Introduction
The Scottish Parliament's Social Security Committee has launched an inquiry into benefit take-up. The remit is:
How take-up for both reserved and devolved social security benefits can be improved, including through benefit automation. The Committee will explore what we do, and do not know about what is unclaimed and what can be learned from previous efforts to promote take-up.
Background
On 5 September 2019, the Committee held a roundtable discussion with several organisations to explore the issue of benefit take-up. To develop the themes that the Committee heard at this meeting, the Committee is asking for views on any of the following questions:
1. What do we know about how much is unclaimed and why?
2. What are the gaps in knowledge/research and how can they be improved?
3. How can the administration of benefits be improved to maximise take-up? Specific examples would be welcomed.
4. How far is it possible for technology to create a more automated system, that uses information gathered for other reasons to award benefits automatically? What would the advantages/disadvantages be of greater automation?
5. What can we learn from previous campaigns to increase take-up? Specific examples of projects or approaches that improved benefit take-up, particularly those that were evaluated, would be welcomed.
6. Are different approaches required for different benefits and different client groups?
7. What kinds of eligibility criteria ensure better take-up?
8. How might the development of Scottish social security impact on take-up of both reserved and devolved benefits?
9. Are there other questions you think the Committee should consider as part of this inquiry?
The call for written views is running from Monday 9 September to Monday 21 October 2019.
How to submit your views
Before making a submission please read our Privacy Notice about submitting your views to a Committee. This tells you about how we process your personal data.
Please note that your written submission will be published on the Scottish Parliament's website and may be quoted in the Committee's report or in the Committee meetings (which are public and broadcasted).
If you wish to request that your submission be processed anonymously or have any questions about the submissions process, please contact the Social Security Committee at [email protected]
To submit your views please use this template to format your submission. We welcome written views in English, Gaelic, Scots or any other language.
Written responses should be sent electronically, in the template format, to [email protected]. Ideally submissions should be no more than four sides of A4.
If you cannot submit electronically, you may send in a hard copy of the written submission. Please send them to:
Social Security Committee, Room T3.60, Scottish Parliament, EH99 1SP