Chamber and committees

Okay. It is just that you have moved on to theme 9, so we are a bit further ahead. Is your next question on the same theme?

Absolutely, minister—I think that all of us round the table want to achieve that.

Sorry, Mr Briggs—is your next question on homelessness?

That brings us to the end of this session. I thank all the witnesses for joining us, especially at such an early time. We really appreciate you feeding into the process.

I suspend the meeting to allow for a changeover of witnesses.

I am sorry, Pamela, but I was just going to ask if you could wrap up your questions. All members have only a very specific amount of time this morning.

We move to our final set of questions, which come from Jeremy Balfour.

Figures published this week show that the number of young Scots aged 18 to 24 sanctioned by the Department for Work and Pensions has nearly doubled since 2019. That is more than 2,500 young people being denied vital support in the midst of a cost of living crisis. Does the First Minister share my view that that is immoral and that the welfare system should be there to support people, not penalise them?

Good morning, and welcome to the 29th meeting of the Social Justice and Social Security Committee in 2022. Our convener, Elena Whitham, was appointed Minister for Community Safety last Wednesday and has therefore resigned from the convenership. We wish Elena all the best in her new post and thank her for all the work that she has done for the committee.

As deputy convener, I welcome James Dornan MSP to the committee. James Dornan will replace Elena Whitham as a committee member. Before we turn to the appointment of our new convener, I invite James Dornan to declare any relevant interests.

Thank you very much to all the committee. I am looking forward to my new role and the important work ahead. However, the deputy convener post is now vacant. I nominate Emma Roddick for the role. Are we agreed?

Emma Roddick was chosen as deputy convener.

Item 4 is consideration of a negative statutory instrument, the Scottish Child Payment (Saving Provisions) Regulations 2022. The regulations make saving provisions in connection with the amendments made by the Social Security (Miscellaneous Amendment and Transitional Provision) (Scotland) Regulations 2022 (SSI 2022/336) to the Scottish Child Payment Regulations 2020 (SSI 2020/351). They come into force on 14 November 2022.

The saving provisions are required to come into force on the same day as the amending regulations, to ensure that the higher weekly rate of £25 applies only to periods of entitlement that fall on or after 14 November 2022 and that an individual’s entitlement to a double payment of Scottish child payment when a child dies does not apply where the child in question dies before 14 November 2022.

The committee considered the amending regulations at its meeting on 27 October 2022. In advance of today’s consideration, the committee received a letter from the Minister for Social Security and Local Government explaining why the Scottish Government laid a standalone savings instrument under section 95 of the Social Security (Scotland) Act 2018.

Are members content to note the instrument?

Members indicated agreement.