Blog: Is Social Security Scotland a waste of money?
by Shelagh Young, DHI Engagement Lead
Last week we hosted Professor Danny Dorling, the University of Oxford’s Halford Mackinder Professor of Geography. One ray of light in the long list of complex problems he addressed, many of which are analysed in more detail in his new book Shattered Nation, was the Scottish Child Payment which he described as creating the biggest fall in child poverty anywhere in Europe for at least 40 years.
How was this positive news addressed in our national media? Hardly at all, as it turns out. It was eclipsed by an announcement from Gordon Brown, whose status as a former big beast of British politics affords him well-earned attention. And what did Brown have to say about this successful cash-first approach to reducing child poverty? Was it even acknowledged? Unfortunately not.
Describing Social Security Scotland as a “waste of money” he managed to completely ignore two really important things. Firstly, that lifting thousands of children out of poverty looks to be achieving exactly what he called for back in May when he warned that food banks were taking over from the welfare state. Levels of need in Scotland are rising due to the cost of living crisis but not at the same rate as other parts of the UK. The Trussell Trust’s data shows that Scotland saw a smaller percentage increase in the number of parcels provided for children from November 2022 to March 2023 in comparison with the same period in 2021/22 than Northern Ireland, Wales or England. There was a 17% increase in Scotland compared to 42% in England. The Trust’s tentative conclusion is that this may suggest that the extension of eligibility for Scottish Child Payment from aged 6 to age 16, and the £5 increase to £25 a week, introduced in November 2022, has made an impact.
The second absence in his argument was how people feel about the way they are treated by the new agency. The Scottish Government invested significant time in engaging with a wide range of people to create ”Our Charter” which is a requirement of the Social Security (Scotland) Act 2018. Its purpose is to set out what people should expect from the new social security system making it clear that Social Security Scotland is required to take a human rights based approach and showing how it will demonstrate dignity, fairness and respect in all of its actions.
Only current beneficiaries can tell us if Social Security Scotland is living up to the Charter and whether it is a significant improvement on their previous dealings with the Department for Work and Pensions. Of course kinder, more respectful treatment doesn’t pay the bills but it does reduce stress and associated mental health problems which is good for the whole of society in the long run.
Being neutral in party political terms is not the job of politicians but it is our job here at the David Hume Institute. We are not champions of or apologists for any government but we are sticklers for following the data. Big beasts capture headlines but for a better sense of whether your money is being well spent, do what we do at DHI, keep your eyes on the facts.
