I absolutely agree with Shona Robison that it is very concerning that women who are forced on to universal credit without transitional protection now face further barriers to leaving abusive relationships. We will continue to urge the UK Government to halt the natural migration on to universal credit, because thousands of people are losing out on transitional protection while none of the fundamental flaws of universal credit has been dealt with.

The Scottish Government is also concerned that the UK Government’s policy of making a single payment of universal credit to a household can act as an enabler for domestic abuse, and we are working with the Department for Work and Pensions to identify how best we can introduce split payments on universal credit in Scotland, to give women access to independent income.