The Official Report is a written record of public meetings of the Parliament and committees.
All Official Reports of meetings in the Debating Chamber of the Scottish Parliament.
All Official Reports of public meetings of committees.
Displaying 773 contributions
Social Justice and Social Security Committee
Meeting date: 19 May 2022
Elena Whitham
Paul Ferguson has indicated that he wants to come in.
Social Justice and Social Security Committee
Meeting date: 19 May 2022
Elena Whitham
That is all right; do not worry about it. Paul McLennan, do you have further questions?
Social Justice and Social Security Committee
Meeting date: 19 May 2022
Elena Whitham
That segues nicely on to questions about school meal debts. To kick us off, we will take a question from Foysol Choudhury.
Social Justice and Social Security Committee
Meeting date: 19 May 2022
Elena Whitham
Before I move to questions from my colleague Pam Duncan-Glancy, I see that Martin Canavan and Betty Stone would both like to come in. I must ask you to keep your comments brief at this point.
Social Justice and Social Security Committee
Meeting date: 19 May 2022
Elena Whitham
Do you want to come in on that, Betty?
Social Justice and Social Security Committee
Meeting date: 19 May 2022
Elena Whitham
That reminds me of the fact that councils hold a lot of data and information. There is a need for them to passport where a family is eligible to receive another payment, whether it is school meals or other things. We need to make sure that councils do that as well, because they hold that data.
Social Justice and Social Security Committee
Meeting date: 19 May 2022
Elena Whitham
Thank you very much for that, Kirsty McKechnie. I have seen cases in which tax credit debt, which is sometimes from years ago, is in the thousands of pounds. A family can never get out of that debt, particularly when they cannot find the historical information to try to defend their position or change the outcome.
Social Justice and Social Security Committee
Meeting date: 19 May 2022
Elena Whitham
Betty Stone would like to respond, and then we will hear briefly from Kirsty McKechnie.
Social Justice and Social Security Committee
Meeting date: 19 May 2022
Elena Whitham
I will take two final questions before we stop for a wee pause, from Paul McLennan and then Foysol Choudhury.
Social Justice and Social Security Committee
Meeting date: 19 May 2022
Elena Whitham
That would be helpful.
We will move on to our fourth theme, which is about the role that the social security system plays in relation to debt. I will bring in my colleague Emma Roddick, who is online.