Minimum Income Guarantee Expert Group: interim report - easy read

What we recommend

1. The Scottish Government should think about the powers the Scottish Parliament will need to deliver new benefits or pilot a Minimum Income Guarantee.

2. The Scottish Government should change the Scottish Child Payment so it is not tied to a UK Government qualifying benefit.

3. The Scottish Government should promise a Minimum Income Guarantee system will not have unfair conditions and sanctions. Conditions mean people must behave in a certain way to get support. Sanctions reduce, pause or end support if the conditions are not met.

4. The Scottish Government should promise that benefits will not take a long time to receive, be paused or limited. This negatively impacts different groups, such as single parents, people of colour, disabled people and women more than others.

5. The Scottish Government should think about how they can do more to help parents with childcare costs.

6. The Scottish Government should look at council tax reductions and water rates discounts for people that don't have much money.

7. The Scottish Government should make sure more people get the help they qualify for and link national and local social security systems.

8. The Scottish Government should check if disability assistance is enough to help disabled people with the extra costs of being disabled.

9. The Scottish Government should promote the living wage and make sure all pubic sector workers get this. The living wage is the amount of money people need to make at work to buy the things they need.