Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the proposed disability benefit reforms on claimants in Scotland.

Universal Credit is a reserved matter in Scotland, so the changes to Universal Credit will apply in Scotland. Personal Independent Payment (PIP) is an extra costs disability benefit and is a devolved matter in Scotland. By the time the Personal Independence Payment changes come into effect, PIP will have been fully replaced by the Scottish Government’s Adult Disability Payment. The changes to PIP eligibility therefore will not apply in Scotland.

The interactions between the reserved and devolved systems in Scotland will need to be considered before these reforms are implemented and officials are already engaging on this.  DWP has engaged with the Scottish Government on the reforms set out in the Pathways to Work Green Paper, at both an official and Ministerial level. They will continue to work closely as they develop detailed proposals for the White Paper.