Chamber and committees

Following the close of the public consultation on 10 June 2026, the Scottish Government will develop and bring forward the commencement and secondary legislation required to implement section 18 of the Social Security (Amendment) (Scotland) Act 2025.

Further information on the consultation is available on the Scottish Government website https://www.gov.scot/publications/estimating-fraud-error-scottish-social-security-system-consultation/.

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-00214 on 1 June 2026. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found athttps://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

The Government will bring forward such social security legislation as is necessary to continue to ensure the effective operation of delivery and improved outcomes for clients. That will include in due course the regulations required to introduce Scottish Child Payment for children under 1, which will increase the total payment amount to £40 per week during 2027-28, benefitting an estimated 12,000 children, to implement measures in the Social Security (Amendment) (Scotland) Act 2025, and to uprate social security benefits on an annual basis.

Under existing social security legislation, Social Security Scotland can already recover overpaid social security benefits through the Sheriff Court.

Under existing social security legislation, Social Security Scotland already have the power to recover social security benefits that have been overpaid.

Social Security Scotland does not report the cost of administering individual benefits as the organisation operates a flexible workforce across its 18 benefits, with shared systems and corporate functions supporting delivery. As a result, administrative costs are not incurred or recorded on a per-benefit basis and cannot be broken down by individual benefit.

The organisation deploys staff across all benefits to respond to changes in demand, including seasonal peaks, ensuring clients continue to be supported effectively. Costs may therefore fluctuate over the course of the year in line with this operational approach.

Information on Social Security Scotland’s overall administrative expenditure is published in its Annual Report and Accounts 2024-25: Social Security Scotland - Annual Report and Accounts 2024-25.

Social Security Scotland uses data from its translation services provider to identify the languages most requested by clients. Proactive translations of factsheets are made based on this information.

The full list of Ministerial responsibilities can be found at the Scottish Government website. The Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice and Housing's responsibilities are here: https://www.gov.scot/about/who-runs-government/cabinet-and-ministers/cabinet-secretary-for-social-justice-and-housing/.

The Scottish Government provides baseline funding to NHS Dumfries and Galloway which is used to best meet the healthcare needs of their resident population. Funding is not ring-fenced for the provision of NHS Dentistry and it is not therefore possible to provide this figure.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information centrally.