People on highest PIP or ADP rates could be due £708 monthly payments from next April

There are 22 million people across the UK claiming at least one benefit from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). That number includes 12.6 million older people in receipt of State Pension payments, a contributory benefit only available to those of retirement age with at least 10 years’ worth of National Insurance Contributions.

People in Scotland claiming certain benefits are being urged to claim a devolved payment worth £25 each week for children under the age of 16. Families who qualify for the Scottish Child Payment, who are also eligible for the Best Start Grant Early Learning and School Age payments, will receive the additional benefits automatically without the need to apply for them separately.

The last bank holiday of the summer falls on Monday for people in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. However, it will also affect people in Scotland expecting payments from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) or HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) on that day.

Statistics from Social Security Scotland show that almost £20million was paid to nearly 400,000 people on low incomes across the country during February and March to help with higher energy bills. In the first year of the new Winter Heating Payment, a total of £19.7 million was paid to 394,135 households, with the vast majority of eligible Scots receiving their payments of £50 automatically.

The cost of living crisis continues to squeeze millions of household budgets this year, despite the lower energy price cap and inflation finally starting to drop. The UK Government’s cost of living payments have already provided lump sums of £301 for families on means-tested benefits and £150 for those claiming disability benefits.

An estimated 188,000 people in Scotland are affected by some form of sight loss with that figure expected to double by 2031, according to the charity, Sight Scotland, formerly known as Royal Blind. Three out of four people with a visual impairment are aged over 65, with around 8,000 adults of working age registered blind or partially sighted.

The Triple Lock will determine the level of uprating to be applied to the State Pension for the 2024/25 financial year and pays the highest between September’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation rate, earnings growth, or 2.5 per cent. The frontrunner for the uprating is currently earnings growth, which came in at 7.8 per cent (excluding employee bonuses) for the period between April and June.

Perth and Kinross Conservatives have claimed essential council services are under pressure due to Scottish Government funding cuts.

New statistics published by Social Security Scotland show that more than 84,000 people received Carer’s Allowance Supplement payments of £270.50 in June, worth a total of £22.8 million. The devolved payment is made twice each year to people in Scotland in receipt of Carer’s Allowance on specific dates in April and October.

New statistics from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) show there are now 12.6 million people across Great Britain receiving State Pension payments of up to £203.85 each week. Basic and New State Pensions are contributory benefits which provide crucial financial support to those who have paid at least 10 years’ worth of National Insurance contributions.

An "amazing" and "great value for money" spa in Perthshire is currently available to stay in for a bargain price.

Two bikers have died and a third is in critical condition following a horror crash in Fife. Emergency services rushed to the A914 between Balmullo and Dairsie on Monday, August 14, to reports of a serious road traffic accident involving two motorbikes.

Four people have been charged following a high-speed chase on the M8 in West Lothian. Officers were called to reports of a stolen car on the M8 Junction 4A near Heartlands at around 6.50pm on Sunday evening, August 13.

More than 11,400 people from across the UK have signed an online petition calling for the concessionary bus travel scheme to include free country-wide train journeys. In Scotland, people over 60 are eligible to apply for the National Entitlement Card, it’s the same age in Wales and those living in London.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has launched a new service that will potentially affect an estimated 83 million people across the UK with a live National Insurance number (NINO). The new ‘Store my NINO’ service will allow millions of people to store their National Insurance number securely online, enabling them to access it quickly.

Recent analysis by Policy in Practice discovered that the total amount of unclaimed income-related benefits and social tariffs is nearly £19 billion each year. The research found that an estimated £2 billion in Carer’s Allowance is unclaimed by half a million eligible households across Scotland, England and Wales each year.

Five people have been rescued from a fire at flats in Falkirk.

Five people have been rescued by helicopter near a sea stack on the island of Hoy, Orkney after a search operation was launched in the early hours of the morning.

It has been almost a year since Adult Disability Payment (ADP) rolled out nationwide across Scotland and replaced new claims for Personal Independence Payment (PIP). Social Security Scotland administers the new devolved payment, which is worth between £26.90 and £172.75 each week, for successful claimants.

Three more people have been charged in connection with a serious assault in north Manchester which left a woman critically injured.