Social Justice and Social Security Committee
Meeting date: Thursday, March 10, 2022
Official Report 558KB pdf
Contents
- Attendance
- Decision on Taking Business in Private
- Department for Work and Pensions (Devolved Social Security)
- Subordinate Legislation
Subordinate Legislation
Disability Assistance for Working Age People (Consequential and Miscellaneous Amendment and Transitional Provision) (Scotland) Regulations 2022 (SSI 2022/31)
Carer’s Allowance Up-rating (Miscellaneous Amendment) (Scotland) Regulations 2022 (SSI 2022/28)
Social Security (Industrial Injuries) (Prescribed Diseases) Amendment (Scotland) Regulations 2022 (SSI 2022/42)
Council Tax Reduction (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2022 (SSI 2022/52)
Agenda item 3 is subordinate legislation. We will consider four negative Scottish statutory instruments. Members are invited to consider all four of the instruments together. Background information is outlined in papers 3 to 6.
Do members have any comments on the instruments? If so, it would be helpful if you highlight which instrument they relate to.
On the SSI on council tax reduction, it would be helpful to know whether the Government has any plans to gather data on the numbers of people who access council tax reduction and who they are. Also, do we know how many people, if any, have missed out as a result of the error that is noted in the papers and will their payment be given back? Will that be backdated? I do not know whether the committee will wish to write to the Government about that. I intend to vote for the SSI, but it would be worth asking those questions.
Yes. I am content for us to write to seek clarity on those points. Do members agree that we should do that?
Members indicated agreement.
Unsurprisingly, I also have a point on the SSI on uprating carers allowance. Although any increase is welcome, I am still disappointed that it is only £4 and that the Government has not looked at the adequacy of carers allowance any sooner than it has. I want to put on record that £4 is welcome, because it is an increase, but it is absolutely nowhere near enough. I hope that the Scottish Government moves as quickly as possible to address the rate of carers allowance and eligibility for it. I will of course vote for the SSI.
Your comments are on record and will be noted in the Official Report of the meeting.
Are members content to note the SSIs?
Members indicated agreement.
That concludes the public part of the meeting. At next week’s meeting, we will consider the medium-term financial strategy and the resource spending review framework, as well as considering affirmative subordinate legislation.
10:30 Meeting continued in private until 11:10.