Call for split Universal Credit payments to protect women
WOMEN are at risk of domestic abuse as figures show not one is receiving split payments for Universal Credit, according to an MSP.
Universal Credit payments are currently paid into a single account, leading to warnings it leaves victims of domestic abuse open to financial control from their abusers.
The Prime Minister has previously defended the policy claiming that split payments are available on request. However a report from Women’s Aid found that 85 per cent of domestic abuse survivors agreed that a request for split payments would only make the abuse worse when their partner found out.
The Scottish Government is currently in discussions with the Department for Work and Pensions about making separate payments the default for Scottish claimants, but SNP MSP Shona Robison has claimed the most effective route to deal with the issue is for the UK Government to reform the system at source.
Ms Robison said: “Our welfare system should be designed with the safety and security of those who receive support in mind. While the Scottish Government have opened discussions with the DWP to change the system in Scotland, a simple amendment by the Tories at Westminster could offer protection. I will continue to push the UK government to introduce separate Universal Credit payments as the default position.”