Convener Clare Adamson asks about Universal Credit and the Scottish Welfare Fund.

Morag Johnston of Glasgow City Council backs the evidence given by the previous panel, confirming Glasgow City Council is expecting an increase in applications as Universal Credit is rolled out.

This is why the Council opted to maintain the Fund at its 2017-18 levels for the next year, she explains.

Dundee City Council's Craig Mason says Universal Credit has already been rolled out to the city and early signs are positive.

He suggests this is because a lot of work went into ensuring it was set up.

There are signs people are taking advance payments as they apply for UC, which has led to the leveling off of crisis grant payments.

Image source, bbc

The committee is now taking evidence from:

• Morag Johnston from Glasgow City Council, external
• Craig Mason from Dundee City Council, external
• Sheila McKandie from Highland Council, external

Read their submissions here., external

SNP MSP Ben Macpherson asks how the Scottish Welfare Fund has made in preventing and mitigating homelessness.

Jules Oldham of Homeless Action Scotland says the Community Care Grant is crucial in moving on from temporary or supported accommodation into new tenancy, where people often only have bin bag of things.

Image source, bbbc

Ms Oldham highlights that without the grants someone will move into a flat with bare walls, no bed and no white goods.

The grant is the bare minimum and we could do better, she argues, and the grant is the difference between a tenancy succeeding or failing.

She points out that if someone is in temporary accommodation, without a permanent address, they can't access the fund.

The committee briefly suspends to allow for the changeover of witnesses.

Elodie Mignard of the Scottish Refugee Council says refugees will require a crisis grant for at least three weeks because of the processing time of universal credit.

This means Glasgow for example could see a huge increase in applications, she explains.

CPAG Scotland's John Dickie agrees, adding it is important to ensure the Scottish Welfare Fund is properly resourced given it is currently a cash-limited discretionary fund.

Labour MSP Mark Griffin raises the Family Reunion Fund.

Ms Mignard says it is a good step forward but it is difficult to assess how big families will be.

When refugees arrive they have no income at all and families must rely on the single allowance of the sponsor, she explains.

This means very large families may be in need of crisis grants for six weeks, she suggests.

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Labour MSP Mark Griffin tells the witnesses the Scottish Welfare Fund has been frozen since April 2013, which he says means a £3m real terms cut.

Mr Scott says people are two and a half times more likely to be sanctioned than when they were on JSA or ESA.

He points out that means they will lose 40% of their benefit for twice as long.

Hardship payments under UC are loans and they are recoverable as soon as the sanction finishes, he explains.

"It's going to create huge pressure on the fund as UC is rolled out if that level of sanctions continues."

Green MSP Alison Johnstone asks about the collection of data on applications, including those declined.

Mr Scott says there is evidence that gate keeping is taking place, with people being told they are not the right type of person to make a claim.

Nothing exists in regulations to prevent repeated granting of community care grants, for example for domestic abuse survivors who have repeatedly moved home, says Mr Scott.

However, he suggests many local authorities do operate a "three strikes and your out" approach.

Jules Oldham of Homeless Action Scotland agrees more information should be collected.

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Jules Oldham of Homeless Action Scotland, external argues some of the wording on the websites is off putting, as they say you have to be in a disaster or a crisis to qualify.

This makes it sound as if you have to be part of a superhero film to actually apply for a community care grant or a crisis grant, she suggests.

Ms Oldham argues the grants can actually save so much money, if people understand it is a prevention fund.

She calls for substantial training across all local authorities to help people understand this money is to prevent things going wrong.

Inclusion Scotland's Bill Scott argues for compensation to be provided to people who are not treated with dignity and respect.

He says that for people with no money, their dignity is often the last thing they have.

Taking that away from them is extremely damaging and can have long-term effects, he warns.

How is it that Scottish welfare fund staff are not trained to treat disabled people, and those in poverty more broadly, as though they are human, he asks.

This must be dealt with by the Scottish government, Mr Scott urges.

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In April, MSPs unanimously passed legislation to establish a devolved Scottish social security system.

Holyrood is being given responsibility for 11 benefits, including disability living allowance, personal independence payments and carers allowance.

The benefits are relied upon by 1.4 million people across the country, and are worth about £3.3bn a year.

The devolution of the powers is being staggered, with the benefits system due to be fully operational by 2021.

The payments will be administered by a new Scottish social security agency, headquartered in Dundee and Glasgow, with 1,500 jobs split across the two sites.

