Publication - Research and analysis

The Impact of Welfare Reform in Scotland - Tracking Study Sweep 4 Report - Appendices

Published: 24 June 2016
ISBN: 9781786523044

The aim of this study was to explore the impact of ongoing welfare changes on a range of working age households in Scotland. The study consisted of four interview sweeps over a three year period (2013-16). This report presents the findings from the final

Supporting documents

Annex 1: Further Information on Welfare Reform in Scotland

Figure A1.1 below shows the timetable by which key welfare reforms have been implemented in Scotland.

Figure A1.1: Timetable of key welfare reforms

Apr 2011	LHA set at 30 ^th percentile of local rents instead of 50 ^th, with national caps on rates Child Benefit, and WTC (basic and 30 hour elements) frozen for three years
Jan 2012	LHA cut to shared room rate for 25-34 year olds with no dependent children
May 2012	Contributory ESA time limited for those not in Support Group Lone parents with youngest child aged five or over no longer entitled to IS solely as a lone parent
Oct 2012	New sanctions regime introduced for JSA claimants - with three levels of fixed-term sanctions with increasing penalties for repeat sanctions
Dec 2012	New sanctions regime introduced for ESA claimants
Apr 2013	Introduction of the 'bedroom tax' ( HB reduced for 'under-occupying' tenants of working age in the social rented sector) SWF replaces DWP Crisis Loans and Community Care Grants Replacement of DLA with PIP for new claimants Replacement of CTB with CTR in Scotland Uprating of working-age benefits and tax credits capped at 1 per cent for three years
July 2013	National roll-out of the Benefit Cap to Local authorities with under 275 households affected
Aug - Sept 2013	Completion of Benefit Cap roll-out for local authorities with over 275 households affected (Edinburgh and Glasgow in Scotland)
Oct 2013	Rollout of UC expanded to six Jobcentres including Inverness New Claimant Commitment rolled out to all Jobcentres 'Mandatory reconsideration' introduced
Jan 2014	Limited reassessment of DLA claimants for PIP in Edinburgh, Dumfries and Galloway, Galashiels and Motherwell
Apr 2014	Child Benefit - uprated by 1 per cent for two years Introduction of mandatory work-related activity for lone parents in receipt of IS with a youngest child aged three or four
Jan-Mar 2014	Limited reassessment of DLA claimants for PIP in Glasgow, Inverness, Aberdeen, Dundee, Kilmarnock, Kirkcaldy, Perth and Falkirk
June 2014	UC claims from couples and single people taken in Inverness
July 2014	UC claims for couples in all areas where UC is rolled out
Jan 2015	UC available to couples or lone parents with children in Inverness. Limited reassessment of existing claimants of DLA for PIP in Glasgow and Inverness
Feb 2015	Limited reassessment of existing claimants of DLA for PIP in Aberdeen, Dundee, Kilmarnock, Kirkcaldy and Perth UC available for single newly unemployed people without children in Highland jobcentres
Mar 2015	Limited reassessment of existing claimants of DLA for PIP in Falkirk UC available for single newly unemployed people without children in West Dunbartonshire, North Lanarkshire, Edinburgh City
Apr 2015	UC available for single newly unemployed people without children in Midlothian, North Ayrshire, East Lothian, Borders, Dumfries and Galloway
May 2015	UC available to new single claimants in Orkney, Shetland Isles, Western Isles, Aberdeenshire, Falkirk, Stirling Limited reassessment of existing claimants of DLA for PIP in Paisley
June 2015	UC now introduced into 49 jobcentres across Scotland for new, single jobseekers without children except in Inverness where couples and parents can claim UC
July 2015	Start of final phase of PIP reassessment to existing DLA claimants (due to be completed end 2017)
Oct 2015	Further introduction of UC to new single claimants into 9 jobcentres across Scotland
Nov 2015	Further introduction of UC to new single claimants into 8 jobcentres across Scotland
Dec 2015	Further introduction of UC to new single claimants Kirkintilloch

Source: Adapted from Scottish Government, 2014 (including Box 1.1., p11) and Scottish Government, 2015 (including Box 1.1., p 12) with additional information from Turn2Us (n.d.) and Department for Work and Pensions (2015).

The number of claimants in Scotland affected by these changes (according to the most up to date statistics available at the time of writing), and the change in these levels since the statistics shown in the previous report, is shown in Table A1.1.

Table A1.1. Claimants in Scotland claiming key benefits affected by welfare reform

Benefit	Number of claimants
Benefit	May 2014	May 2015	% change
JSA	96,310	73,770	-23.4
ESA	241,730	254,500	5.3
- WRAG	70,150	66,460	-5.3
- Support Group	116,810	138,430	18.5
Incapacity Benefit	11,230	7,060	-37.1
DLA (working age)	194,820	179,100	-8.1
PIP	8,390	48,399	476.9
Universal Credit	345	2381	590.1
Carer's Allowance (working age)	57,880	63,310	9.4
Income Support	70,010	62,630	-10.5
- Incapacity benefit claimants	15,590	10,380	-33.4
- Lone parents	37,980	34,980	-7.9
- Carers	16,440	17,270	5.0
Housing Benefit	475,358	464,747	-2.2
- Private rented sector	98,221	94,804	-3.5
- Social rented sector	377,135	369,951	-1.9
- Affected by bedroom tax	71,292	72,026	1.0
Benefit Cap	948	773	-18.5

Source: DWP Tabulation Tool, http://tabulation-tool.dwp.gov.uk/100pc/tabtool.html and DWP StatXplore, https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/

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