Minutes: 25 June 2024

1. Declaration of interests:

Joe FitzPatrick was invited to declare any relevant interests and indicated he had nothing to declare.

2. Decisions on taking business in private:

The Committee agreed to take items 4, 5 and 6 in private.

3. Post-legislative scrutiny of the Social Care (Self-directed Support) (Scotland) Act 2013:

The Committee took evidence from—

Maree Todd, Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport, Joanne Finlay, Policy Lead, Self-directed Support Improvement Team, and Rachael McGruer, Deputy Director, Adult Social Care Local Improvement and Transformation Division, Scottish Government.

Sandesh Gulhane declared an interest as a practising NHS GP.

4. Post-legislative scrutiny of the Social Care (Self-directed Support) (Scotland) Act 2013 (in private):

The Committee considered the evidence it heard earlier under agenda item 3.

5. Healthcare in remote and rural areas (in private):

The Committee agreed its approach to reporting on the inquiry.

6. Work programme (in private):

The Committee considered its future work programme.

The Committee agreed to issue a call for written evidence on proposed Scottish Government Stage 2 amendments to the National Care Service (Scotland) Bill as part of further scrutiny of the Bill prior to formal Stage 2 proceedings, and to invite selected stakeholders to give oral evidence after summer recess.

The Committee agreed to focus its pre-budget scrutiny for 2025-26 on the financial position of integration joint boards, to issue a call for written evidence, and to invite selected stakeholders to give oral evidence after summer recess.

The Committee agreed that the Committee’s output from its pre-budget scrutiny would take the form either of a letter to the Cabinet Secretary for NHS Recovery, Health and Social Care or a short report, to be considered and agreed at a future meeting.

Finally, the Committee agreed that it would plan to invite the Cabinet Secretary for NHS Recovery, Health and Social Care to give evidence following the publication of the Scottish Budget for 2025-26.