Tag: Social Justice and Social Security Committee

Costs of leaving abusive relationships to be explored by MSPs

Victims of domestic abuse are among those invited to share their views as part of a Scottish Parliament inquiry into the financial implications of leaving an abusive relationship.

The Social Justice and Social Security Committee is running the inquiry to find out what support women leaving abusive relationships can access, how public sector and social security rules and practices take account of financial issues in these circumstances and how much information and advice women have access to.

Since 2018-19, Police Scotland has recorded over 60,000 incidents of domestic abuse each year, however, research from Scottish Women’s Aid suggests that the actual figure is much higher as not all incidents are reported to the police.

Reports of domestic abuse can rise substantially over the Christmas period, a time when family finances can be at their most stretched. Research from charities including Refuge and Women’s Aid has found that this, alongside the pressures caused by the cost-of-living crisis, can effectively trap victims of domestic abuse.

The Committee’s inquiry will explore economic abuse, a form of coercive control where an abuser restricts a person’s ability to get, use and keep money or other economic resources.

It is also likely to cover the Scottish Government’s work on violence against women and girls, including its Fund to Leave pilot project and its Equally Safe strategy. The Fund to Leave offered women up to £1,000 to pay for the essentials they need when leaving a relationship with an abusive partner and was delivered by Women’s Aid groups.

Collette Stevenson, Convener of the Social Justice and Social Security Committee, said: “The Christmas period should be a time where women can get together with their families. But sadly for many women suffering from abuse Christmas can be a lonely and terrible time, with economic abuse trapping them in abusive relationships.

“We know that over 60,000 incidents of domestic abuse are reported to the Police in Scotland each year, and we want to use this inquiry to learn about the support available to women in this awful situation and get an idea of what else can be done.

“If you have any experience of this issue, or work for a charity or public body that supports women in this situation we want to hear from you. Share your views with us by responding to our call for views.”

The call for views opened on Friday 13 December, and will close on Thursday 20 February.

To ensure that people can respond in full, the Committee welcomes receiving anonymous responses, where appropriate.

Short-term funding cycles are creating financial instability for Scotland’s charities, says Holyrood Committee

SCVO: Fair Funding needed now more than ever

  • Calls come as Holyrood Committee publishes report on public funding to voluntary organisations

Short-term funding cycles are creating financial instability and diverting time and resources away from charities’ delivery of services, according to a pre-Budget report by the Scottish Parliament’s Social Justice and Social Security Committee.

At the outset of the Committee’s inquiry the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations painted a stark picture of the challenges faced by charities in Scotland, identifying a 2.1% real terms decrease in Scottish Government funding in the previous budget, against a backdrop of increased inflation and high demand for services.

In recognition of the critical role charities play in supporting Scottish society, the Committee’s report calls on the Scottish Government to look at options to prioritise three-year-funding and include provisions for inflation-based adjustments.

During the inquiry, witnesses raised concerns about inconsistency, complexity and a lack of transparency in the application process for funding. In response, the Committee’s report recommends that the Government, and its partner grant awarding-bodies, streamline and standardise application processes and improve the transparency of the grant-making decision process.

The Committee also heard about the challenges some charities have faced because of delays to funding decisions and payments, issues the Committee wants the Scottish Government to resolve.

Bob Doris MSP, Deputy Convener of the Social Justice and Social Security Committee, said: “The Scottish Government has a commitment to provide fair funding for the essential work done by Scotland’s charity sector.

“We make it clear in our report that this commitment should be recognised in the upcoming budget, so that the sector’s vital work can be safeguarded. We call on the Government to prioritise strengthening its approach to multi-year funding and improving its processes.

“Whilst we acknowledge the Scottish Government’s ability to agree to multi-year funding when it does not know what funding it will receive from the UK Government for subsequent years, our committee has made practical suggestions to overcome these challenges.

“We believe that implementing the straightforward measures outlined in our report, including multi-year funding, could positively impact the effectiveness of a sector that does so much to help so many.”

Responding to the report, Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) Chief Executive Anna Fowlie said: “I welcome today’s report, and the committee’s recommendations. Throughout their inquiry, the Committee heard from witness after witness of how the practice and culture around public  funding for voluntary organisations is broken.

“Too often and for too long voluntary organisations providing vital services to people and communities across Scotland contend with budget cuts, short-term funding cycles, late payment, incoherent decision-making, poor communication, inadequate grant management and more. That must end. 

“The voluntary sector needs a funding landscape that is fair, flexible, sustainable, and accessible – as long-advocated by SCVO and recommended by the committee today. 

“At a time when many voluntary organisations are facing extreme financial difficulties, these long-standing calls are more essential than ever. 

“The prize is a sustainable sector, strong public services, and resilient communities – one the Scottish Government must grasp with both hands.”

