Chamber and committees

The Programme Business Case which was published in February 2020 describes implementation costs of £651 million, to 2025-26. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has meant that we have had to re-plan our delivery schedule and while we would anticipate the phasing of these costs to change between years, we would at this time anticipate remaining within this overall figure. The link to the Executive Summary of the PBC can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.scot/publications/social-security-programme-business-case-executive-summary/

We still expect Social Security Scotland’s administration costs to align with the Programme Business Case once in steady state, which stated a cost of administration being around 5% of the value of benefits paid, which is broadly comparable to the Department for Work and Pensions.

Agency agreements are necessary to ensure a safe and secure transition while Social Security Scotland is still building capacity; these costs reflect the Department for Work and Pensions’ costs of delivery and are not directly controllable by Social Security Scotland. The actual agency agreement costs that the Scottish Government accepts from the Department for Work and Pensions are subject to negotiation, and these are scrutinised in detail.

In 2021-22 we expect the costs of Agency Agreements with the Department for Work and Pensions to be around £84 million. These costs will reduce over time as Social Security Scotland begins to fully administer more benefits and reaches steady state.

Agency Agreements represent value for money and fairness to the taxpayer. Under HMT’s Managing Public Money guidance, DWP are prohibited from charging another government department for services delivered with a view to making a profit.

Table 5.10 of the Programme Business Case provides a view of the forecast costs of Agency Agreements, and these will be updated in due course.

https://www.gov.scot/publications/social-security-programme-business-case-executive-summary/

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some teenage immunisations offered during academic year 2019/20 were delayed. However, maintaining the best possible uptake of the HPV vaccine is a priority for NHS Scotland. The Scottish Government and Public Health Scotland continue to work with health boards to support their planning and the safe delivery of immunisation services during the pandemic.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that pupils who were not offered the vaccine (first or second dose), or who missed the immunisation sessions at their school, will be offered the vaccine during planned catch-up sessions arranged by their health board as soon as is practicable. Young people and their parents can therefore be reassured that if they have missed their HPV, Meningitis ACWY or Tetanus/Diphtheria/Polio booster vaccines, these will be rescheduled.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some teenage immunisations offered during academic year 2019/20 were delayed. However, maintaining the best possible uptake of the HPV vaccine is a priority for NHS Scotland. The Scottish Government and Public Health Scotland continue to work with health boards to support their planning and the safe delivery of immunisation services during the pandemic.

The latest HPV immunisation statistics published by Public Health Scotland (PHS) for academic year 2019/20 show that uptake for the HPV vaccine remains high. Further information is available online on the PHS website: ( HPV Immunisation Statistics Scotland 22 December 2020 - Data & intelligence from PHS (isdscotland.org) )

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that pupils who were not offered the vaccine (first or second dose), or who missed the immunisation sessions at their school, will be offered the vaccine during planned catch-up sessions arranged by their health board as soon as is practicable.Young people and their parents can therefore be reassured that if they have missed their HPV, Meningitis ACWY or Tetanus/Diphtheria/Polio booster vaccines, these will be rescheduled.

As of 14 February 2021, Social Security Scotland had received 85,000 applications for Scottish Child Payment.

Management information on the number of applications approved and denied will be published on the Social Security Scotland website on 3 March to provide an update of the position as at the end of February.

More detailed information on application outcomes as at the end of March will be included in the next release of Official Statistics for Scottish Child Payment, due to be published on 11 May 2021.

All unpaid carers in Scotland 16 years and over will be offered vaccination, and they will start to receive appointments from now.

It is our intention to contact as many unpaid carers as possible to invite them for their vaccine appointment.

We will be using data from Social Security Scotland to write out to all carers on the relevant benefits. This will apply to those on Carer’s Allowance, Young Carer Grant and Child Winter Heating.

All unpaid carers in Scotland 16 years and over will be offered vaccination, and they will start to receive appointments from now. It is our intention to contact as many unpaid carers as possible to invite them for their vaccine appointment. The Scottish Government will be using data from Social Security Scotland to write out to all carers on the relevant benefits. This will apply to those on Carer’s Allowance, Young Carer Grant and Child Winter Heating.

The decision on who falls in clinically vulnerable category will be made by local GPs and based on the general guidance through the JCVI recommendation.

I refer the member to the answer to PQ S5W-35090 on 23 February 2021. 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 .

The Scottish Government has not undertaken any assessment of the impact of any future reintroduction of the lynx or other large carnivore species into Scotland.

Anyone seeking to reintroduce lynx or another species into Scotland would require a licence from NatureScot. Thus far, no licence applications for the reintroduction of lynx have been submitted.

Should a licence application be made in the future, the Scottish Code for Conservation Translocations sets out the process that NatureScot would be required to follow in considering whether any translocation or reintroduction project may be appropriate. This includes the need to give consideration to benefits and risks, whether of a biological or socio-economic nature. The Code also outlines the requirements for appropriate consultation to be undertaken by the applicant.

The Scottish Government has no plans to reintroduce lynx or any other large carnivorous species into Scotland. We have not recently engaged with stakeholders on this issue.