Chamber and committees

Sure. I will move on to the spending priorities.

Employability has already been mentioned—I think that Frank McKillop raised that issue. Frank, are you aware of any impact that the employability cuts will have on the employability services that you deliver?

Thank you. That is really helpful and clear.

I have a similar question about spending priorities for Gordon MacRae. In your submission, you highlighted that there has been a 17 per cent rise in children’s homelessness. That is tragic. You also noted that the flat cash settlement is setting councils up to fail. Do you have concerns about any of the priorities in the recent DFM cuts or the flat cash settlements in relation to the “Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan 2022-26”, particularly in housing?

I have one further question in that area. You have set out that there is already a process for you to engage with such organisations. However, last week, the committee heard from the Scottish Human Rights Commission that it

“was not a brilliant process”.—[Official Report, Social Justice and Social Security Committee, 22 September 2022; c 7.]

That is where my concerns lie. On a good day, we rely on processes being really good. On a difficult day—I am sure that the decisions that you were taking were difficult—if a process is not quite up to scratch, that makes it all the worse.

Given that, and given what we also heard about the third sector’s concerns—for example, about the ability of the no one left behind approach to have dealt with capacity in the first place—what could you do between now and bringing in the emergency budget to reassure such organisations that you will take account of the issues and needs of the people they represent?

I do, and I can run it on if that is helpful.

Mr Swinney, I hear you say that the current level of service will continue but there will not be as big an increase in the budget. That worries me, because the current level of service still delivers high numbers of unemployed disabled people in Scotland. Therefore, putting in the money in the first place would have been helpful and taking it out now will have serious consequences. The SHRC said last week that doing so removes a poverty prevention method, so I worry about the impact of this on disabled people’s poverty.

Have you considered that? Will you consider it in the emergency budget review? Do you have any indication of the impact that it might have on the Scottish Government’s targets to close the disability employment gap?

Thank you.

Thank you.

Convener, may I follow that up with my additional questions on another area?

I appreciate that the opportunities that are available to you are limited, particularly in year. Who did you speak to when considering which opportunities or options you had? Which organisations did you engage with? I appreciate that it happened in short order, but did you speak to any organisations or individuals to discuss the potential impacts of cuts to such services—including, for example, those for disabled people, lone parents and women?

I appreciate that, and I appreciate the context in which the decisions have been taken. However, I have to say that I am not reassured that those decisions have fully taken into consideration a number of priority groups, such as those in the child poverty plan and people with protected characteristics. I do not think that I have had that reassurance today.

My next question is about the education maintenance allowance. It looks as if you are budgeting for failure of uptake of that. Should we not be encouraging people to take up the money and the benefits to which they are entitled? If uptake is higher than forecast—I know that it is a demand-led budget—what are your plans to get money from elsewhere?

Thank you for that, Graham.

Danny, are you also able to respond, in particular on the impact of the cost of living crisis on your organisation?

My questions are about the effects of the flat-cash allocation to local authorities. In addition to the effects that you have already covered, what will the impact be of things such as the employability cuts? I appreciate the point about employability and the intersections with the people you represent, but I am keen to find out whether you think that there will be any implications in that regard. I am also keen to know what you would like the Government to do to engage your organisation. I am not asking about actions that you want the Government to take; I want to know how you would like the Government to work with you in future budgeting processes.