Chamber and committees

I am a bit confused by your answer. Why would that require Westminster legislation? Why could we not just pass legislation here in the Scottish Parliament to introduce a new benefit, which would supplement the income that you want to pass on to people? I am not sure why that would need Westminster approval.

Cabinet secretary, I take you back to the first question that my colleague asked about the information that we have. We all want information so that we can assess how the process is going.

One disappointment was the letter that we received over the summer from David Wallace, the chief executive of Social Security Scotland, who told us that the organisation is not monitoring at all the time from when someone puts in an application for a new benefit to when the application is processed. Is that an issue with how the system was designed by the Scottish Government or with Social Security Scotland not using the system properly? Are you concerned about that? If so, what are you doing about it?

I am grateful for that answer, cabinet secretary. Perhaps it would be helpful to get updates as we go along.

Has there been any analysis of the change in the rental market as a result of the emergency legislation that was introduced last year? Is the same amount of social temporary accommodation still available, particularly in Edinburgh and Glasgow, or are landlords moving away and selling their property? Has any work been done to analyse that?

I am conscious of the time, but, if it is okay, I want to ask just one more question. Do you have any comments on the potential use of the community bus fund, its level of funding and how it might fit in with what we are going forward with? Paul White might have something to say about that.

I want to move us on slightly with regard to where we are now. How has the end of Covid support funds affected the availability and affordability of bus services? With those support funds now gone, what has been the impact on rural and urban communities? Perhaps Paul White could start.

Thank you.

Good morning, everybody. I declare that I have a concessionary bus pass due to my disability.

I am interested in the last point that Paul White made, about how much the bus companies get per journey if someone uses their disabled pass or their younger person’s pass. Is that figure going up in relation to the amount of money that it costs a bus company? My understanding is that the calculation disadvantages certain bus routes, because there are not enough stops or they travel further. Would you like that to be looked at again, or are we at a place where the bus companies can make it work?

I go back to Mick Hogg’s point about the closing of stations and the non-manning, or non-staffing, of stations. What response have you had around that point, particularly from people with a disability? If they arrive at a station and there is nobody there, how are they meant to cope if they need help? Has the question been discussed of what people are meant to do in practice?

Is there a marked difference between rural communities and urban or city communities, or is there a similar picture throughout Scotland?

As the deputy convener said, we are here to look at child poverty, in particular. What effect has subsidising buses had? Is that a way of helping people to get to work or to school, which helps with employability?