Chamber and committees

Thank you for putting that on the record.

I thank the minister and officials for taking part in this meeting to help inform our report on the LCM, which we will publish shortly. We will now move into private session.

Part of ensuring that breastfeeding rates increase involves normalising it in our public spaces, which is what the breastfeeding friendly Scotland scheme aims to achieve, as well as providing staff and volunteers with key training and knowledge. After I raised awareness of the scheme and signed up my constituency office in Renfrew, take-up of the scheme in Renfrewshire increased massively, from one venue to more than 60.

How is the Government working with health boards to track national take-up of the scheme? How will it work to improve involvement in areas with low take-up? What steps will it take next to ensure that normalising and increasing support for breastfeeding remains as high a priority as possible?

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the recommendations in the 2023 series on breastfeeding by The Lancet, which include calls for Governments to provide more accurate and timely information about breastfeeding and infant behaviours, an end to any exploitative marketing used by the baby formula milk industry, and more recognition of any economic contribution that breastfeeding makes to society. (S6O-01914)

No. In a more general sense, would doing that make it easier when dealing with Scotland’s social security system?

That is fine, Marilyn. I do not want to put you on the spot.

For our final line of questioning, I will go back to Jeremy.

That brings us to the end of our evidence session. Thank you very much, Marilyn, for joining us this morning and providing evidence, especially considering the fact that you have only recently been appointed to the commission. I look forward to working with you in future.

Our next theme is questions on the Scottish child payment. First is the deputy convener, Emma Roddick.

Our next item of business is an evidence session on the draft uprating regulations. I welcome Marilyn Howard from the Scottish Commission on Social Security to the meeting. Good morning and thank you for accepting the committee’s invitation.

I have a few points on the usual rules for hybrid meetings, Marilyn. Please wait until I or the member asking you a question addresses you before speaking, and please allow broadcasting colleagues a few seconds to turn your microphone on before you begin to speak. Colleagues in the room should indicate to me or the clerks if they wish to ask a supplementary question. Members who are online should please use the chat box or WhatsApp.

I will move straight to questions. To kick off theme one, I have questions from Paul McLennan.

Thank you very much.

I have a question on our next theme. People who find themselves just above the qualifying criteria for benefits are in an extremely vulnerable position just now. SCOSS suggested that the Scottish Government might want to re-examine earnings thresholds. Do you have any opinion on how those should be calculated? For example, should increases reflect wage inflation or price inflation, or should earnings thresholds be calculated by another method?