Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-16295 on‎ 15 May 2018. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx .

The Scottish Government was made aware of proposals to merge Asda and Sainsbury’s on 30 April 2018 in correspondence from both retailers. My officials have been in regular contact with representatives from both organisations since and I also held a call with representatives of Asda on 1 May it was made clear that the proposed merger will result in no store closures in Scotland.

We were also informed that Asda intends to keep its two distribution centres at Falkirk and Grangemouth open, and there are no indications of job losses. We will continue to engage with both supermarkets to ensure that those promises are followed through, that Scottish consumers benefit and that Scottish suppliers benefit and do not lose out.

Scottish Development International is currently finalising its 2017-18 performance figures and expects these to be published in August 2018.

Since the Centre for Regional Inclusive Growth was announced in November 2017, all development work has been led by Scottish Government officials. As such, all associated costs have been absorbed by general administrative budgets.

1. Who is providing the new social security agency's IT system.

The Scottish Government Social Security Directorate (SGSSD), Chief Digital Officer Division (CDOD), are taking a combined approach to delivering the agency’s IT system. To date they have taken an off-the-shelf product developed by International Business Machines (IBM) for the provision of the first wave of benefits and are adapting it.

The technology required to build and sustain the payment of benefits is on a scale that has not been attempted previously in Scotland. Learning from other major ICT initiatives in recent times, the focus is on Reuse, before Buy, before Build as the SGSSD and CDOD consider this the most cost effective approach and lower risk to technology implementation.

2. What key milestones are being used to monitor progress with the system's development

Only one contract has been awarded to date; this contract and all future core contracts awarded in relation to the IT system, will be managed using specifications and Statement of Works (SOW) agreed between the Parties through the tender process and subsequent contract management process. For each contract, the following controls will be in place, although these may vary between contracts depending on the nature of the requirements:

• Contracts will be subject to rigorous assurance processes including Digital First Assessments, the Central ICT Assurance Framework, internal audit and Audit Scotland review;
• A payment structure will be put in place for successful delivery of each stage of the contract. Management Arrangements will be agreed with the contractor which will ensure approval of each stage by nominated senior representatives within Chief Digital Office, Social Security Directorate and Procurement and Commercial Directorate and through the Social Security Programme Board where appropriate;
• Detailed contract management arrangements with regular meetings and the requirement for regular Management Information to report on delivery progress, KPIs and budget management; and
• Contracts managed by a dedicated Supplier Relationship Management team within Social Security Directorate will work closely with the delivery team and a dedicated team of procurement professionals to monitor and report on progress. Review points are built-in at suitable, regular intervals and clear processes for Change Control, escalation of risks and issues and for exit management and termination if required.

3. Whether it will provide an update on progress to date.

Suppliers will be contractually obliged to follow a prescribed monthly management information report to promote contract management activity, through measurement of the Supplier’s performance against key performance Indicators, which the Buyer and Supplier will agree at the beginning of the contract.

Scottish Government will continue to routinely provide progress updates against delivery of the new social security powers, including through the Social Security Committee.

The Scottish Government has successfully quality assured and published online indicative APS pay gap information for minority ethnic employees in Scotland.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W–15903 on 9 May 2018. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx .

Since the announcement of the Strategic Board on 27 November 2017, the Strategic Board has met on three separate occasions.

13 December 2017

17 January 2018

21 March 2018

The Centre for Regional Inclusive Growth is not supported by any seconded staff. The Centre is currently being developed by Scottish Government officials.

The principal objective of the Centre for Regional Inclusive Growth is to support Regional Economic Partnerships to accelerate economic growth that will also address inequalities. The Centre aims to do this by deepening the evidence base on how inclusive growth can be driven at the regional level by local authorities, the private sector and other partners. The Centre will also examine what is working best in this area of policy and promote best practice policy and decision-making. The Centre is just one of many complementary actions the Scottish Government is taking to ensure all of Scotland’s areas and people can prosper.

The Scottish Government has not made an assessment of the discrete contribution to economic growth expected by introduction of the Centre. We have committed over £1 billion to City Region growth deals and are focused on securing deals for all of Scotland. The Centre has an important contribution to make in ensuring that this significant level of catalytic investment can work with other resources to deliver accelerated inclusive growth for all of Scotland’s communities.