Why is it fair that Scottish carers get more carers allowance than English carers?

[KindleAndCake]

With the carers supplement they get twice a year, it boils down to just over £11 a week more than English carers. They're all doing the same old slog, so why is it fair.
I am caring for 2 people, it is hard going. I only get carers for 1 though as that is how the system works. Ive just found out that Scottish carers get a supplement twice a year, lucky ducks. Well sort of, better than nowt.
So my question is, why? I thought we were one nation. Am I being unreasonable here.

We’re not one country when it comes to most fiscal matters.

Separate income tax and benefit arrangements. Scottish income tax is noticeably higher for a lot of people. Higher tax and higher benefits.

That’s not the same reason it’s the opposite reason. Scotland has higher rate of carer allowance due to higher taxation. England can’t provide your son’s equipment because of its LOWER taxation

I’m not sure that the rate of ADP is more but it is a much more expensive benefit due to the lax application process. There are no face to face interviews - it’s done on the phone - and the rates of award are significantly higher. Scotland has said it’s not going to do the cuts proposed in England.

All of this raises the question of where the money is coming from. So many people are avoiding the higher rates of tax in Scotland now that it cannot be assumed this money can come from ‘taxing the wealthy’. The latest top rate rise (from 47% to 48%) ought to have raised £53m but only raised £8m. What services are they going to cut or taxes are they going to raise in order to pay for this? The basic rate of tax to rise from 21%?

@Computersaysdontwantto How does the cost of ADP compare to the cost of PIP when you include the vast cost of the number of successful PIP appeals?

From everything I've read it's not that ADP has a more "lax" process, it's that more weight is given to specialists reports, Drs reports etc so there are far fewer appeals as correct decisions are made at the first point.

Oh dear there are lots of strong opinions here about Scotland’s spending. Please note that the cost of providing public services in Scotland is significantly higher across the country due to the difficult geography and sparse population density anywhere north of Fife. At a local level, spending per head is not much different than English counties if you are looking at the Central Belt. Much more will be spent providing healthcare to elderly people living in the Hebrides, for example. That’s just unavoidable.
Usually Scotland contributes around 8% of UK total GDP, and is home to around 8% of the population.

Some public policy in Scotland is a devolved responsibility, so the Scottish government is in charge of making the decisions. If you think people living in England need more carer’s allowance, this is an issue decided by English policies and doesn’t have much to do with Scotland.

It’s about 51% of pip awards post appeal compared to 57% of ADP.

Because the Scottish government is responsible for it, although many of us pay towards it! That said the Scottish also pay more income tax than we do

I said this to my next door neighbour who is a student going to a Scottish university for free, while I was getting my free prescriptions at the chemist.
Scotland is a different country. We pay different taxes.
Even the water is nationalised, fewer fat cats here.

Obviously the law that you have to eat a Tunnock's product every day and the only crisps you can eat are Golden Wonder, may or may not be true,

It’s about 51% of pip awards post appeal compared to 57% of ADP.

51% is the number of pip awards that stay the same after review is it not? Not the number who appeal. The PIP appeal success rate is nearer 70%

Did you know the free prescriptions is to save the money administering the scheme? It costs more overall to charge or even worse have means tested.
So the Scottish decision is cheaper, not a benefit to the wealthy, as motivation.

Yet in England a significant proportion of the money you pay goes to profit and shareholders, whereas in Scotland it is re-invested in better water. So our bills are lower, we have a lot less sh*t in the rivers, and Scottish Water costs less to run by not having more complex systems like individual bills.

YABVU not to have asked the question is it fair that English carers get paid less carers allowance than Scottish carers?

As others said, it is a system that relies on more medical evidence and documentation. They also, for the most severe / life long / ife limiting, do not review as often. Both save on processing of claims costs.
I have just seen one family member go through ADP, and one waiting in England for PIP. Both have a long, difficult system.

And for all those saying it is unfair Scotland has so much more and spends more, there is a simple solution. Move up here, pay the increased tax, and benefit yourself.

We are in Scotland, paying the higher levels of taxation. Still pains me to think of the thousands of pounds more we paid in stamp duty last year compared with what we would have paid on the same house in England.
Still had to wait two years for DS kit because the funds here in Scotland have evidently been allocated to some other cause. You win some, you lose some.

@Aweecupofteaandabiscuitim in Scotland too

I don't know what the answer is really. We need more money. Less spending. If the assessment process is as you say, lax, then that needs tightened up. I don't think there are any services that they can cut any further really! Although no doubt they'll find something to get rid of.

You aren't the only one missing out. NHS staff in Scotland are paid better too. We absolutely aren't 'one nation', I'm not sure why you think that. Each UK country has a government with devolved responsibilities.

Each country is allowed to budget and finance as they wish, and rightly so!

Nonsense

Nor should it be.
Free prescriptions for all is not a win win situation.

England, approximately 40% of the population are liable to pay for prescriptions, but around 89% of prescription items dispensed in the community are free of charge. This is because a large proportion of the population is exempt from prescription charges due to age, certain medical conditions, or receiving specific benefits.

Paid a higher wage and there are far more of them per head of population and their productivity is much lower. Money is thrown around without any results.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cly93w1kr04o.amp

Where does the £2000 more per head come from if not via taxes?

The extra spending per head comes from redistribution of wealth across the four nations that make up the United Kingdom, calculated by the Westminster government using the Barnett formula. It is a fair and proportionate way of ensuring UK wealth is not hoarded by any one nation, as it is supposed to be a mutually beneficial and supportive union, bigger than one single country. All for one and one for all sort of thing. But I do know that lots of UK citizens don’t understand the value of being part of a bigger, mutually beneficial and supportive union, so it’s understandable there is some confusion on this thread…

Where do you think? The South East of England and the Greater London area are the only parts of the UK that raise more in tax than they spend. And they raise massively more than they spend. The redistribution of this extra tax raised by London and the south east is built into the Barnett formula.

www.ons.gov.uk/economy/governmentpublicsectorandtaxes/publicsectorfinance/articles/countryandregionalpublicsectorfinances/financialyearending2023

Indeed. The SNP’s finance minister Shona Robison recently stated they wanted to move towards Full Fiscal Autonomy, where the Scottish government keeps all it raises and asks for no more redistribution. Blowing a £22bn hole in her own budget. Yes THATS how intelligent our ministers are here!