Publications

Overall, 2014/15 has been another impressive year for CAS. We have faced many challenges, but have responded by being more active, delivering more funding and infrastructure support to bureaux and raising our campaigning and media profile. Together with our member bureaux, we believe we make the vital difference as the last line of support for many thousands of people across Scotland in these immensely difficult times.

In 2014/15 the Citizens advice Service helped over 323,000 clients living in Scotland.

Clients gained over £124 million with support from the service.

After taking on the Consumer Futures team in April 2014 CAS has now strengthened its voice in supporting and assisting consumers across Scotland.

Online shopping in the UK is on the rise and with this comes a different set of consumer problems. One such problem is subscription traps. These are situations where a consumer is tricked into agreeing to a subscription through the advertising of a “free trial” or reduced price offer. If the consumer doesn’t cancel the trial within a set amount of time they automatically get transferred onto a costly subscription payment plan.

Citizens Advice Scotland respond to DECCs review of the Hydro Benefit Replacement Scheme and Common Tariff Obligation 

This report gives wide reaching recommendations on how to tackle funeral poverty in Scotland.

CAS response on notification of the latest change proposals to the Market and Operational Code:

MCCP190 - Performance Standard Amendments

MCCP191 – Vacancy Definition

MCCP193 - Change to the Gap Site Letter Process

In-work progression support provided should be appropriate to an individual claimant’s circumstances. Support should aim to help claimants find a job that is better suited to their skills, experience, ambitions and individual requirements. It should not merely consist of setting targets to apply for a particular number of jobs each week, without regard to suitability or quality. If mandatory requirements are set, caution should be taken that they are reasonable and appropriate.

CAS is concerned that the increase in the number of complaints about public sector services received by SPSO, coupled with limited resources available to SPSO to respond to these complaints could detrimentally impact consumers receiving adequate and timely access to redress.

CAS would support a move by the Scottish Government to review the issues SPSO has raised within its Draft Strategic Workplan to identify ways of protecting the quality of administrative justice available to the general public and allowing SPSO to continue to drive complaints handling best practice and ownership of improving services within public bodies.

This report outlines recommendations for improvements that could be made to the current system of Funeral Payments, which will be devolved to the Scottish Parliament.

The Scotland Bill intends to give the Scottish Parliament legislative competence over provision of financial assistance for the type of payments currently provided by the Regulated Social Fund. This will include provision to make provision for the Cold Weather Payment (CWP) and Winter Fuel Payment (WFP), including conditions of entitlement or to replace these benefits entirely. This report sets out CAB evidence and recommendations for how the new powers should be used.