A further 400 people will be employed at smaller sites across the country.

• Look back on the debate and vote on Holyrood Live
• Read more here

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Bill Scott says: "The parliament passed unanimously a Bill, less than a month ago, that said that all claimants to the Scottish social security system should be treated with dignity and respect.

"That's primary legislation, that's binding as far as I'm concerned, on the Scottish Welfare Fund, and yet it's not happening."

He cites instances where someone who was assumed to be a drug user, when in fact they were disabled, and a blind person being told "we don't treat people like you."

One person told him that he would rather die than ask for help from these people.

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Mr Dickie calls for all the information provided to be in line with statutory guidance.

He says the decision making process often seems at odds with the statutory guidance, which may be due to limited resources.

The CPAG director states the process for accessing the Scottish Welfare Fund are in line with the guidance.

Bill Scott from Inclusion Scotland points out stress is going to happen if you have no money to live on, and calls for an integrated approach.

Mr Scott states other underlying issues like debt must be looked at.

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Mr Dickie promotes the North Lanarkshire approach, where it looks at referring people to the Scottish Welfare Fund in the first place through their food banks.

They plug into the wider issue of maximising income, he explains, with more crisis grants and fewer food packages, which is a far more dignified approach.

Bill Scott of Inclusion Scotland explains that to receive carers allowance, carers must work under 16 hours a week.

However Universal Credit recipients subject to in-work conditionality are expected to increase working hours, he says.

This means carers risk losing benefits, Mr Scott concludes.

Tory MSP Adam Tomkins highlights that carers allowance is being devolved in full to the Scottish parliament.

It is for Holyrood to decide whether that 16 hour rules remains in place, he says.

Bill Scott accepts this, saying Inclusion Scotland is campaigning for its removal, particularly for young carers.

However, he warns that the rollout of universal credit is happening before these changes can be made.

Image source, Getty Images

Emergency payments worth £2.2m have been paid to people in Scotland struggling to pay for basics like food and heating, according to a report published last October.

Scottish government statistics, external reveal that more than 42,000 applications for crisis grants were made between 1 April and 30 June 2017 - up 11% on last year.

Ministers said the "chaotic roll-out" of universal credit was to blame.

• What is universal credit?
• 'Universal Credit isn't a fair system'
• MSPs call for halt to Universal Credit

The Department for Work and Pensions said the "vast majority" of grants were given out for other reasons.

The latest Scottish government report found that 14% of applications for crisis grants were due to delays in benefits payments.

Read more.

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Jules Oldham of Homeless Action Scotland, external says people have no idea what their entitlements are, especially refugees.

Ms Oldham stresses the importance of resources to make sure people know about their rights and entitlements.

Mr Scott agrees, saying in a straw poll of people on benefits five out of 20 said they had never heard of the Scottish Welfare Fund.

This is something we definitely need to address, he says.

SNP MSP George Adam asks about addressing the root causes.

CPAG Scotland's John Dickie reiterates the need to ensure the Scottish welfare fund meets the needs of people facing an income crisis.

We shouldn't take away focus from the drivers behind crises but we also must do what we can to ensure people's families are not put at risk, he explains.

Too many people are at foodbanks when they could be getting a crisis grant, he adds.

Image source, bbc

Jules Oldham of Homeless Action Scotland, external also echoes what has been said on UC by the previous witnesses.

Ms Oldham expresses concerns about those who have been self-employed and the onus being on them to keep in contact with the DWP.

This may lead to a new group of people who will be sanctioned, she says.

Ms Oldham says there is more hope in terms of temporary accommodation and moving into permanent residencies.

She highlights the massive impact of community care grants and the support needed for permanent tenancies.

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Elodie Mignard from Scottish Refugee Council, external says the asylum system is "inhumane, isolating and putting people in financial hardship".

Ms Mignard tells the committee people newly granted refugee status only have 28 days to ensure their first payment of benefits.

She says this is not enough for people to have their benefits paid.

In September the roll out of UC will increase the destitution of refugees in Scotland, states Ms Mignard, echoing the concerns of CPAG and Inclusion Scotland.

The crisis grant is having to be used for a planned crisis, she says.

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Bill Scott from Inclusion Scotland says speaking to a community group in Glasgow, they told him they are dreading the full roll out of Universal Credit.

Mr Scott adds that those already on UC are unable to manage, with around 40% reductions to their benefits.

He says pressure will be put on officials to decide who are the deserving and who are the undeserving poor.