Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-17808 on 9 December 2013. 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.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-17808 on 9 December 2013. 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.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-17813 on 9 December 2013. 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.

At present, the UK Pensions Regulator and the Financial Conduct Authority share responsibility for regulating pensions in Scotland. Our paper on Pensions in an Independent Scotland and the White Paper Scotland’s Future: your guide to an Independent Scotland considered the creation of a Scottish pensions regulator within the context of the wider financial and consumer landscape. There are opportunities for more effective regulation in an independent Scotland and for realising synergies and efficiencies within this landscape.

<>The Scottish Government has published a paper on Consumer Protection and Representation in an Independent Scotland: Options which considers two options for setting up an efficient and effective Scottish Ombudsman ervice in an independent Scotland: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2013/08/2253. We are continuing to develop our proposals in full consultation with stakeholders.

Annex B of Pensions in an Independent Scotland explains that the Scottish Government would require access to DWP models to enable production of full costings.

However in terms of current spending and affordability of pensions, expenditure on social protection as a share of GDP has been lower in Scotland than in the UK in each of the past five years, in 2011-12 social protection expenditure accounted for 14.4% of GDP in Scotland and 15.9% in the UK.

A smaller percentage of Scotland’s tax revenues are spent on social protection compared to the UK. Figures from 2011-12 (GERS report) show that 38% of Scottish tax revenues were spent on social protection, compared with 42% for the UK.

As the recent White Paper Scotland’s Future: Your Guide to an Independent Scotland points out, Scotland’s stewardship of public sector pensions can in some areas already be argued to have delivered more sustainable schemes than their counterparts in England and Wales.

Annex B notes that the Scottish Government would require access to Department for Work and Pensions models to produce full costings.

The Scottish Government has consistently identified the need for detailed discussions on pensions issues with the UK Government. We are keen for these discussions to start as soon as possible.

The arrangements for moving from a transitional period of shared delivery to a completely independent Scottish delivery system would be the subject of negotiation between the government of an independent Scotland and the government representing the rest of the UK.

The Expert Working Group report gives good basis for those negotiations and any further work that the Scottish Government would want to do in advance of those negotiations.

I refer the member to the answers provided on page 386 of the Scottish Government’s White Paper Scotland’s Future: your guide to an Independent Scotland and in particular the answer provided to question 30.