Meeting Minutes
6th Meeting, 2021
Date: Thursday 30 September
Session:6
Location: T4.40-CR2 The Fairfax Somerville Room
Meeting opened at: 09:00am
Meeting closed at: 11:14am
Committee Members Attendees
Neil Gray (Convener)
Jeremy Balfour
Miles Briggs
Foysol Choudhury
Pam Duncan-Glancy
Marie McNair
Emma Roddick
Evelyn Tweed (Committee Substitute)
Also Present: Maggie Chapman
Apologies were received from Natalie Don
1. Decision on taking business in private:
The Committee agreed to take item 6 in private.
2. Subordinate legislation:
The Committee took evidence on the Social Security (Advocacy Service Standards) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2021
from—
Ben Macpherson, Minister for Social Security and Local Government,
Dr Ruari Sutherland, Supporting Access to Social Security Team Leader, Social Security Policy Division and
Colin Armstrong, Sponsorship and Delivery Manager, Social Security Policy Division, Scottish Government.
3. Subordinate legislation: Ben Macpherson (Minister for Social Security and
Local Government) moved—
S6M-00996 —That the Social Justice and Social Security Committee recommends that the Social Security (Advocacy Service Standards) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2021 be approved.
The motion was agreed to without division.
4. Carer’s Allowance Supplement (Scotland) Bill :
The Committee considered the Bill at Stage 2.
The following amendments were disagreed to (by division)—
3 (For 2, Against 6, Abstentions 0)
4 (For 4, Against 4, Abstentions 0, amendment disagreed to on casting vote)
5 (For 4, Against 4, Abstentions 0, amendment disagreed to on casting vote)
1 (For 4, Against 4, Abstentions, amendment disagreed to on casting vote)
6 (For 4, Against 4, Abstentions, amendment disagreed to on casting vote)
The following amendments were not moved: 8 and 9.
Amendment 2 was moved and, no member having objected, withdrawn.
Sections 1, 2, 3 and 4 were agreed to without amendment.
The long title was agreed to without amendment.
The Committee completed Stage 2 consideration of the Bill.
5. Subordinate legislation:
The Committee considered the following negative instruments—
Social Security (Claims and Payments) (Miscellaneous Amendments) (Scotland) Regulations 2021 (SSI 2021/305)
The Council Tax Reduction (Scotland) Regulations 2021 (SSI 2021/249)
The Committee agreed to make no recommendations and agreed to write to the minister to seek further clarification on The Council Tax Reduction (Scotland) Regulations 2021.
6. Work programme (in private):
The Committee considered its work programme and agreed its approach to two thematic roundtable sessions on homelessness and, poverty and debt. It also agreed to write to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. Furthermore the Committee agreed to take oral evidence from Social Security Scotland and visit their Head Office in Dundee.