Self-Isolation Support Grant: equality impact assessment

Socio-economic disadvantage: any people experiencing poverty

As outlined in the background to this document, people on lower incomes or insecure work, without the protections provided by contractual or statutory sick pay, stand to be impacted the most from a requirement to stay at home. As outlined in individual assessments above, this may also read across into intersectional considerations, such as the increased risk BAME or disabled people face with regard to being on lower incomes.

ScotCen Social Research were commissioned by the Scottish Government to carry out a mixed mode study of adults asked to self-isolate by Test and Protect either because they tested positive for COVID-19, were in contact with someone that tested positive for COVID-19 or recently arrived into Scotland from outside the UK.^[23]

When analysed by levels of area deprivation, those living in the two most deprived SIMD quintiles were more likely to indicate that they had/were struggling financially (21%) compared with those living in the other three deprivation quintiles (8%).

Respondents who were index or contact cases living in the two most deprived SIMD quintiles were more than twice as likely to have applied for a SISG compared with those living in the other three quintiles (13% and 5% respectively).

The distribution of lateral flow/LFD tests being reported varies substantially by both age and deprivation status, with many fewer tests reported in younger adults across all deciles of deprivation, and for children in more deprived deciles.^[24]

Those with household incomes of less than or equal to £16,900 (17% across all three waves) and £16,901 to £30,700 (13% across all waves) were more likely than those with higher household incomes to have applied for a self-isolation support grant.

The weekly national summary of Scottish local authority support data covering 14 to 20 February 2022 highlights that the majority of contact was to provide individuals with financial support. Namely, 1,933 referrals to the SISG, 369 referrals to other financial support, 236 people required assistance with food for financial reasons and 120 required assistance with food for access reasons^[25].

Information received from local authorities covering to July 2022 indicates that more than double the number of SISG applicants were living in the most deprived 20% of areas in Scotland (SIMD quintile 1: 27% of applicants) than were living in the least deprived 20% of areas in Scotland (SIMD quintile 5: 12% of applicants).