Question reference: S5W-33928
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
- Date lodged: 9 December 2020
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Current status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 23 December 2020
Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people have used the interim social security advocacy service, and how many requests to use, or referrals to, the service have been made.
Answer
Nobody has used the interim social security advocacy service as of yet, and we have received no requests or referrals for the service.
The Coronavirus pandemic impacted on the rollout of disability benefits which led to the termination of the original tendering process for the comprehensive service. The interim advocacy service was introduced to ensure that there was a provision available for existing benefits, even although we anticipated the level of demand for the service would be low.