The Committee report:

sp-third-sector-funding-principlesDownload

Housing Bill presents an opportunity to prevent homelessness – but more detail required, says Holyrood Committee

A Holyrood Committee has raised concerns about a lack of detail in a Bill which proposes a move away from a crisis management approach to a preventative approach to homelessness in Scotland.

The Social Justice and Social Security Committee has been scrutinising the homelessness and domestic violence aspects of the Housing (Scotland) Bill. While the Committee supports the principles of the proposals in the Bill, it wants the Scottish Government to outline how the measures will work in practice.

The practicalities of the “ask and act” duty, which calls on relevant public bodies to ask a person about their housing situation and to take action to prevent homelessness, were one aspect the Committee would like to understand in greater detail.

The Committee’s report asks how the Scottish Government will ensure that relevant bodies do not just refer people to the homelessness officers in their local authority.

The report also notes that there are problems with the Bill’s costings, as laid out in the Financial Memorandum. The Committee calls for this to be updated.

Collette Stevenson MSP, Convener of the Social Justice and Social Security Committee, said: “Our Committee agrees with this Bill’s goal of shifting Scotland’s approach to homelessness away from crisis intervention towards prevention.

“However, we do share witnesses’ concerns about the lack of detail in the Scottish Government’s plans. In particular, we would like to see more detail about how the ‘ask and act’ duty will operate in practice.

“We also acknowledge concerns raised about the Financial Memorandum. Our report recommends that the Scottish Government consult with stakeholders again and update costings as appropriate ahead of the Stage 1 debate on the Bill.”

The Committee also backed proposals in the Bill to support people affected by domestic abuse, although its report requests more information about the measures in the Bill will interact with other relevant policy and legislation.

In particular, the Committee heard that the Bill is linked to the Domestic Abuse (Protection) (Scotland) Act 2021. As the Act has not commenced in full, the Committee calls for a detailed plan and timeline to confirm when the laws in the Act will come into force.

Holyrood Committee seeks views on the impact of the Child Poverty Act

The Scottish Parliament’s Social Justice and Social Security Committee has opened a consultation to consider the impact of the Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017.

The Act aims to measure, tackle and report on child poverty in Scotland. It set out specific targets that seek to virtually eradicate child poverty by April 2030. The Act also established the Poverty and Inequality Commission, which has responsibility for scrutinising child poverty reduction targets.

The Committee has launched its call for views to understand the impact of the Act, and in particular the difference that has been made by having the framework for reducing child poverty set in law.

In addition to interested individuals or groups, the Committee would like to hear from local authorities, health boards, academics with expertise in this area and private and third sector organisations that are working to reduce child poverty.

The Committee also wants to hear from people who engaged in the scrutiny of the Bill in 2017, before it became an Act, so that it can assess whether the Government’s approach has lived up to expectations.

The issue of child poverty has featured prominently in the Committee’s work, including during an inquiry that focused on parental employment where the Committee encouraged the Scottish Government to “supercharge” its efforts.

Speaking at the launch of the call for views, Collette Stevenson MSP, Convener of the Social Justice Committee, said: “The Child Poverty Act is a landmark piece of legislation, enshrining in law targets to virtually eradicate child poverty by April 2030.

“As we are now more than halfway towards the date when the 2030 targets are due to be met, our Committee would like to hear views on how the Act is working in practice.

“We’re really keen to understand whether putting the targets into law has been effective and what might have been different had the Scottish Government not taken this approach.”

Reform needed to industrial injuries benefits, says Holyrood Committee

A Holyrood Committee has concluded that reform to the way Scotland manages and delivers benefits related to industrial injuries and ill health at work is needed, but, has agreed by majority that the Scottish Employment Injuries Advisory Council Bill will not deliver this.

The Bill, introduced by Mark Griffin MSP, proposes that a Scottish Employment Injuries Advisory Council be established to provide expertise about support for people living with a workplace injury or disease.

Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit is currently delivered by the UK Government’s Department for Work and Pensions on behalf of the Scottish Government. The delivery of this benefit is expected to become the responsibility of the Scottish Government in March 2026.

Witnesses characterised the current Industrial Injuries Scheme as failing to deliver for women and people from ethnic minority backgrounds. They also said that the current system is slow to effect change and does not consider modern occupations and diseases. The Committee understood and agreed with these concerns.

However, the Cabinet Secretary, Shirley-Anne Somerville, told the Committee that, even if the Bill was given Parliamentary approval, the Scottish Government would not be able to act on any recommendations the Council made regarding the benefit as it is constrained by its current agreement with the Department for Work and Pensions.

Furthermore, the Committee’s report raises concerns that the creation of a new, statutory body (which would work alongside other public bodies, like the Scottish Commission on Social Security), would add to an already cluttered public body landscape, making the social security system more complex to administrate.

The Committee did, however, share the frustration of witnesses and Mr Griffin regarding delays to the promised Scottish Government consultation on its approach to replacing the Industrial Injuries Scheme in Scotland.

