Commons Sense

House of Commons · Adjournment Debate

Relationship between Social Security Scotland and the DWP

02 June 2026 · 1 other contributor

Opened by Wendy Chamberlain Lib Dem North East Fife

Benefits & Welfare

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Wendy Chamberlain raised concerns about relationship between social security scotland and the dwp in the House of Commons. A government minister responded. Other MPs also contributed.

Key points

  • Ms Chamberlain raised concerns about DWP failing to correctly account for Scottish carers' entitlement to the Scottish Carer Support Payment.
  • The minister acknowledged ongoing issues with communication and system integration between DWP and Social Security Scotland.
  • Mr Western committed to reviewing training for DWP staff and ensuring effective signposting to Social Security Scotland.

How the debate unfolded

MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.

Opened the debate

Wendy Chamberlain Lib Dem North East Fife

Ms Chamberlain raised concerns about the Department for Work and Pensions systems continually failing to understand and correctly account for Scottish carers who have an underlying entitlement to the Scottish Carer Support Payment. She highlighted cases of constituents facing wrongful deductions from their Universal Credit despite not receiving the support payment, causing significant distress and financial hardship. Ms Chamberlain emphasised the need for DWP staff training on how benefits work, better communication between DWP and Social Security Scotland systems, and swift action to address systemic errors impacting carers. She stressed that unpaid carers are overstretched and should not bear the burden of correcting DWP failures each month.

Other contributors (1)
  • Jim Shannon DUP Strangford

    Mr Shannon agreed with Ms Chamberlain, noting the importance of ensuring that vulnerable constituents receive effective service from both Westminster and Scottish Governments.

Government Response

Andrew Western

Mr Western acknowledged the concerns raised by Ms Chamberlain. He noted that while significant progress has been made in transferring benefits to Social Security Scotland, there are ongoing issues with communication and system integration between DWP and Social Security Scotland. The Minister committed to reviewing training for DWP staff and ensuring effective signposting to Social Security Scotland where appropriate. Mr Western highlighted the Sayce review findings on carer's allowance overpayments in England and Wales, indicating a broader issue within DWP rather than solely with Social Security Scotland. He confirmed that work is underway to modernise DWP services and align Scottish mechanisms, aiming for automatic benefit offsetting by the end of this Parliament but without providing specific timelines or additional funding commitments.

▸ Assessment & feedback
Summary accuracy