The Coalition government’s welfare reforms are having a devastating impact on thousands of sick and disabled Scots – according to evidence published by Citizens Advice Scotland.
The employment and support allowance scheme (ESA) was introduced in 2008 for new claimants is now being applied to those who are currently on incapacity benefit who have previously been deemed to be too sick to work.
The CAS report, From Pillar to Post, details individual cases of people who have been considered healthy by the ESA assessment, but actually suffer from severe health problems.
Highlights
- 36,000 people in Scotland will move onto JSA with a drop in income of £27 a week,
- 65,000 will leave the benefits system altogether with a drop in income of at least £99 a week
- Glasgow will be particularly affected by the migration. One in five IB claimants affected by the migration in Scotland live in the city
