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We rightly spend a lot of time talking about universal credit, but a different Parliament and different politicians make decisions about that. We can have our own views here, but we cannot change that. As a committee, we are trying to focus on the Scottish Government’s budget and what MSPs can do.

I want to go back to a point about the role of benefits and the social security system in the short term and the medium term that Bill Scott made in his opening statement and which John Dickie picked up, and I want to reflect on two issues.

First, in the previous parliamentary session, the Social Security Committee looked at the Scottish welfare fund. Is that working? Is it being funded in the right way? Should it be more centralised or devolved down to local authorities? Is the money getting to the right people?

Secondly, we now have control of a number of benefits in Scotland and, if there was the political will, we could see increases in personal independence payments, the attendance allowance and all the other benefits. Of all the benefits that are now under the Scottish Government’s control, which would you put more money into to affect child poverty? That may be more of a wish list than what will happen in reality. Would you put more money into PIP or child payments? Would that make a difference to the figures and to people on the ground?

Yes. As you know, we now have power over a number of benefits. Which one would it be best to increase to meet the targets?

I welcome the minister to the meeting. It is nice to have him back at the committee again.

In the previous evidence-taking session, we explored budgeting and the ability to budget ahead. If the bill goes through and becomes an act, it will provide for a double payment this year, as well as give you powers to think about future years. However, that does not give people a particularly clear picture when it comes to budgeting. Has the Government thought about just making a double payment every winter? If not, why not? If you were going to introduce regulations in that respect, what timescale would we be talking about in order to allow people to budget?

Thank you all for those answers. I will follow up with my final question.

The doubling of the carers allowance supplement is not a permanent fixture, but do you think that it should become permanent? As Fiona Collie has said, perhaps the doubling should be permanent every December, when costs are higher. Would you like to see that included in primary legislation?

With other benefits, such as the personal independence payment, there is a guarantee that they will be paid under future budgets. At the moment, the Scottish Government is not guaranteeing that the supplement will be a permanent fixture—every year, it will be the subject of negotiation between the Minister for Social Security and Local Government and the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy.

Good morning to the panel. I hope that you can hear me.

Does the doubling up of the money go far enough to help carers, particularly after the past 18 months, or is there something else that could or should be done?

I do not have my glasses on, so I cannot see who is sitting where, but I will start with Fiona Collie and work round.

I point out that I am on the high rate of personal independence payment for care.