The Scottish Government has published its Welfare Funds (Scotland) Bill.

The move is the first step of a process making permanent arrangements for the £33m Scottish Welfare Fund (SWF).

The SWF, which has been delivered by local authorities on a voluntary basis since April 2013, provides day-to-day living expenses for those on low incomes who are in crisis, as well as providing essential household items to those in need.

It is understood the Bill will now place a duty on local authorities to maintain a welfare fund, to allow this local safety net to continue. It also gives new powers to the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) to allow him to scrutinise local authority decisions if an applicant is unhappy with the outcome.

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This will provide an independent review function for individuals who apply for help from the fund.

Welcoming the news, Minister for Housing and Welfare, Margaret Burgess, said: "Much has been accomplished since local authorities started delivering the Scottish Welfare Fund on a voluntary basis last April.

"Between April and December 2013, the Fund helped more than 56,000 households. Crucially, it is reaching those in the most deprived areas of Scotland, with around 50% of grants being awarded to people living in the 20% most deprived areas in Scotland."

She continued: "In addition, it is good to see that around a third of all applicants are being signposted to other sources of help such as advocacy services, welfare rights, housing and money management organisations.

"This is a clear signal of the benefit of local delivery. Combined with the SPSO's new independent review function, this Bill demonstrates our commitment to provide a local welfare safety net in Scotland – a commitment which has not been made by the UK Government."

(JP/IT)