Politics: A helping hand is available so check your eligibility for benefits
Many of us will have watched the television drama portrayal of the Post Office scandal which has shown in stark and moving detail the distress and heartache felt by so many sub postmasters in the last two decades.
The portrayal has finally captured the nation’s imagination in a way that many news articles and politicians were unable to in recent years despite efforts to do so.
More than 900 workers were prosecuted after faulty software wrongly made it look like money was missing from their branches.
But their case is back in the spotlight following the ITV drama Mr Bates vs the Post Office.
I was pleased First Minister Humza Yousaf announced decisive action on this issue – writing to the UK Government calling for joint working on a UK-wide approach to exonerate those wrongly convicted.
The First Minister has also said given the unique circumstances arising from the Post Office scandal, that it is right that normal processes for appeals are set aside to ensure that justice can now be delivered for those whose lives were greatly impacted by their wrongful conviction.
I am pleased the Scottish Government has taken swift and decisive action on an issue which will have no doubt had emotional as well as financial implications for those impacted.
It is only right they are given the justice they deserve.
The month of January can be very challenging after Christmas, and I would like to remind people to check if they are eligible for Scottish Government benefits.
People in work can receive many of the payments administered by Social Security Scotland, including those designed to help low-income families. The Scottish Government also delivers Job Start Payment – a one-off payment to help young people who haven’t been working meet the costs of starting a new job.
In Scotland, around one in three people getting Universal Credit are in work, and Universal Credit is a qualifying benefit for several other payments.
Thousands of working people get Scottish Child Payment and the other benefits which make up Social Security Scotland’s five family payments. These consist of three Best Start Grants – Pregnancy & Baby Payment, Early Learning Payment and School Age Payment – and Best Start Foods. People with jobs can also qualify for Adult Disability Payment, with qualification not based on employment or income, and one-off payments including Winter Heating Payment and Funeral Support Payment.
I would particularly like to highlight the support available to young people starting in work via Job Start Payment.
This one-off payment can make a difference with the costs of getting up and running in a new job and again we want to make sure it reaches as many eligible people as possible.
In the north-east and right across Scotland, the Scottish Government is support people through the cost-of-living crisis by committing £6.1 billion in social security benefits and payments.
That’s £1.1 billion more than the Block Grant Adjustment received due to spend on comparable benefits by the UK Government.