Background
The Programme for Government 2021-22, A Fairer Greener Scotland, set out the Scottish Government’s commitment to develop a minimum income guarantee. A Minimum Income Guarantee could be transformative in tackling poverty by making sure that everyone receives a minimum level of income that helps them to live a dignified, healthy and financially secure life. It is not just about a social security payment but could be provided through fair employment, real living wages, the provision of key services or tax relief for those most in need.
A Steering Group has been established to define a minimum income guarantee for Scotland and to identify actions to support its delivery, they are supported by an Expert Group who take forward the work to achieve its aims. The Expert Group consists of organisations and individuals with knowledge and experience relevant to the delivery of a minimum income guarantee.
Experts by Experience Panel
The development and delivery of a MIG has the potential to be a truly transformative and could have significant effects on many people across Scotland, particularly those with lived experience of poverty, insecurity and inequality. To design a policy that helps deliver a more equal and inclusive Scotland, Involve has convened an Experts by Experience Public Panel of people who have had experience living with insecure incomes and financial uncertainty.
The Experts by Experience Public Panel work in collaboration with the Expert Group. The Experts by Experience Panel hear and discuss issues relating to the principle, design, and delivery of a Minimum Income Guarantee. They deliberate on these issues, drawing on their own experiences to ensure that the issues that a MIG aims to address in policy are right, and to inform design decisions.
The first meeting of the Experts by Experience Panel took place in Glasgow in October 2022, subsequent meetings have been held online. Several Experts by Experience Panel members also attend meetings of the Expert Group.
Report, recommendations and next steps
On the 26th of July 2024, the full report from the Minimum Income Guarantee Experts by Experience Panel went live and can be downloaded on the Scottish Government's website directly.
See below for links.
Below we've highlighted their recommendations.
Photo by Artur Kraft on Unsplash