Chamber and committees

Thank you, minister. That concludes our questions for that item.

Item 3 is formal consideration of motion S6M-07737. I invite the minister to speak to and move the motion.

Motion moved,

That the Social Justice and Social Security Committee recommends that the Social Security (Up-rating) (Miscellaneous Amendments) (Scotland) Regulations 2023 be approved.—[Ben Macpherson]

I invite any further contributions from members. As there are none, I invite the minister to sum up and probably not respond to the debate.

I thank the minister and his officials. I will now briefly suspend the meeting to allow officials for the next item to join us online.

Item 2 is consideration of two Scottish statutory instruments, the Social Security (Up-rating) (Miscellaneous Amendments) (Scotland) Regulations 2023 and the Social Security Up-rating (Scotland) Order 2023. At our previous meeting we took evidence from the Scottish Commission on Social Security on its recommendations for the 2023 uprating regulations and the Scottish Government’s response to the commission’s report.

I welcome Ben Macpherson MSP, Minister for Social Security and Local Government, and his officials. Joining us in the room we have Simon Coote, head of the cross-cutting policy unit, and Camilo Arredondo, solicitor. I hope that I have pronounced your name correctly. Joining us remotely is Dominic Mellan, economic adviser in the social security analysis, forecasting and evaluation branch of the Scottish Government.

I will mention a few quick points about the format of the meeting before we begin. For officials attending remotely, please allow our broadcasting colleagues just a few seconds to turn on your microphone before you start to speak if the minister wishes to bring you in. For members attending remotely, please wait until I say your name before speaking. Colleagues in the room should indicate to me or the clerk if they wish to come in and ask a supplementary question. Members online, please use the chat box or WhatsApp.

The instruments are laid under the affirmative procedure, which means that the Parliament must approve them before they come into force. Following this evidence session, the committee will be invited in upcoming agenda items to consider motions to approve each of the instruments separately. I remind everyone that Scottish Government officials can speak under this item of business, but not in the following debate on the motions.

I invite the minister to make a short opening statement.

Absolutely. Carry on if you have further questions.

Pam Duncan-Glancy has a supplementary. Please keep it brief, Pam, because we are moving into a much wider discussion than the issue that the committee is focusing on this morning.

Miles Briggs has a supplementary question on that point.

I invite questions from members.

Thank you all. The committee will report on the outcome of both instruments in due course and I invite the committee to delegate authority to me as convener to approve a draft of the report for publication.

Members indicated agreement.

The next item is a legislative consent motion on the UK Parliament’s Social Security (Additional Payments) (No 2) Bill.

I welcome back Ben Macpherson MSP, the Minister for Social Security and Local Government, and I welcome the officials who are joining us remotely: Susan Soutar, reserved benefits policy manager, Scottish Government; and Kayleigh Blair, solicitor, Scottish Government.

Minister, I understand that you would like to make a short opening statement.