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The UK and Scottish governments have different views on the extent to which the Welfare State should support people.

UK government approaches to social security benefits

In recent years Conservative UK governments have been keen to reduce government spending on social protection. Conservative UK governments also aim to encourage more people to take up paid employment (people to work their way out of poverty) rather than depend on the State.

The eligibility for benefits has been tightened, for example, those unemployed are subject to benefit sanctions (penalties) for missing a job interview or similar.

In his Autumn Statement speech to the House of Commons in November 2023, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt stated that anyone who is not working after 18 months would need to undertake work experience placements to retain their benefits. However this would have to be agreed to by Parliament. (Source: ������̳ News)

The Conservative government have also tightened eligibility rules for some other benefits.

Since 2013, people of working age who live in social housing and who are judged to have more accommodation than they need have been subject to a reduction in their Housing Benefit payments. The policy was extended to cover pensioners in 2017. The 'removal of the spare room subsidy' policy aims to reduce the amount tax-payers put towards unused accommodation, while addressing problems of housing shortages and overcrowding.

In 2017, the government introduced a two-child benefit cap or limit for some types of support, for example the child element of the Child Tax Credit. This decision, which more than 50 anti-poverty organisations have protested against, affects 1.5 million children in the UK and would leave some of the poorest families thousands of pounds worse off.

In 2017, the UK Government lowered a benefit cap that limits how much a non-working household could get in benefits. In London, benefits are capped at £25,323 and in the rest of the UK, £22,020 per adult couple with a qualifying child per year.(Source: GOV.uk)

Scottish government approaches to social security benefits

In Scotland, the Scottish Government has tried to reduce the impact of some of UK Government benefit changes.

For example, additional funding has been provided to those adversely affected by changes to benefits e.g. the loss of the 'spare room subsidy'.

Another example is the introduction and later extension of the Scottish Child Payment, which was worth £25 in 2023 to the families of those children who qualify. (Source: Scottish Government)

The 'welfare trap'

There is a debate on what has been called the welfare trap. This is where people who are unemployed are encouraged to take up work, but find that their income is lower if they move off benefits and into paid employment. Critics of the welfare trap would like to see higher minimum rates of pay to ensure everyone taking up paid employment is better off in work than dependent on benefit.