Chamber and committees

We do not record the number of interview panels constituted within the Scottish Government or within its agencies, or the protected characteristics of panel membership.

With reference to both internal and external vacancies for directly employed staff, the Scottish Government and its agencies managed 1,559 vacancies in 2017-18 and 1,617 vacancies from April 2018 to 18 December 2018. Some vacancies are not filled at the first attempt, so the number of interview panels in each of these years will be higher than the number of vacancies managed in those years.

We strive to be as diverse as possible with respect to the membership of our interview panels. The Scottish Government’s recruitment process complies in full with the Civil Service Commissioners’ requirements in respect to selection being based on merit and fair and open competition. These requirements do not require the protected characteristics of panel members to be monitored or reported.

We are especially keen to promote a gender balance, and our guidance states: “the panel should be gender balanced, where practicable (where not practicable you should be able to evidence steps taken to achieve this)”.

Ministers continue to work closely to ensure an effective cross-portfolio approach. Throughout the development and implementation of the Best Start Grant we have and will continue to engage with a range of stakeholders, service users and the wider public as well as colleagues from within Scottish Government.

Section 3 of the Social Security Act does not make specific requirements about the promotional activity to be undertaken; we believe it has been adequately satisfied by the work that has been done to maximise uptake of the Best Start Grant Pregnancy and Baby Payment. The very high number of applications, especially online, is evidence that our messages are reaching people.

Our preference is to promote the Best Start Pregnancy and Baby Payment before the baby is born, in order to ensure that parents have access at the earliest opportunity. On the run up to the launch of the Pregnancy and Baby Payment, we ran a co-ordinated communications campaign, working with third sector organisations who support pregnant women and families, Health Boards and Local Authorities to get the message out about this new benefit and maximise uptake.

Over the coming months, we will do further evaluation of who has applied to try and identify if there are any groups that are underrepresented. We will take this into consideration to do everything that we can to encourage applications from parents and carers who may be eligible for this benefit.

S5W-20261 was answered on 20 December 2018.

We do not record the number of interview panel members that are qualified to participate, or the protected characteristics of those that are qualified to participate.

Interview panel members should have undertaken all the appropriate training. All panel members should have completed unconscious bias diversity training and it is preferable that all panel members be trained in competency based interviewing - if this is not possible at least one panel member must be trained. In addition, all panels dealing with between band promotions should be chaired by a qualified Lead Panel Member. Lead Panel Members receive role specific training and induction.

The Scottish Government’s recruitment process complies in full with the Civil Service Commissioners’ requirements in respect to selection being based on merit and fair and open competition.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W–20703 on 8 January 2019. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx .

The DWP has not requested any information.

The Deputy Director/Senior Medical Officer to the Chief Medical Officer in Scotland has spoken to the Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England, who provides Chief Medical advice to the Department for Work and Pensions. They were informed that Registered Medical Practitioners would be consulted while developing the guidance, as required by legislation.

The Scottish Government has written on numerous occasions to the UK Government requesting that the two child limit be scrapped and have made clear our total opposition to the policy. This policy is part of Universal Credit which is a fully reserved benefit the Scottish Government has have no control over and cannot change.

By 2020-21 UK government cuts are expected to take around £3.7 billion out of the Scottish welfare system. It is not our policy to mitigate all of these UK Government welfare cuts, which are the equivalent of three times the Police Scotland budget. Pressure should be maintained on the UK Government to make changes to the policy and we will continue to call for such changes.

We are already investing over £125m in 2018-19 to mitigate the effects of UK Government welfare cuts and to protect people on low incomes - £20 million more than last year. The fact the Scottish Government has to take such action was described by the United Nation Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights as “outrageous”.

Comments made by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Economy and Fair Work referred to the legitimate assumption that any policies to directly top-up reserved benefits would need the agreement and cooperation of the DWP. Mr Mackay also said that “the best way to resolve it is to address the problem at source”.

The Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan sets out the many actions we are taking to increase family incomes and reduce living costs. That includes a commitment to work towards introducing a new income supplement, to provide additional financial support for low income families.

Over 4,000 applications were received for Best Start Grant on the first day applications opened. That is around the same number of UK Government Sure Start Maternity Grant payments, which Best Start Grant replaces, for the whole of 2017-18 in Scotland. Statistics will be published which will provide the total number of applications received and payments made in 2019, this will include applications for a third or greater child.