Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government notes the publication of the National Audit Office report ‘Investigation into overpayments of Carer’s Allowance’ and the Department for Work and Pension’s (DWP) actions to address the issues it identifies.

In September 2018 I wrote to the UK Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to make clear that in any debt recovery action, individual circumstances should be taken into account. Following publication of the National Audit Office report, I have again written to the UK Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to reiterate that individual circumstances should be taken into account when recovering overpayments and measures should be taken to ensure that individuals are not disadvantaged or placed into hardship as a result of overpayment recovery.

The Scottish Government will ensure that all assessors are suitably qualified to carry out their role, with a proportion of assessors specifically trained in the impact of mental health conditions. Specialist Advisors will also be available to provide information and advice to Case Managers on matters which require specific input, including in relation to mental health. Our approach to assessments is explained in the consultation which can be found through the following link:  https://consult.gov.scot/social-security/improving-disability-assistance/ .

At 24 April 2019, 123 responses had been received on the Consultation on Disability Assistance in Scotland.

The Consultation is due to close on 28 May 2019.

The social security charter sets out the Scottish Government’s commitment to deliver a human rights approach. This is being embedded in all aspects of our work to build a new social security system for Scotland including policy, guidance and regulations.

Further, in scrutinising and reporting on regulations, and delivery against the charter, the newly established Scottish Commission on Social Security has a legal duty to have regard to any relevant international human rights instruments.

a. The payments to be made by the Social Security Directorate to the DWP for implementation costs are currently subject to ongoing negotiations between the two organisations; and must complete the rigorous scrutiny process to ensure fairness to the tax payer and provide assurance that the costs offer good value for money. Therefore, we are unable to set out indicative payments to be made by the Social Security Directorate to the DWP for 2019-20 at this time.

b. Please see the following table setting out indicative running cost payments to be made by Social Security Scotland to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) for 2019-20.

Payments for Running costs (indicative only) to DWP from Social Security Scotland 2019-20

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-22237 on 28 March 2019. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

Projected Staffing Requirements - Social Security Scotland

The figures in the following table are the projected Full Time Equivalent (FTE) staff numbers for Social Security Scotland for each quarter of financial year 2019-20. These figures are based on currently available staffing forecasts and process development information and may be subject to revision and remodelling as benefit requirements become fully scoped and rollout draws near.

The Scottish Government intends to publish advice from the Disability and Carers Benefits Expert Advisory Group after all recommendations on that issue are complete and the policies finalised.

We are inviting views on our approach to assessments in our Consultation on Disability Assistance. Responses to the consultation will inform policy development. The consultation can be found at: https://consult.gov.scot/social-security/improving-disability-assistance/ .

Our position paper clearly states that we expect that delivery of Winter Heating Assistance will continue on the basis of existing eligibility.