Whistleblower alleges Scottish welfare advisers coached applicants to make false claims
A whistleblower has alleged that staff in Scotland’s benefits and welfare advice services encouraged false claims and coached applicants to describe conditions they did not have. Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay raised the claims at First Minister’s Questions, arguing that they expose weaknesses in the system and asking John Swinney whether his approach is too lenient.
The whistleblower, who says she has worked in welfare-related roles for two decades, described refusing to represent a claimant who said he could not walk far but had told her he walked to a mosque daily; she alleged her manager then assigned the case to another adviser. She also said a manager coached applicants to claim post-traumatic stress disorder. Spending on 15 benefits devolved to Holyrood is forecast to rise from £6.76 billion last year to £9.23 billion in 2030-31; Swinney said the government would set out its position on benefits and taxation through the usual Budget process.
- A whistleblower alleges applicants were coached to make false benefit claims.
- Findlay raised the allegations at First Minister’s Questions.
- Scottish benefit spending is forecast to reach £9.23 billion by 2030-31.
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Scotland operates its own welfare and benefits system separate from the rest of the UK. Advisers employed by the Scottish government help people navigate the system and support their applications for various forms of financial assistance.
The core concern in this story relates to how some advisers may have been handling applications. There are allegations that staff coached applicants to be dishonest about their circumstances and to describe conditions they did not actually have to strengthen their benefits claims.
Questions about integrity in Scotland's benefits system carry particular weight because government spending on these services is forecast to rise substantially in the coming years. How the government ensures that money reaches genuinely eligible people is therefore a significant matter in Scottish politics.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “Insider claims applicants ‘coached to cheat’ as Tories warn Swinney over ‘rampant abuse’ of Scotland’s benefits system”.