Minimum Income Guarantee: report - easy read version

What the Expert Group recommend

Between 2026 to 2031, the Expert Group think the Scottish Government should:

1. Work quickly to start a Minimum Income Guarantee. This should be part of all their plans and they should tell us how this is going.

2. Set a deadline to make sure everyone has a safety net as soon as possible. This includes:

• Stopping the two-child limit for the Universal Credit Child Element. Children in big families should not live in poverty.

• End the five-week wait for Universal Credit if the UK Government does not do this. The five-week wait means people do not have support when they need it most.

• Stop the Parenting Penalty in Universal Credit if the UK Government does not do this. Families can only get 85% of the cost covered, they should get 100% of the cost covered.

3. Increase the Scottish Child Payment to £55 each week.

4. Work with the UK Government who should put an Essentials Guarantee in place as soon as possible.

5. Work with the UK Government to change conditions and remove sanctions in Scotland.

6. Stop public bodies, like the council, from taking money to pay off debts from people’s benefits if it means they won’t have money for food or to pay bills.

7. Look into how a Minimum Income Guarantee would affect different groups of people, especially women.

They should check if the money should be based on what a whole household earns or what each person earns. This makes sure it is fair for everyone.

8. People with disabilities can have extra costs. A Minimum Income Standard should be agreed to make sure disabled people have enough money to live a good life.

The UK Government should also look at other benefits to make sure people with disabilities get enough money.

9. Look at the extra costs unpaid carers can have. This will help to make changes to the money carers get so that they get the right support.

10. Change the rules for some benefits and make applications easier so people can the get help they need.

11. Help people and families get all of the support they need. Not everyone knows what support they can get or how to apply.

12. Collect information about poverty, public services and work. This information should be easy to find and use when making new plans for the country.

13. The UK Government and Scottish Government want to help people have better jobs. They should work together with bosses to make sure everyone gets fair pay and hours.

Everyone should be treated fairly, no matter how old they are. Apprenticeships are important. All workers should get the real Living Wage and Living Hours.

14. Make sure that companies the Scottish Government hire are following fair work rules. They should offer Living Hours, support workers who are carers, and have good working hours.

Companies will need to show they are following these rules. The Scottish Government should check to make sure this is being done.

15. Think about how local tax rules can be used in new ways that help people get fair work.

This could mean taking away the Small Business Bonus Scheme and giving money to companies that treat workers fairly.

The Small Business Bonus Scheme helps small companies by making their costs cheaper, or sometimes free. It’s a way for the Scottish Government to support small companies and help them save money.

If companies do not treat workers fairly they might not get any money.

16. Work with employers and unions to find out how workers are paid in different jobs. This includes jobs in social care, childcare and hospitality.

These jobs can have low pay or be insecure, meaning people could lose their job more easily than other jobs.

This information is important and should be used when making changes in Scotland to help people have a better time working and be paid fairly.

17. Do all it can to give as many people it can a Minimum Income Guarantee. This means making life cheaper for people with low incomes.

They should do this by making public services better and easier to use.

Paying taxes should be made fairer. People with little money pay less tax and people with more money pay more tax. This means the money will be shared more equally.

18. Make sure everyone can use the services they need to live well. It should be easy for people to get help. This means:

People have a safe place to live, can pay for the internet and phone, good childcare that meets the needs of parents and children, good social care and safe transport for everyone.

19. Work with the UK Government to make a social tariff for energy. This means that energy would be cheaper for some people.

This should be easy to apply for and help people who have higher costs first. This includes people that live rurally or on an island and disabled people.

20. Pilot a Minimum Income Guarantee over a few years. This means to test if this is a good idea and how to make it better.

21. Protect money to spend on a Minimum Income Guarantee. This means this money should not be cut.

If the Scottish Government need more money to pay for these changes, they could change income taxes.

Income tax is the money people pay from their wages. They want to make sure this is fair for everyone.

They could also change council tax. This is the money people pay for local services.

Between 2031 to 2036, the Expert Group think the Scottish Government should:

22. Start a group to come up with a guide that would help the UK Government and Scottish Government to work together.

23. Start a group that is made up of people with different backgrounds and experiences. They will help guide the delivery of a Minimum Income Guarantee.

24. Deliver a temporary Minimum Income Guarantee that is time limited. This means that for a short time people would get support for 12 months if they need it.

Disabled people and unpaid carers would get support for as long as they need it. The Minimum Income Guarantee would not be time-limited for them.

This will be set at the relative poverty line. This means it will help people who have less money than most others.

25. Unpaid carers, disabled people and people that live rurally or on islands need more money than others to live well and have fewer chances to make money.

They should get more money through a Minimum Income Guarantee so they can live as well as other people.

26. Plan what skills people will need to work in the jobs that the country needs the most, now and in the future.

27. Increase how much childcare is provided for free. This should help people who have less money first.

Children aged 3 to 4 should get 1,900 hours of childcare each year. Children aged 1 to 2 should get 1,300 hours of childcare a year.

28. People that don’t reach the Minimum Income Guarantee level should get free bus travel.

29. Decide if and how taxes should change to pay for a Minimum Income Guarantee. These changes should be based on learning from other countries that are doing well.

From 2036 and after, the Expert Group think the Scottish Government should:

30. Deliver a Minimum Income Guarantee to make sure everyone can live well. This means balancing improvements to work, services, the cost of living and social security.