Seòmar agus comataidhean

Moving to theme 5, on equalities issues and the impact on rural areas, I call Marie McNair, who joins us remotely.

I just want to add that I have done quite a bit of work with Dr Steven Maxwell on intimate-partner violence, and it touches on homelessness and the topic that we are talking about. We held a round-table meeting, and the evidence that we took from it was really interesting. I was conscious of that when looking at the bill.

I call Paul O’Kane, who joins us remotely.

We now move on to the last theme, which is on implementation and any other issues. Jeremy Balfour has some questions on that.

Okay. Thank you very much. We will move on to our last theme, which is on the local delivery service. I invite Marie McNair to come in.

That is really helpful. Thank you.

Thank you, Marieke and Martin, for coming today. I will briefly suspend the meeting for the set-up of our next agenda item.

Our next item of business is consideration of a document that is subject to parliamentary control. The social security charter sets out what the social security principles mean in practice and lists around 50 commitments to be delivered by the Scottish Government and Social Security Scotland. The proposed revision to the charter is included in annex A of paper 4.

The Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee considered the document at its meeting on 28 May 2024 and made no recommendations in relation to it.

Today, we will have an evidence session on the document with the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice. The committee will then be invited, under the subsequent agenda item, to consider a motion to approve it.

I welcome Shirley-Anne Somerville, the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice; David Wallace, the chief executive of Social Security Scotland; and Kyle Murray, the procedural and international policy team leader in the Scottish Government. I remind everyone that Scottish Government officials can speak under this item, but not in the debate that follows.

I invite the cabinet secretary to make a short opening statement.

Thank you. Our third theme is staffing. I will bring in Katy Clark.

We will stick with that theme and I will invite John Mason to come in.

Our next item is consideration of a Scottish statutory instrument. The instrument is subject to the negative procedure, and its purpose is to make consequential amendments and transitional provision as a result of the introduction of the pension age disability payment, which will soon replace attendance allowance in Scotland for people who are over the state pension age. Do members have any comments on the instrument?

As there are no comments, I invite the committee to agree that it does not wish to make any further recommendations in relation to the instrument. Are members content to note the instrument?

Members indicated agreement.

A very good morning to everyone, and welcome to the 18th meeting in 2024 of the Social Justice and Social Security Committee. We have received no apologies this morning.

Our first item of business is a decision on whether to take items 6 and 9 in private. Do members agree to do so?

Members indicated agreement.