Chamber and committees

Absolutely. Thank you. Leading on from that point, many Social Security Scotland benefits are passported from DWP low-income benefits, so eligibility is essentially outwith Scotland’s control. Does SCOSS think that a more effective way of tackling the cost of living would be to have all social security powers devolved so that we did not have to rely on passporting them from UK Government benefits?

Pam, do you want to lead us into our next theme?

Good morning, everyone. Welcome to the third meeting of the Social Justice and Social Security Committee in 2023. We have one evidence session in public. We will hear from the Scottish Commission on Social Security on the draft Social Security (Up-rating) (Miscellaneous Amendments) (Scotland) Regulations 2023. As members have indicated which questions and themes they wish to cover, I will move on to item 1, which is to decide whether to take item 3 in private. Does the committee agree to do so?

Members indicated agreement.

As the consultation on restricting alcohol advertising is still live and no final proposals have been lodged, does the First Minister agree that any potential harm is still hypothetical at this stage, whereas the real harms that the hospitality and tourism sectors are experiencing because of Brexit are being felt right now? The Tories should be pressing their Westminster leaders to address that.

When I made that point, I was referring specifically to the Scottish child payment, which, I would argue, is money going directly into people’s pockets. Would the member not agree?

I understand that some people will receive the money in February, and the minister was pretty clear that it would be paid from February.

I find some of the arguments that we have heard today quite disingenuous. The Opposition knows about the difficulties that we face and the lack of fiscal flexibilities that the Government has. The projected costs for social security are set to rise in the coming years; we will have to deal with that, but it was always going to happen. The Opposition cannot, on one hand, welcome the Scottish child payment and then, on the other, criticise the Government for the increase in expenditure in the coming years.

I am proud of the system that we have built in Scotland.

I am sorry, but I do not have any more time.

Charities, organisations and local people are all extremely positive about the way in which social security is being rolled out, whether that is the ethos of the whole delivery, the priority of ensuring that people receive everything that they are entitled to, or the ambition to make the system work for people.

The Tory UK Government can charge on with bumping up energy bills while food prices continue to soar, and debt, pain, misery and anxiety all rack up for the people in Scotland who need our help the most, but I believe that the system that we have created so far is good evidence of the priorities and aims of an independent Scotland. While I hear the sighs from the Opposition when we raise the issue of independence, it cannot be denied that our having full borrowing powers and control over our own affairs could benefit this country.

No, thank you. I would like to make a bit of headway.

The Scottish child payment has been groundbreaking, and we know from speaking to friends and family or constituents, and from evidence to the Social Justice and Social Security Committee, that it is making a real difference to people’s lives. We would, of course, like it to go further, but I am acutely aware of the limitations on the Scottish budget, and it is a testament to our priorities that the payment was raised to £25 a week. The Scottish child payment is putting food in the mouths of children and taking stress away from parents, and if that is not a success of the Scottish welfare system, I do not know what is.

Of course, we could always do more. Under the current circumstances, it would take putting hundreds of extra pounds into people’s pockets to truly tackle the issues that people are facing. In Scotland, though, at least we can say that that is what we are trying to do—seven of the 12 new Scottish benefits are entirely new forms of financial support that are available only in Scotland.

I note the comments that have been made about the winter heating payment, which I find really disappointing. I will admit—the minister is certainly aware of this—that I had my concerns about that new payment. However, we should be clear about the fact that, in winter 2021-22, only 11,000 people benefited from the DWP’s unreliable cold weather payment. In Scotland, 415,000 people are set to benefit this year. As I said earlier about the Scottish child payment, of course I would like to see us go further, but where can the money be taken from?

This news will be of significant concern to many of my constituents who are employed at the M&Co headquarters, which is based in my Renfrewshire North and West constituency. I have requested a meeting with the employer to establish what support it is providing to those whose jobs are being cut.

Can the minister provide any further information at this stage regarding the steps that the Scottish Government can take to provide support to people who face redundancy and to help them to find similar employment locally?

I welcome the chance to contribute to this debate on the social security programme business case, which will provide record investment of £5.2 billion in benefit expenditure in 2023-24. That is an investment in our people, and the Scottish Government should be proud of that. It was also great to hear the minister set out the next steps in building our social security programme.

I have no doubt that the steps that we are taking in Scotland are making an impact on our aim of tackling poverty. However, we are doing that in the most difficult circumstances: a global pandemic, which has been followed by one of the hardest cost of living crises that we have ever seen. Energy bills are through the roof, the price of everyday items is eye watering and interest rates are soaring. People who were struggling before are finding life even harder, and a rise in in-work poverty means that many have found themselves in a position that they might never have thought that they would be in.

The creation of Scotland’s social security system was a mammoth task, and one that I do not underestimate. Breaking away from the DWP system was always going to be difficult, but Scotland has made great progress, and I am proud of the way that it has been carried out. Members in this chamber might have differing views, but it cannot be denied that the Scottish welfare system is a fairer system and an investment in our people.