Chamber and committees

Thank you very much. We move straight to questions from members. Paul McLennan will kick us off.

Jeremy Balfour has a supplementary question on that topic.

I welcome Scottish Government interventions such as the Scottish child payment that are completely unique to Scotland. However, given the fiscal constraints of devolution and the damaging impact of Tory welfare policies, is it not the case that it is simply not possible to go as far as we would like to go to eradicate child poverty here in Scotland while the key levers are held at Westminster?

Good morning, and welcome to the 35th meeting in 2022 of the Social Justice and Social Security Committee. Our only business this morning is the consideration of a statutory instrument, the draft Winter Heating Assistance (Low Income) Scotland Regulations 2023.

At last week’s meeting—ahead of our consideration of the regulations—we took evidence from Energy Action Scotland and the Scottish Commission on Social Security about winter heating payments.

I welcome Ben Macpherson MSP, the Minister for Social Security and Local Government. I also welcome Scottish Government officials: Daniel Blaikie, a solicitor for the Scottish Government, who joins us in the room; and Owen Allen, winter heating benefits policy manager, and Angela Keane, service manager, winter benefits, who join us remotely. Hello all, and thank you for attending.

I will mention a few points about the format of the meeting. Angela and Owen, who are online, please allow our broadcasting colleagues a few seconds to turn on your microphone before you start to speak, if the minister wishes to bring you in. Members who are attending remotely, please wait until I say your name before speaking. If colleagues in the room wish to ask a supplementary question, they should indicate that to me or to the clerk; members online should use the chat box or the WhatsApp group.

The instrument has been laid under the affirmative procedure, which means that the Parliament must approve it before it comes into force. Following this evidence session, the committee will be invited at the next agenda item to consider a motion to approve the instrument.

I remind everyone that Scottish Government officials can speak under this item but not in the debate that follows.

I invite the minister to make a short opening statement.

Thank you, minister. We will move straight to questions from members. Our questions will be directed to you, but you are welcome to bring in any official. The first questions will come from our deputy convener, Emma Roddick.

I thank members for all contributions. I invite the minister to sum up and respond to the debate.

We have one final question from the deputy convener, Emma Roddick, to finish.

We will move to theme 2. I ask members and the minister to keep questions and answers brief, as we are running low on time.

Oh—I am sorry. It is my first time doing a vote like this, so forgive my mistake.

Motion agreed to.

We will move online to questions from James Dornan.