Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid)

Meeting date: Tuesday, September 1, 2020

Official Report 872KB pdf

Committee Announcement

The next item of business is a committee announcement. I am pleased to call Bob Doris, the convener of the Social Security Committee, to make an announcement on an inquiry into the role of Scottish social security in the recovery from Covid-19.

I am pleased to announce that, today, the Social Security Committee has launched an inquiry into how Scottish social security might contribute to our social and economic recovery from Covid-19. We want to look at what can be done within the current constraints. We know that the Scottish Government is able to top up reserved benefits and create new benefits in devolved areas. We welcome the actions that it had already taken before Covid-19 to increase carers allowance and to create a young carers grant.

My committee now wants to consider how Scottish social security should respond to the pandemic to best support people who are either in or out of work. We have acknowledged that the majority of social security provision and the main benefits for those on low incomes are still reserved to Westminster, which is a constraint on what can be done in the devolved context. Another inevitable constraint is the Scottish Government’s very limited borrowing powers, and I know that my colleagues on the Finance and Constitution Committee continue to raise that issue.

We have all heard about the more radical proposals for social security changes, such as a universal basic income or a citizens income. Those proposals will continue to be discussed by our committee, but the aim of the inquiry is to focus on less radical changes that could be quick wins. Our remit is therefore to consider how Scottish social security, as part of the broader context of all United Kingdom social security, should contribute to the social and economic recovery from Covid-19 through support to those in, out of or seeking work, with a focus on deliverable change from 2021 onwards.

We want to hear from as many people as possible. As part of our work, we will, of course, look to speak to the Department for Work and Pensions and the UK Government’s Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. Just last week, I wrote to Ms Coffey to express the committee’s disappointment and frustration that our invitation had, to date, been ignored. Today, the committee received a response to that letter. It focused on committee engagement with the UK Government at official level, as opposed to ministerial attendance at our committee. There is more that I would like to say about that, but I will speak to my committee first. I will leave it at that for now.

Engagement is, of course, key, which is why I have made details of our inquiry available to the Parliament this afternoon. I ask every member to make their constituents aware of the committee’s inquiry and to encourage them to submit their views. We will be listening.

Presiding Officer, thank you for the opportunity to make the Parliament aware of the Social Security Committee’s inquiry.