John Dickie: Holyrood must have the muscle to protect our vulnerable people

AN UNPRECEDENTED £18 billion of cuts to the value of benefits and tax credits are slashing the incomes of tens of thousands of families across Scotland, and the rest of the UK, as the Westminster Welfare Reform Bill looks set to fundamentally change the nature of our welfare system.

As evidence given to the Scotland Bill committee today will make clear, these reforms will have a massive impact on individuals and communities across Scotland, but also on devolved housing, childcare, health and social care services and anti-poverty ambitions.

As members of the Scottish Campaign on Welfare Reform (SCoWR) – a coalition of more than 60 charities, trade unions, faith groups and anti-poverty organisations giving evidence to the committee today – our key concern is whether decisions on welfare, wherever taken, support or undermine the poorest and most vulnerable members of our society.

Whichever level of government holds those powers, they must be used to ensure that our welfare system is adequate to protect people from poverty, treat people with dignity and enable us all to fully participate in society. But it is critical that welfare policies take account of the different legislative and service infrastructure already in place in Scotland.

Government in London, Edinburgh and at local level has a responsibility to ensure that the welfare and social policies they control mesh together to support our poorest citizens and reduce the inequalities that scar our country.

The UK Welfare Reform Bill is proposing to further devolve responsibility for vital areas of welfare support to Scotland. It will abolish council tax benefit, social fund community care grants and crisis loans, devolving responsibility for their replacements.

In this context, it is vital that MSPs scrutinise the Scotland Bill to ensure that Holyrood has the necessary powers to match these new responsibilities and ensure that replacement schemes in Scotland are adequate to protect Scottish households.

But just as important as having the necessary powers will be having the political will to make the Scottish budget decisions needed so that funding for replacement schemes is adequate to support all of those that need the vital support council tax benefit and social fund support currently provide.

The Scottish Parliament needs to ensure that any scheme developed to replace council tax benefit is adequately funded within the budget, does not reduce the level of support low-income households depend on and does not introduce a myriad of differing taper rates at which benefit is withdrawn that could provide further work disincentives.

Similarly, if responsibility for the replacement of social fund community care grant and crisis loans is to be devolved, a national framework must be set out that protects conditions of eligibility in law and allows for a right of independent review of adverse decisions with funding adequate to recognise the vital support that it provides to families in need.

• John Dickie is the head of the Child Poverty Action Group in Scotland and a leading member of the Scottish Campaign on Welfare Reform