Chamber and committees

I am pleased to hear about that work. It would be useful if you could keep the committee informed about any of these programmes as they are developed as well. I think we would all appreciate advance knowledge of that.

I want to ask, lastly, about how the DWP and Social Security Scotland have functioned and worked together during this period. We know that there will be significant work involving the Scottish Government, especially in developing proposals for changing the personal independence payment and DLA.

I wonder how that relationship is being built. I know that you and the Minister for Social Security and Local Government went to university together here, and I hope that positive relationships are being built at the Government level. How are the two organisations working together to make the transition as smooth as possible?

Good morning, minister. Good morning to your officials, as well. Thank you for joining us today.

I want to start by looking at how the systems have worked during the pandemic. I think that we all accept that there have been unprecedented pressures put on the social security system. Specifically, how have the systems both within the DWP and in its working with Social Security Scotland been able to respond?

That is very good to hear. Further to that, now that we are coming out of the pandemic, I want to ask about future plans, before I move on to disability benefit reform questions. How is the labour market in Scotland recovering? How are key programmes that we need to help people into work—for example, the kickstart programme—being embedded in Scotland?

We are on theme 2, but we have ventured into a lot of theme 3 as well. I want to ask about the scale of resource that the DWP has had to commit to the transfer process—can you outline what that has looked like? We know of the additional and higher cost of delivering the social security system through Social Security Scotland. We hope that that will come in line with the DWP’s current projections, but what does that resource look like currently?

It is my understanding that both constituency and regional members of the Scottish Parliament for Edinburgh and the Lothians have been the last to be able to source office spaces. That has also presented issues with regard to the need for individual members to meet the additional access and security requirements that the corporate body is now suggesting that all MSPs take into account. Will the corporate body investigate a potential Edinburgh weighting for allowances? Will it look at how we can utilise all our allowances in the way we would like to so that we can represent our constituents in the Parliament?

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body how many members have been unable to establish a constituency or regional office. (S6O-00821)

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to help support the ending of homelessness and rough sleeping in Edinburgh. (S6O-00837)

In the capital, 5,147 people are registered as homeless and 1,505 children are in temporary accommodation. Edinburgh faces a homelessness and housing crisis, but it is being short-changed by £9.3 million due to a bureaucratic anomaly. I have raised the matter with the cabinet secretary and various other Scottish National Party ministers, but I have still not received an answer or a solution. Will she agree to urgently meet me, representatives from across the capital and the City of Edinburgh Council leaders in order to fix the situation and give the capital the resources that we need to end homelessness?

I appreciate that. I will take up your offer and will write to you about that.

To go back to Graeme Dey’s point, there are significant concerns among landlords in the private rented sector. They do not feel that they have had the minister’s ear with regard to what the impact on them will be. What plans do you have to include the sector as you draw up guidance? The devil will be in the detail, and it is important that guidance is developed that goes beyond what is in place in relation to the public health emergency legislation that the Parliament passed. The sector should be able to influence that. You gave Mr Dey a commitment that you would listen to the sector, but I would like an assurance that its suggestions will be taken on board in the guidance.

Good morning, minister and officials. I want to go back to where we started and the rationale for the measures in the bill. In a number of your answers, you have described different workstreams that are out to consultation or on which consultation will be launched next year. Analysis of the consultation on the bill shows that a majority of responders were opposed to the proposals. Why has the Government decided to introduce the proposals now when, next year, there could be an opportunity to look at the issues and potentially widen out the approach to include more housing matters? It seems to be a bit of a dog’s breakfast to introduce all these different measures at this stage, when there will be an opportunity to do it next year.