Seòmar agus comataidhean

Thank you. I very much appreciate the questions and answers.

We move to agenda item 3, which is formal consideration of motion S6M-12904.

Motion moved,

That the Social Justice and Social Security Committee recommends that the Disability Assistance for Older People (Scotland) Regulations 2024 [draft] be approved.—[Shirley-Anne Somerville]

Our next item of business is consideration of a statutory instrument that is laid under the affirmative procedure, which means that the Parliament must approve it before it can come into force.

I welcome to the meeting Shirley-Anne Somerville, the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice. I also welcome her officials from the Scottish Government: Peter Bell, policy manager, pension age disability payment; Daniel Blaikie, solicitor; and Meg Sydney, disability benefits policy team leader. Meg is attending in lieu of Helen Speirs. I thank you all for joining us.

Following the evidence session, the committee will be invited to consider a motion to approve the instrument. 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.

On our visit to Social Security Scotland in Dundee, we had a visual walk-through of the ADP application, which was really helpful. I think that a lot of members who attended that day benefited from seeing that. It would be helpful to get an update on the application and the co-design process when it is complete.

Bob Doris will ask the next questions.

I invite contributions from members.

No members wish to speak, so I invite the cabinet secretary to sum up and respond to the debate.

The committee will report on the outcome of the consideration in due course and a draft report will be prepared by the clerks. Are members content to consider the draft report in private at next week’s meeting?

Members indicated agreement.

I invite Jeremy Balfour to put his questions.

Our next agenda item is an evidence session on the pension age disability payment, ahead of our consideration of the Disability Assistance for Older People (Scotland) Regulations 2024 next week.

I welcome to the meeting Debbie Horne, Scotland policy and public affairs manager at Independent Age, and Adam Stachura, associate director for policy, communications and external affairs at Age Scotland, who join us in the room. I also welcome Marilyn Howard, a member of the Scottish Commission on Social Security, who joins us remotely. I thank you all for accepting our invitation.

I have a few points to make about the format of the meeting before we start. Please wait until I say your name, or until the member asking the question does, before speaking. Marilyn Howard, as you are online, please allow our broadcasting colleagues a few seconds to turn your microphone on before you start to speak. You can indicate with an R in the chat box in Zoom if you wish to come in on a question. I ask everyone to keep questions and answers as concise as possible.

We will now move on to questions. The first question, which I will direct to Marilyn, is on the theme of social security principles. Will you outline the ways in which the aims and language of attendance allowance “sit uneasily alongside” the social security principles?

Adam Stachura would like to come in quickly on that, and then I will move on to the next theme.

Theme 5 is on improving take-up. I invite Marie McNair to come in.

That is really helpful.

As neither Adam Stachura nor Debbie Horne want to come in on that question, we will move on to the next theme, which is the mobility component.