Chamber and committees

Forecasts relating to future requests for award reviews and reassessments are set out by the Scottish Fiscal Commission (SFC). The most recently published forecast of 26 August 2021 stated that 8,700 additional people could request that their award be reviewed due to their circumstances changing over the course of case transfer.

On the assumption that around 72% of these individuals could request their mobility award is reviewed, based on the current share of PIP award types, such requests could therefore be around 6,300 people following transfer to ADP from PIP.

Support from the £10 million Fuel Insecurity Fund will be delivered by third sector partner organisations and will be available to households across Scotland who are at risk of self-disconnecting, or self-rationing their energy use this winter, regardless of tariff type or fuel type.

Through all of the projects supported by the Fuel Insecurity Fund, we will seek to ensure that those receiving help are not just provided with financial support but that they are also connected with wider advice and support on energy efficiency, income maximisation and how to reduce energy bills.

The £10 million Fuel Insecurity Fund will be made available to households struggling with their energy costs this winter through a range of third sector delivery partners, chiefly the Fuel Bank Foundation, Registered Social Landlords and Advice Direct Scotland, which will be delivering the Home Heating Support Fund. Application processes will be put in place by each delivery organisation and are expected to involve a mix of direct applications and referrals by trusted advice partners.

Based on Social Security Scotland’s expenditure to the end of October 2021 we currently expect Scottish Child Payment expenditure to be in line with the Scottish Fiscal Commission’s August 2021 forecast of £55 million for 2021-22.

The Scottish Fiscal Commission’s January 2021 forecast for expenditure on the Scottish Child Payment, utilised to set the Scottish Budget 2021-22, was £68 million. The Scottish Fiscal Commission’s August 2021 forecast revised this estimate to £55 million for 2021-22, based on updated estimates of eligible children. The difference between the forecast at the time of setting the Scottish Budget 2021-22 and the August 2021 forecast is £13 million.

We are committed to addressing the underlying causes of health inequalities; ending poverty, increasing fair access to employment, education and training, and improving our physical and social environments.

Community Link Workers continue to be at the forefront of our efforts to tackle poverty-related health inequalities. We are building on the funding we provide to community-led organisations and supporting the success of Community Link Workers by creating a network of 1,000 additional staff. We are embedding welfare rights and money advice services across 150 primary care settings throughout Scotland.

We provide £9 million to fund smoking-cessation services, which especially benefits people from deprived communities, and we are making Active Schools programmes free for young people. Our Alcohol Framework contains 20 actions to prevent and reduce alcohol-related harms and reduce the inequality gap. We fund the Healthy Living Programme in over 2,300 convenience stores, mainly in more deprived areas, which increases fruit and vegetable sales.

Progress in these areas, alongside our public health priorities, will help tackle the unfair and unjust health inequalities that exist across Scotland.

The Scottish Government has proposed a methodology to the Settlement and Distribution Group which was considered on 17 November. A recommendation has been made to COSLA Leaders for adoption when they next meet on 26 November.

The Scottish Government has issued national guidance to inform local authority deployment of this funding, which has been sent to the relevant local authority officers and is available online: Financial insecurity: guidance to local authorities over winter 2021-2022 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) .

The guidance provides a strong steer in favour of cash-first responses, and the integration of money advice and holistic support services to prevent future hardship. Local authorities will have flexibility to decide how to provide assistance for those most likely to experience hardship – including people who may have been impacted by the recent UK Government cut to Universal Credit and those who may not be eligible for mainstream support.

Local authorities will be informed of their allocations once COSLA Leaders have considered and agreed the methodology for distribution on 26 November. It is proposed that funding is allocated through a redetermination to General Revenue Grant with payments in the final two weeks of the current financial year which is standard practice for additional in-year funding for local authorities. All General Revenue Grant funding requires the approval of the Scottish Parliament.

The Parliament takes an inclusive approach to providing its staff with appropriate childcare support.  Staff are supported by a range of policies to enable them to manage their work, family and home life circumstances. This has been particularly helpful during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The UK Government operates a tax free childcare scheme which offers up to £2000 per year for each child to assist with childcare costs.  As an employer there are limitations on the benefits that can be offered following changes to UK legislation in 2018 which prohibited employers from operating a childcare voucher scheme other than for parents who were already members of the scheme prior to its closure.  Prior to the closing of all employer funded childcare schemes the SPCB operated a voucher scheme for Members, their staff and SPCB staff.   The scheme was introduced to promote fairness and inclusion for all individuals in place of a childcare facility which would primarily benefit employees across the central belt of Scotland and within easy access of the childcare facility. 

The employer childcare voucher scheme which remains in operation for employees who were members of the scheme prior to its closure in 2018 has experienced a reduction in use during the Covid-19 pandemic where staff had the ability to work in a more flexible manner and from a flexible location, reducing the requirement for paid childcare provisions.