Social Security Scotland paid £1.9 billion in support in 2023-24

According to statistics from the Scottish Government, Social Security Scotland paid £1.9 billion in support in 2023-2024.

The payments were made across 14 Scottish benefits - seven of which are not available elsewhere in the UK.

The Annual Report and Accounts from Social Security Scotland show that £942 million was paid in Adult Disability Payment and £463 million to help families on low incomes with their living costs through five family payments, which includes Scottish Child Payment. More than 329,000 children and young people were benefitting from this payment by the end of March 2024.

More than 400,000 people were paid Winter Heating Payment by February and Carer Support Payment is now available across Scotland.

According to the organisation's Client Survey, 90 per cent of respondents who received a payment from Social Security Scotland say their overall experience was ‘very good’ or ‘good’.

Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Shirley-Anne Somerville, said: “We are committed to tackling poverty and supporting people throughout Scotland. At a time when families are struggling with the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, we have been delivering 14 benefits, seven of which are only available in Scotland.

“Winter Heating Payment is a reliable annual payment to people on low incomes in Scotland, including pensioners receiving Pension Credit. We continue to offer vital support to families through our five family payments, including Scottish Child Payment which was helping to support more than 329,000 children and young people by the end of financial year 2023-24.”

“We are focused on ensuring people get the money they are entitled to and that we deliver these payments while treating people with dignity, fairness and respect.”

Social Security Scotland Chief Executive, David Wallace, said: “While our service has continued to expand significantly, our clients remain at the heart of everything we do.

“We have focused on delivering new payments to people across Scotland including Carer Support Payment, while ensuring we give our clients an improved experience. This year, we have reduced call waiting and processing times and made it easier for people to submit supporting information for disability benefit applications.

“As the number of people we serve grows, I am delighted we have maintained high client satisfaction rates with our annual Client Survey showing 90% of people who received a payment from us saying their overall experience was ‘very good’ or ‘good’.”