Budgeting of the Scottish Welfare Fund and the Household Support Fund: FOI release

Information requested

Information relating to the budgeting of the Scottish Welfare Fund between 2023 and 2024 and relating to the budgeting of the Household Support Fund between 2024 and 2025.

Response

I have included your questions directly below. The answers to these questions can be found afterwards:

1. What was the total spend on the Scottish Welfare Fund in 2023/24?

2. If possible, please provide a breakdown of the spend amongst the 32 local authorities in Scotland?

3. How many applications did you receive to this scheme in 2023/24?

4. How many applications were successful in 2023/24?

5. How much was spent on the provision of furniture and/or white goods in 2023/24? This includes both cash, vouchers and the provision of the item itself.

(a) What percentage was:

- Cash?

- Vouchers?

- Provision of the item itself?

6. What is your budget for 2024/25?

7. The devolved Governments were allocated money through Barnett Consequentials, that came from the UK Government’s Household Support Fund. Scotland was awarded £41m. This funding may not have been referred to as the Household Support Fund in Scotland, but it is clearly outlined here : https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/household-support-fund-guidance-for-local-councils#fullpublication-update-history . Did you use any of this money to bolster the Scottish Welfare Fund scheme?

8. And more generally, what did Scotland use that funding for? Please provide a breakdown if possible.

9. What will the impact be on local communities and vulnerable people across Scotland if HSF is not extended beyond September 30th?

In response to questions 1-5:
Most of the information you have requested regarding the Scottish Welfare fund's budget between 2023 and 2024 is available from <https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-welfare-fund-statisticsupdate-to-31-December-2023/documents/>. Under section 25(1) of FOISA, we do not have to give you information which is already reasonably accessible to you. If, however, you do not have internet access to obtain this information from the website(s) listed, then please contact me again and I will send you a paper copy.

The Scottish Welfare Fund data for 2023-24 is scheduled to be published on 30 July 2024, and therefore, under section 27(1) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002, we are exempt from an early release of this information.

This exemption is subject to the 'public interest test'. Therefore, taking account of all the circumstances of this case, we have considered if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exemption. We recognise that there is some public interest in release because of ongoing interest in Scottish Government actions to address the cost of living. However, this is outweighed by the public interest in ensuring the information has been properly collated and checked before it is published as planned. Any public interest in releasing the data will be met by the planned publication.

When published, this information will also be available from the Scottish Government website.

In response to question 6:

£41 million is the amount of Scottish Government Funding for the Scottish Welfare Fund in 2024/25.

In response to questions 7 and 8:

The Scottish Government hasn't replicated the Household Support Fund. Consequential funding received in previous financial years has been used to support the wider financial position and other responses to the cost of living crisis.

For the £41 million for 1 April 2024 to 30 September 2024, while we have been notified of this funding, the Scottish Government is yet to formally receive the Barnett consequentials related to the UK Government’s extension of the Household Support Fund to 30 September 2024. This funding was not applied at the 2024-25 UK Main Estimates. We expect it to be received as part of the UK Government’s 2024-25 Supplementary Estimates exercise which will conclude early in 2025. Details of how the Scottish Government has utilised this funding will be outlined in the 2024-25 Spring Budget Revision which will be laid in parliament in early 2025.

To note the Scottish Welfare Fund budget, including administrative funds, and the Household Support Fund consequentials both come to £41 million. As noted above, this is coincidental and the consequentials have not been used to fund the Scottish Welfare Fund.

In response to question 9:

The Scottish Government has not included any assumption on Barnett consequentials being received as a result of the Household Support Fund being extended beyond September 2024 within its existing budgets. Therefore there will be no direct impact on existing Scottish Government programmes if the UK Government does not extend the programme.

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