Chamber and committees

Since the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak as a pandemic on 11 March 2020, the Scottish Cabinet has met 11 times, up to and including 19 May. The dates of these 11 meetings are as follows. From 24 March onwards, all of these meetings have been held by teleconference, with a minimum number of Ministers and supporting officials attending in person, while observing the required strict physical distancing and hygiene requirements.

Cabinet meetings held between 11 March and 19 May:

17 March

24 March

31 March

7 April

14 April

21 April

28 April

5 May

10 May

12 May

19 May

In March 2020 there were an average of 19 Social Security Directorate absences (both sickness and special leave), and 21 Social Security Scotland absences per day, representing 4.1% and 3.5% of staff respectively. This compares to a Core Scottish Government figure of 4.3% for the same period.

Source: Management Information from Scottish Government eHR system - absences recorded by 28 April, directly employed staff in post as at the start of each month.

eHR absence data is reliant on timely recording on the system by the relevant employee and/or their line manager. Fewer than 30% of absences are recorded on the first day of absence and it takes up to two weeks to record 90% of absences on the system. Therefore, data up to end April will not be available until after mid-May.

Contractors are retained in the Social Security Programme where their specialist skills are needed, as they are in normal times.

The Scottish Government is committed to supporting all members of our workforce during this unprecedented time, as well as ensuring we have the resources necessary to continue to build the new social security system, taking account of staff absence through sickness or caring responsibilities. Resources are being reallocated within the Programme to support current priorities, including focusing resources on delivering the Scottish Child Payment as soon as possible, to support families on low incomes particularly at risk from the pandemic.

The number of applications received, decisions made, payments and expenditure for Best Start Grant and Funeral Support Payment since the start of the Covid-19 outbreak have remained fairly consistent.

Given the increases seen in numbers of people applying for DWP unemployment benefits, it is likely that the number of people in Scotland who are eligible for Social Security Scotland benefits will increase. We may therefore expect to see an increase in applications, and subsequently expenditure, over the coming months.

Carer’s Allowance Supplement is made to Scottish recipients of Carer’s Allowance on specific eligibility dates. DWP continue to administer Carer’s Allowance, and they send us a data twice a year to identify those eligible for Carer’s Allowance Supplement on each of the eligibility dates. The data are sent to Social Security Scotland around six weeks after each Carer’s Allowance Supplement eligibility date to allow them to make Carer’s Allowance Supplement payments. The latest eligibility date was 13 th April, therefore we are not due to receive data from DWP until late May. We would not anticipate caseload for Carer’s Allowance Supplement to have changed due to Covid-19.

Scottish Government are working with Citizens Advice Scotland to run a campaign to support people to find out and access all the financial assistance that they are entitled to. This will appear on digital, radio and broadcast channels and be supported by a PR campaign. We are also working with other intermediaries to get this message out there - creating a bank of stakeholder resources in accessible formats and content that can be ordered by voluntary organisations to distribute to very vulnerable people in local communities. Social Security Scotland is also underpinning this with its ongoing marketing activity to encourage people to access the benefits it offers. This includes promoting easements that were included in the recent Coronavirus (Scotland) Act.

The Department for Work and Pensions DWP have provided the Scottish Government with management information that shows the number of households and individuals making a Universal Credit declaration in Scotland.

Universal Credit (UC) Scottish choices remains operational and will continue to be offered to all people who are claiming UC, both new and existing claimants. For new claimants it is offered following their first assessment period and existing claimants can request it at any time via their UC journal, or telephone.

The Scottish Government receives Management Information on the UC Scottish choices once a month from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). Due to the outbreak of COVID-19 and the pressures facing the DWP we have yet to receive data for February and March. Once we have the data for March, and also April, we will be in a better position to assess how the current COVID-19 outbreak has impacted on the uptake for the UC Scottish choices compared to previous months.

As I informed Parliament in my statement on 1 April, work in the Social Security Programme has not stopped. We have focused remaining resources on delivering the Scottish Child Payment as soon as possible, to support families on low incomes particularly at risk from the pandemic. Work also continues on designing our new disability assistance, albeit at a slower schedule as this relies heavily on engagement with health and social care professionals who are rightly engaged on the front line at present.

Significant uncertainty remains around when we will be able to return to near normal working within the Social Security Programme, Social Security Scotland, the wider Scottish Government, and with suppliers and partners, including DWP. I will keep Parliament updated as the situation becomes clearer.

We have no current plans to increase the frequency with which we publish information about devolved social security benefits, the Scottish Welfare Fund or the Council Tax Reduction Scheme.

Officials are in regular contact with staff in Social Security Scotland and in 32 local authorities who are working hard to make sure that payments continue to be made to people across Scotland who need help. It is right that they continue to focus on doing so rather than on the production of additional statistical or management information.

The Scottish Government continues to support and encourage health and social care partnerships to develop a range of Intermediate Care services. These services provide short-term rehabilitation and re-ablement services at home, or in a homely setting, as a step up/down from hospital care. In addition our Active and Independent Living Programme (AILP) 2016-2020 provides a framework for health professionals to work in partnership with people in Scotland to help them live healthy, active and independent lives. The framework sets out the broad strategic direction for the programme, including the six overarching ambitions, to drive significant culture change in how people can access and receive AHP support for self-management, prevention, early intervention, rehabilitation and enablement services http://www.gov.scot/Publications2017/06/1250 .

AILP sets out the key steps that Allied Health Professionals (AHPs), who are qualified in rehabilitation at the point of registration, can take to support people whose life is affected by ill health and ageing; poor mental wellbeing; and/or disabilities, to become as active as possible in their own lives, families and communities. As integrated health and social care services are further developed we will see a greater use of seamless and joined up services from early intervention through to supporting people when their needs become more complex. Given the current workload associated with Covid-19 all service providers may divert staff resources to deal with and maintain critical services. These decisions are supported and agreed locally.