Thank you very much, convener.
I am pleased to give evidence in my new role. Although I took up post only recently, I was a long-standing member of the social security programme board in my previous role as director for housing and social justice. I have seen first hand the substantial progress that the Scottish Government has made in relation to the safe and secure devolution of social security powers.
From the start of the programme in 2016, we now have fully devolved discretionary housing payments and have introduced five new payments—carers allowance supplement, three best start grants and best start foods. A sixth, the funeral support payment, is to be introduced later this month.
The new agency, which just celebrated its first birthday, has provided financial support to more than 91,000 people and has received excellent feedback. The latest figures show that 97 per cent of online clients rated the application service as “good” or “very good”, and telephone application services received even better feedback. I know that the team is proud of those achievements and pleased that Audit Scotland recognises that we have done well so far. However, neither I nor they are complacent about what lies ahead.
I come into the post at a time when, as Audit Scotland emphasises, there remains much to do. Next year, working to a demanding timetable, we move into the delivery of complex disability benefits and the Scottish child payment. Inevitably, more complex benefits will bring different and harder challenges. I am grateful for the work that Audit Scotland has done in supporting and reporting on the programme of social security devolution, which is one of the largest programmes of new powers of the past two decades.
As the committee would expect, our programme of work continually learns from experience. As the Auditor General told the committee, programme staff are self-aware; they know what needs to be done and they could not work faster or more conscientiously in doing it.
Audit Scotland’s recommendations, which we accept, sit well with the programme’s direction of travel, and they help to reinforce activity that is already under way or that we have planned. Audit Scotland has indicated areas that we can strengthen, which is useful, and work is already under way to do that. Six months on from when Audit Scotland completed its evidence gathering, we have made significant progress, which I look forward to discussing with the committee.
In meeting the challenges that the next phase of delivery will bring, risk management will be absolutely crucial. I am glad that the report agrees with previous Audit Scotland recommendations that there are good-quality processes in place for that. I will focus particularly on that area, and I hope to add significant value in that regard.
I am grateful to the committee for your interest. My colleagues and I are happy to answer your questions.