As the UK eases out of lockdown, the Government is beginning to reduce the support systems in place including the furlough scheme and the increase to Universal Credit.
Currently, the furlough scheme to support businesses and workers will remain in place until the end of September and the Chancellor has recently announced the £20 hike in Universal Credit which has been in place for over a year will end in October.
But what does this mean for Scotland? Is the the Scottish Government in charge of the scheme, or does Westminster have all the power?
Here's everything you need to know...
Who is in charge of furlough in Scotland?
The UK Government controls the rules on furlough across the whole of the UK, including Scotland.
This is because Scotland does not have the borrowing powers necessary to fund schemes such as furlough.
The UK Government on the other hand does have the powers, meaning the decisions on furlough are largely in the hands of Chancellor Rishi Sunak.
When will furlough end in Scotland?
Changes to furlough came into place on July 1, when the UK Government reduced the amount they contributed to workers pay from 80% to 70%.
Employers are currently required to pay the remaining 10% to make employees wages up to 80%.
This is set to change again in August, when the Government will pay 60% and employers the remaining 20%.
The scheme will continue this way until it ends on September 30 2021.
After this date, employers will be required to pay employees salaries.
The goal is for restrictions to be completely lifted by this date, allowing businesses to resume as normal and therefore ideally take employees back to work.
Is Universal Credit controlled by the Scottish Government?
Benefits and social security are not devolved powers, meaning that the UK Government is in charge of Universal Credit for the entire country.
This means that when the £20 increase to Universal Credit ends in October, it will apply to all four nations across the UK.
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We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
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The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
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