Delays feared over £20 child payment
DWP tells SNP ministers they jumped the gun by pledging benefit this year
THE rollout of a £20-a-week payment to hundreds of thousands of low income families by the end of the year could be at risk.
Technical issues have led the SNP/Green Government to suggest Whitehall may need to provide a “letter of comfort” on timescales for extending the Scottish Child Payment (SCP).
The flagship anti-poverty policy pays £10 a week to eligible families for each child under six.
In November, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced it would be doubled for this age group from April and rolled out to under-16s by the end of this year.
More than 400,000 children could be eligible for the doubled payment from then. However, a minute of a meeting in November between the Scottish Government and the UK Department for Work and Pensions shows uncertainty about the plan.
At the summit weeks before the First Minister’s announcement, Social Justice Secretary Shona Robison said there was an “ongoing issue” around the “preferred technical solution” and the timescales for phase two of the SCP.
The minute added: “She suggested that if DWP’s preferred solution was taken forward, Scottish ninisters would be seeking a letter of comfort from DWP with assurances it was deliverable to Scottish ministers’ timescales.”
Chloe Smith, the UK Government’s minister for disabled people, agreed to a “separate discussion” to assess the situation with the Scottish Government.
The minute said: “She [Smith] stated there was a broader point about the dangers of making public commitments before working through delivery timescales and feasibility with DWP.”
The UK Government said: “We are delivering on devolution and will continue to work closely with the Scottish Government as they move forward with devolved benefits.”
The Scottish Government was asked to comment.