Our vision is for a fairer welfare system

UK Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall making a statement on welfare reform in the House of Commons on Tuesday

The proposals set out our vision to build a system that is fairer and provides vital support for those who need it most, ensuring they are supported to live in dignity and independence, whilst making sure that everyone who can realise the benefits of work is supported to do so.

We must restore trust and fairness in the system by fixing the broken assessment process that drives people into a benefit trap by delivering better and more tailored employment support to get more people off welfare, into work.

The figures are stark. Almost 300,000 Scots out of work and not looking for work because they are on either temporary or long-term sick. Almost one in six young Scots not in education, work or training, compared to one in eight in England. A rate of economic inactivity much higher in Scotland than in England. Claimant rates significantly up since the pandemic, costs spiralling out of control and a broken system trapping people in benefits when they can and want to work. These figures represent an appalling waste of potential and talent. Too many people are being written off, and this is holding them back.

Scotland’s welfare system is as broken as England’s. Since its inception, Social Security Scotland (which manages devolved welfare payments) has been beset by problems, with costs spiralling out of control. This is not a system that is doing right by the most vulnerable, and the Scottish Government must take urgent action. Of course, reforming the broken welfare system is only part of the picture. We also need the Scottish Government to deliver better results on health, education and skills. Over 700,000 Scots are on an NHS waiting list; bringing waiting lists down will help people back into work. Meanwhile, employment schemes have faced years of Scottish Government cuts. On education, the SNP’s record is shameful. 1351 pupils, enough to fill an entire Scottish secondary school, left school last year without a single qualification, while attainment gaps are widening between the richest and the poorest.

The Labour Government is delivering the biggest upgrade to working rights in a generation, ending exploitative zero-hours contracts and fire and rehire, bringing in day-one rights to parental leave and strengthening access to sick pay. And we’re raising the minimum wage, meaning that, from April, 200,000 of the lowest paid Scots will receive a pay rise.

If more people in Scotland are supported into work, the economy will grow and tax receipts will rise, meaning more money for public services. And it is undeniable that individuals will always be better off in work. With action to reform the broken welfare system and to make work pay, the Scottish Government needs to step up on NHS waiting lists, skills and employability. Labour has reset the relationship between Westminster and Holyrood. We must now work together to build a welfare system and an economy that affirms the dignity of work while protecting the most vulnerable.

Ian Murray is MP for Edinburgh South and Secretary of State for Scotland