31 March 2017
The council tax reduction scheme reduces how much council tax a low income household has to pay. This briefing provides background to the scheme and details of how it is calculated.
21 February 2017
The Child Poverty (Scotland) Bill is a Scottish Government Bill introduced in the Scottish Parliament on 9 February 2017. This briefing discusses the main provisions in the Bill.
16 February 2017
This briefing looks at who can claim Universal Credit and some of the difficulties with its introduction.
09 June 2016
The Scotland Act 2016 devolves Carer’s Allowance to Scotland.
03 June 2016
The Scotland Act 2016 devolves a range of social security powers to the Scottish Parliament.
31 May 2016
This briefing provides an overview of the new social security powers that will be devolved to Scotland under the Scotland Act 2016
08 December 2015
This briefing gives an overview of these benefits and the debate so far over their devolution. It also looks briefly at proposals to devolve other measures related to welfare foods and fuel poverty.
07 September 2015
The Smith Commission proposed further devolution of employment programmes. The Scotland Bill, as introduced, would in effect, devolve the Work Programme. This briefing sets out the current provision for employment
24 February 2014
This briefing provides a summary of the parliamentary scrutiny of the Welfare Funds (Scotland) Bill prior to the Stage 3 proceedings which are scheduled to take place on 3 March 2015.
21 January 2015
This briefing provides a background to the UK Government’s current welfare reform agenda, details of the main political parties’ submissions to the Smith Commission, and details of the proposals made by the Smith Commi
6 October 2014
This briefing provides details on the bedroom tax policy, reaction to it and evidence of its impact, particularly in Scotland.
20 August 2014
This briefing provides information on recent UK wide welfare reforms introduced by the UK Government. The briefing also considers proposals for welfare following the referendum on Scottish independence.
19 August 2014
The Welfare Funds (Scotland) Bill will place the interim Scottish Welfare Fund scheme on a statutory footing. This briefing provides an overview of the bill, its financial memorandum and impact assessments.
18 June 2014
This paper provides background information on the increasing demand for food banks across the UK. It considers factors driving the increase, the position and actions taken by the Scottish and the UK Governments.
5 September 2013
This briefing has been produced to provide the Parliament with information on the Scottish Welfare Fund, which replaced the discretionary elements of the Social Fund from April 2013.
27 March 2013
This paper addresses some of the issues surrounding passported benefits and how such benefits will be affected by the change to Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payments.
SPICe Post-Brexit hub
New domestic constitutional arrangements will emerge in the UK after it has left the EU. SPICe’s post-Brexit hub will help you to identify and understand the changes which affect Scotland - SPICe Post-Brexit Hub (external site).