Social security consultation: easy read
This consultation asks for your views on changes to make social security in Scotland even better. We want to make changes to make things better for people who use our services. We also want to make changes to make sure that it is good value for money.
Value for Money
People who need help come first in the Scottish social security system, but it also has to be good value for money.
Compensation Recovery
A person who has an accident, injury or disease may get benefits. If another person or company was to blame, then the person may be paid money called compensation.
Compensation is usually paid by insurance companies.
We want to think about if the insurance company should pay back the money that the person has had from Social Security Scotland.
Q8. When someone gets compensation from an insurance company, should the insurance company give back money paid out by Social Security Scotland?
Yes
No
Please explain your answer below:
Fraud
When a person lies and gets money that they should not have, they have committed fraud. We must stop fraud. When it does happen we need to find fraud and deal with it.
Social Security Scotland can take people to court if they commit fraud. The DWP can give fines to people who commit fraud instead of taking them to court. This cannot be done in Scotland.
Q9. Should Social Security Scotland be able to give fines to people instead of taking them to court?
Yes
No
Please explain your answer below:
Overpayment where someone acts on behalf of a client
Sometimes a client will need someone else to act for them. The law says that the person who the benefit is for must pay back an overpayment. They do not need to pay back an overpayment if they did not cause or make an error.
Where a person is acting for the client, the person must agree to be responsible for paying back an overpayment.
If the person acting for the client will not pay back an overpayment then Social Security Scotland may have to take them to court.
We think anyone who tries to keep money from an overpayment should be made to pay it back. If the person acting for the client keeps the money then that person should pay it back. If the client has had the money then the client should pay it back.
Q10. Should people acting for clients be responsible for repaying overpayments if they keep the money?
Yes
No
Please explain your answer below:
Contact
Email: socialsecurityci@gov.scot
There is a problem
Thanks for your feedback