Chamber and committees

That is fine.

That is very interesting.

I can see that Chris Birt is looking to come in on DHPs.

Certainly, the anecdotal evidence that I have seen from having visited food banks in my constituency suggests that the £20 uplift has made a real difference and has reduced the number of people coming through their doors from what they ordinarily would have expected. The uplift has been a very good thing, so we should give credit where it is due for the introduction of the measure. Have you any assessment of what impact not extending the uplift to legacy benefits has had on levels of poverty in Scotland?

Sticking to the theme of key drivers of poverty, Pam Duncan-Glancy wanted one final supplementary before we moved on.

Many thanks for your brevity; it is greatly appreciated.

Good morning, and welcome to the second meeting of the Social Justice and Social Security Committee. Apologies have been received from Natalie Don. I welcome Evelyn Tweed, who is attending as Natalie’s substitute. The first item of business is for me to invite Evelyn to declare any interests that are relevant to the committee’s work.

That is very helpful.

I thank you all for your evidence this morning, and I echo my colleagues’ thanks for your work in representing carers and, Mr Toal, for your work as an unpaid carer. It is greatly appreciated, and your personal testimony and insight are very helpful for the committee in our scrutiny of the bill as it goes through Parliament. I thank you very much indeed for your time this morning, and I hope that you have a lovely day.

The next question comes from Foysol Choudhury.

From the evidence that we have taken this morning and from the written evidence that has come in, the payment is obviously welcome. The minister has made interesting points about the need that exists and the fact that carers in Scotland are getting substantially more than those elsewhere in the UK. The bill is to be welcomed, and I certainly welcome it.

My question is a practical one. Is there any reason why the sections of the bill will be commenced at different times? Is it a practical issue?