Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee

Meeting date: Tuesday, October 24, 2017

Official Report 570KB pdf

Child Poverty (Scotland) Bill: After Stage 2

The next item of business is consideration of the revised delegated powers memorandum to the Child Poverty (Scotland) Bill. We have a paper before us that considers the delegated powers that are contained in the bill following amendments that were made at stage 2.

One existing delegated power has been amended in line with the committee’s recommendation in its stage 1 report. As a result, the power to make regulations that change the base date for the absolute poverty target in section 3 is now subject to the affirmative procedure. That is a higher level of scrutiny than the negative procedure that was included in the bill at introduction.

Two new delegated powers have been added as part of the new schedule to the bill. The paper before us suggests that the scrutiny procedure for the power to make regulations in paragraph 3(2)(c) of the schedule to the bill, on access to information, should be subject to the affirmative procedure rather than the negative procedure as currently provided.

Does the committee agree to welcome the fact that the Scottish Government has amended section 3 of the bill in line with the recommendation in the committee’s stage 1 report?

Members indicated agreement.

Does the committee agree to report to the Social Security Committee along the lines that are detailed in the paper?

Members indicated agreement.

In particular, is the committee content to recommend that the power to make regulations in paragraph 3(2)(c) of the schedule to the bill be amended to be subject to the affirmative procedure rather than the negative procedure?

Members indicated agreement.

I move the meeting into private.