Chamber and committees

Sections 95 to 100 of the Social Security (Scotland) Act 2018 came into force on 2 June 2018 and sections 81 to 85 (and 76 in part) came into force on 3 September 2018. A second set of commencement regulations will be laid before the Scottish Parliament shortly, with further sections of the Act being commenced as and when appropriate.

General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) prevent the publication of protected characteristics for small groups of people. Such data is sensitive and breaking down a group of 30 people by nine characteristics could lead to the identification of individuals. However we are able to provide more general information on the characteristics represented in the core group. It includes:

• People with a disability (including mental, physical and learning)
• Men and women
• A range of ages
• People with different sexual orientations
• People who are married or in civil partnerships
• People of different religions and beliefs
• People with experience of all relevant benefits
• People with fluctuating conditions
• People with hearing impairments
• People with visual impairments
• Carers of both adults and disabled children
• Rural and urban dwellers
• People with intersecting characteristics (i.e. more than one of the above).

We are also working closely with stakeholders to ensure that the views of people from seldom heard or under-represented groups, including those with other protected characteristics, are strongly reflected in the charter.

Part 2 Chapter 5 of the 2018 Act relates to the liability of individuals to repay assistance that is given in error under the Social Security (Scotland) Act 2018. The Scottish Government intends to commence most of that chapter of the Act shortly, and will lay Commencement Regulations and explanatory material before the Parliament in the usual way.

The funding transfer which will accompany the transfer of executive competence for Sure Start Maternity Grant has not yet been agreed with the UK Government. However, it is expected that this will be equivalent to the level of planned expenditure in Scotland from the date of transfer to the end of the financial year.

The Scottish Government will fund any gap between the amount of funding received and actual expenditure on the Best Start Pregnancy and Baby Grant in 2018-19.

The Best Start Grant is made up of 3 separate grants and an application is required for each grant. Implementation will be in 2 phases.

Social Security Scotland will accept applications from those eligible for the Pregnancy and Baby Grant before Christmas 2018.

Delivery of the Early Learning and School Age Grants will follow by Summer 2019. Applications for these grants will not be accepted beforehand. Once delivery has begun, payments will be made to those who are eligible on the date of application and will not be made retrospectively to those who may have qualified earlier.

Social Security Scotland will make payments for both the early learning and school age grants by Summer 2019. Regulations to provide for that assistance will be laid in draft for the Scottish Parliament’s approval in the usual way in advance of the first payments being made.

The Early Years Assistance (Best Start Grants) (Scotland) Regulations 2018 do not have a backdate period. They will come in to force the day after the date on which they are made. This date will be aligned with the start date for applications.

Yes, expenditure on the Best Start Pregnancy and Baby Grant will be demand led.

Universal Credit (UC) Scottish choices do not have a separate budget line in the Social Security budget. Costs are contained within the allocated budget for the Social Security Directorate. This includes all staffing and communications costs associated with UC Scottish choices.

The Scottish Government paid £529,785.58 to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) in April 2018 for one-off implementation costs which included changes to the UC IT system and updates to DWP staff guidance and training.

The Scottish Government estimates ongoing operational costs to be up to
‎ £0.4 million in 2017-18; and up to £1.6 million in 2018-19. The Scottish Government will only pay for the actual number of UC Scottish choices offered and taken up. We expect to receive an invoice from the DWP shortly, based on actual take up rates covering the period 4 October 2017 (when the choices were first made available) to 31 March 2018.

The Delivery Agreement covers Local Authority facilities and, while it doesn’t prescribe specific locations or exclude other arrangements, it notes the characteristics that Social Security Scotland will look for when considering co-location. Key to the agreement is the need for facilities to be accessible and services joined up. This will help make sure that people can easily access support in locations convenient to them.