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The Social Security Charter has the potential to improve the experience of using the social security system for people who need support from it. CAS broadly welcomes the content of the draft Charter. It is essential that these commitments are embedded into the system in practice, and go beyond ‘words on a page’.

CAS responded to the CMA's Funeral Market consultation. 

CAS responded to the UK Parliament's Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee energy efficiency inquiry.

CAS responded to a Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) consultation to support their proposed cap on rent-to-own stores, e.g. Brighthouse.

CAS is the Scottish consumer advocate on energy network issues. Our response focuses on Scottish specific points which we believe are important considerations for the ENA Future Worlds consultation.

Sarah O’Neill Consulting was commissioned by Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) to carry out research into the role of the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) service within the legal advice/access to justice landscape in Scotland.

The purpose of the research was to describe and explore:
> the nature and extent of the role of the CAB service in Scotland within the legal advice/legal services landscape, in dealing with and resolving people’s civil justice problems.
> the quality assurance arrangements which are in place for the training and regulation/accreditation of CAB advisers and court/tribunal representatives.
> the benefits which the work done by the CAB service in Scotland brings in terms of both the wider public interest and for consumers, including a focus on early resolution/ prevention of escalation of problems.

The report found that the CAB service in Scotland plays a key role within the access to justice landscape, at all stages of a client’s ‘journey’. Hundreds of thousands of people who experience civil justice problems are reliant on its services to obtain access to justice. Bureaux provide vital support to clients who are often vulnerable, and who would find it difficult to access the same level of advice and support elsewhere. The entire justice system is therefore heavily dependent on the services which they offer.

In the words of one bureau manager: ‘if we didn’t exist, I think you would need to invent us’.

CAS has published its 2019/20 workplan which is open for consultation until 25 January 2019.

Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) supports the introduction of the Young Carer Grant, which is the first entirely new benefit to be created under powers devolved in the Scotland Act 2016. Young carers in full-time education currently are ineligible for support from Carer’s Allowance, but as is recognised from evidence in the consultation document, they face a range of issues as a result of their caring role at a critical time of transition in their lives.