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Chamber and committees

Official Report: search what was said in Parliament

The Official Report is a written record of public meetings of the Parliament and committees.  

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Dates of parliamentary sessions
  1. Session 1: 12 May 1999 to 31 March 2003
  2. Session 2: 7 May 2003 to 2 April 2007
  3. Session 3: 9 May 2007 to 22 March 2011
  4. Session 4: 11 May 2011 to 23 March 2016
  5. Session 5: 12 May 2016 to 5 May 2021
  6. Current session: 12 May 2021 to 23 July 2025
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Displaying 2881 contributions

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Finance and Public Administration Committee

Scotland’s Commissioner Landscape

Meeting date: 28 May 2024

John Mason

There was a fear that some issues, such as autism, would get lost in a huge human rights commission. That may be not so much a question for you as for the committees.

Finance and Public Administration Committee

Scotland’s Commissioner Landscape

Meeting date: 28 May 2024

John Mason

If I cannot ask you, I cannot think who else I would ask.

Finance and Public Administration Committee

Scotland’s Commissioner Landscape

Meeting date: 28 May 2024

John Mason

My understanding of the rapporteur model is that someone might be appointed for, say, five years. There might be an emphasis on children for five years and then perhaps an emphasis on older people.

Liz Smith suggested that we could somehow freeze the system, so the present unfairness would carry on but we would at least stop more unfairness coming in. We heard Age Scotland and others saying that if children need a commissioner, older people need one too—although it has to be said that older people have a vote. I am reluctant to go down that route and will not ask your opinion.

Social Justice and Social Security Committee

Scottish Child Payment

Meeting date: 23 May 2024

John Mason

I am going to ask about targets. I think that 26 per cent of children are living in poverty at the moment, in Scotland, but we are meant to be hitting a target of 18 per cent by 2023-24 and 10 per cent by 2030-31. You have all said that the picture is much more complicated than that, but in politics that is the only number that matters, because it is the only one that politicians talk about. Based on that statistic, it appears that the Scottish child payment has not had a huge impact. Dr Stone, you talked about not having a narrow view, but politicians do have a narrow view. How can we tackle that?

Social Justice and Social Security Committee

Scottish Child Payment

Meeting date: 23 May 2024

John Mason

I will leave it at that, because I think that Bob Doris will go into that space, too.

Social Justice and Social Security Committee

Scottish Child Payment

Meeting date: 23 May 2024

John Mason

Professor Tominey, should we be setting targets at all? Would it be better if we did not, and instead just did good work?

Social Justice and Social Security Committee

Scottish Child Payment

Meeting date: 23 May 2024

John Mason

I will explore the other side of Marie McNair’s question. Seeing as Professor Patrick was speaking about that, perhaps she could start.

We are talking about something like 54,000 low-income children who are not getting universal credit. However, the other angle is that some who are not in low-income households—we have been given a figure of 241,000—are in receipt of universal credit and the Scottish child payment. It is obviously nice to give people money, but is that a good use of funding?

10:00  

Social Justice and Social Security Committee

Scottish Child Payment

Meeting date: 23 May 2024

John Mason

Well, is it a worry or not? I do not know.

Finance and Public Administration Committee

Public Administration in the Scottish Government

Meeting date: 21 May 2024

John Mason

I am reassured from what you are saying that things are improving, because we have felt in the past that there has not been a great understanding. If things are improving, that is positive.

11:00  

Finance and Public Administration Committee

Scotland’s Commissioner Landscape

Meeting date: 21 May 2024

John Mason

We have had a lot of good input already. Mention has been made of the commissioners that we are not looking at, which include the likes of the Scottish Fiscal Commission, the Auditor General and the relevant bodies for prisons and constabulary. Have we made a mistake in just concentrating on the ones that are supported by Parliament? Should we have been looking at the wider landscape?