Choice | Currently Open Choice |
| Limited Capacity for Work (LCW) | 7,590 | 1,280 | 5,750 | 3,230 | 210 | 3,210 |
| Limited Capacity for Work-Related Activities (LCWRA) | 25,420 | 4,000 | 16,820 | 10,930 | 700 | 9,180 |
| Not LCW/LCWRA | 225,820 | 20,040 | 111,880 | 99,980 | 2,270 | 37,410 |
| More Frequent Payment (MFP Choice) | Direct Payment to Landlord (DPL Choice) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Housing Type for UC households as of August 2020 |
Never Taken Choice | No longer has Choice | Currently Open Choice | Never Taken Choice | No longer has Choice | Currently Open Choice |
| Social Rent | 83,690 | 11,760 | 59,760 | 48,040 | 2,440 | 45,420 |
| Private Rent | 56,780 | 5,400 | 15,270 | 66,090 | 730 | 4,320 |
| No Applicable Housing Costs | 19,250 | 1,930 | 11,580 | 0 | 0 | * |
| Not Owned or Rented | 67,010 | 5,160 | 38,600 | 0 | 0 | * |
| Other Accommodation | 440 | 50 | 410 | 0 | 0 | * |
| Own Property | 29,850 | 950 | 7,160 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Shared Ownership | 190 | 10 | 60 | 0 | 0 | * |
| Temporary Accommodation | 20 | <10 | 110 | 0 | 0 | 40 |
| Unknown | 1,610 | 50 | 1,510 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| More Frequent Payment (MFP Choice) | Direct Payment to Landlord (DPL Choice) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employment Status of UC households as of August 2020 |
Never Taken Choice | No longer has Choice | Currently Open Choice | Never Taken Choice | No longer has Choice | Currently Open Choice |
| Employed | 102,360 | 7,410 | 51,450 | 54,160 | 1,120 | 17,010 |
| Employed and Self Employed | 4,800 | 180 | 1,220 | 2,230 | 10 | 280 |
| Self Employed | 12,580 | 650 | 3,060 | 5,760 | 70 | 1,040 |
| Unemployed | 137,620 | 17,070 | 77,160 | 51,840 | 1,960 | 31,330 |
| Unknown | 1,480 | 0 | 1,570 | 150 | 0 | 150 |
Notes
1. All figures are rounded to the nearest 10 households, non-zero figures less than 10 are indicated separately
2. Totals of columns in Tables 2-6 may not sum to the value shown in Table 1 due to rounding
3. Eligibility for MFP or DPL are not mutually exclusive, though around 99% of those eligible for DPL are also eligible for MFP
4. This analysis looks at the cohort of all eligible UC claims in Scotland in August 2020
Notes when comparing to UC Scottish choices Management Information published by the Scottish Government
1. The analysis provided to inform the Scottish choices evaluation is a breakdown of the caseload of open UC claims with or eligible for Scottish choices in August 2020.
2. The analysis for the DWP Scottish choices monthly management information measures new and existing UC claims that are offered or opt in to Scottish choices. It does not however measure claim closures so it is not possible to use the MI to calculate the caseload shown in the Scottish choices evaluation.
How to access background or source data
The data collected for this social research publication:
☐ are available in more detail through Scottish Neighbourhood Statistics
☐ are available via an alternative route
☒ may be made available on request, subject to consideration of legal and ethical factors. Please contact Social.research@gov.scot for further information.
☐ cannot be made available by Scottish Government for further analysis as Scottish Government is not the data controller.
Contact
Email: Socialresearch@gov.scot
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