Chamber and committees

Does any member wish to speak in the debate of the motion? Please type R in the chat box if you want to come in. [Interruption.]

My door bell has just gone—would you believe that? What can you do when you are live?

Three members have indicated that they would like to speak. I will bring Pam Duncan-Glancy in first, then Evelyn Tweed and Jeremy Balfour.

Evelyn Tweed will ask about themes 5 and 6, after which Jeremy Balfour will also ask about theme 6.

Pam, do you have anything further to ask at the moment?

Helpfully, Jeremy Balfour has indicated that Pam Duncan-Glancy covered his question, so we will move on to my colleague Foysol Choudhury for the next theme, which is theme 3.

Thank you for your comments. Before I hand back to the minister for his right to reply and his winding up, I would like to speak as a disabled adult and somebody who has self-excluded from the benefits process because I have represented people at tribunals in my professional life. I believe that the regulations as set out would speak to people who, like me, have self-excluded. Perhaps we will see them applying to Social Security Scotland for the adult disability payment.

Minister, I come back to you for your reply before we vote on the motion.

Thank you and good morning to colleagues, committee members and witnesses. I declare that I am still a councillor on East Ayrshire Council.

Thank you very much. I look forward to working with the committee.

This morning, we will consider three items of subordinate legislation, as outlined on the committee’s agenda. The minister will begin by making an opening statement on the adult disability payment regulations and the related information-sharing amendment regulations, after which we will consider the motions on those instruments. We will then consider the remaining Scottish statutory instrument, which is subject to negative procedure.

In advance of the regulations being laid, the committee took evidence from the Scottish Fiscal Commission on 7 October and heard from stakeholders at a meeting on 16 December. Following those meetings and in advance of today’s discussion, the committee wrote to the Minister for Social Security and Local Government to seek further information. After our meeting on the budget on 13 January, we wrote to the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Housing and Local Government and included in that letter some questions on the adult disability payment. We look forward to our discussion on these very important regulations.

I welcome to the meeting Ben Macpherson MSP, Minister for Social Security and Local Government. The minister is joined by Scottish Government officials. Today we have Kayleigh Blair and Camilo Arredondo, both solicitors for the Scottish Government. David Hilber is the team leader on case transfer policy and Nathan Gale is the team leader on disability benefits policy at the Scottish Government. Janet Richardson is the deputy director of client services delivery at Social Security Scotland. I invite the minister to make an opening statement.

Go ahead.

Thank you. Minister, do you have anything further to add?

I invite the committee to agree that the clerks and I will produce a short, factual report of the committee’s decision and arrange to have it published as soon as possible. Are we agreed on that?

Members indicated agreement.