The Committee urges the Scottish Government to provide detailed timings for this consultation.

Collette Stevenson MSP, Convener of the Social Justice and Social Security Committee, said: “The current Industrial Injuries Scheme, at over 70 years old, is inadequate. It fails to take account of modern work practices and diseases and does not deliver for women or people from ethnic minority backgrounds.

“However, a majority of the Committee believe that this Bill would not provide the reform that stakeholders want to see and recommend that it should not be agreed to.

“Instead, we call on the Scottish Government to urgently provide detailed timings for the consultation on its approach to replacing the Industrial Injuries Scheme in Scotland, so that workers who are injured, or suffer from ill health, because of their employment, can access the compensation they deserve.”

Scottish Government must ‘supercharge’ efforts to tackle child poverty

A new report from Holyrood’s Social Justice and Social Security Committee calls on the Scottish Government to take steps to “supercharge” its efforts to tackle child poverty.

The Committee has been undertaking an inquiry into the issue, focusing on parental employment, which the Government sees as key to reducing the number of children living in poverty.

During the inquiry the Committee travelled to several places in Scotland to hear the views of parents. Not being able to access childcare from a child’s first birthday to when they start school, both during the school term and holidays, was the most common barrier to employment that they talked about with affordability and flexibility seen as critical.

Parents spoke of needing to find work that fitted in with school hours, while one contributor reflected that women could not develop in their careers until their children had reached high school age. In response, the Committee calls on the Government to accelerate its work on expanding the availability of childcare.

Public transport is a major theme in the report. Witnesses in urban and rural areas spoke about a range of issues including access and cost. The report asks the Government to consider how public transport services can be designed and better supported to provide affordable, frequent and direct services that support the type of trips more regularly made by parents.

The Committee’s report also encourages the Government to investigate how an integrated system of discounted travel offers for low-income working-age people could be provided. The Committee believes this would enable some families to access a wider range of employment opportunities by being able to travel further, more cost effectively.

Witnesses also identified an issue faced by parents who embark upon study to improve their career prospects. Student funding means that low-income parents at college or university would be ineligible for benefits such as Universal Credit. To help, the Committee calls for Scottish Child Payment eligibility to be extended.


Bob Doris MSP, speaking on behalf of the Social Justice and Social Security Committee, said: “In Best Start, Bright Futures, the Scottish Government said that parental employment is a key driver to meet the statutory targets to address child poverty. Our report looks at how the aims of that plan could come closer to being realised.

“The Scottish Government believes that without its actions to date, 28% of children would be living in poverty. Even so, the Government expects to narrowly miss its interim child poverty targets, with modelling predicting that 19% of children will be living in poverty this year. Therefore, we are calling for the Government to take decisive action now by clarifying its priorities and commitments and producing explicit delivery and spending plans to make sure progress is on track.

“We recognise the good progress the Scottish Government has made in reducing child poverty. We now want to see the Government supercharge its efforts so that the ambitions it has set can become reality.”

Views sought on proposed changes to the Scottish Government’s social security powers

A Holyrood Committee is calling for individuals and organisations to share their views on proposed changes to the laws governing social security in Scotland.

The Social Justice and Social Security Committee has launched a call for views on the Scottish Government’s Social Security (Scotland) (Amendment) Bill.

Social security legislation was devolved to Holyrood in 2016 and a legal framework to the Scottish Social Security system was introduced in 2018. This meant 11 existing social security benefits were devolved from the Department of Work and Pensions to a new Scottish body, Social Security Scotland.

The new Bill proposes a range of changes, including creating a framework to introduce new social security benefits for children and care experienced people, changing rules about how people can challenge decisions made about social security assistance and repealing COVID measures that allowed people to make late applications.

The Committee will be scrutinising the Bill and considering whether these changes deliver improvements, make the system more efficient and the extent to which they reflect the Scottish Government’s social security principles.

Commenting on the launch of the consultation, Collette Stevenson, Convener of the Social Justice and Social Security Committee, said: “We want to hear what people make of the Scottish Government’s proposed changes to social security laws.

“We’re particularly interested in hearing about the impact these changes will have, whether they deliver value for money and the extent to which there can be further improvement to the system as a result of these changes.

“The proposals in the Bill include introducing new benefits for children and care experienced people, allowing appointees who manage a person’s DWP benefits to also manage their Social Security Scotland benefits and new ways for individuals to appeal when they are not entitled to assistance.

“I would encourage anybody with a view on these plans, or any of the other proposals in the Bill, to complete the call for views on the Parliament’s website.”

The call for views opened yesterday and will be open until Friday 12 January 2024.

The link to where people can share their views on the Bill is:

 https://yourviews.parliament.scot/sjssc/social-security-amendment-bill 

Views sought on Bill to strengthen charity regulator

Proposals that would see the powers of Scotland’s charity regulator strengthened are to be considered by the Scottish Parliament’s Social Justice and Social Security Committee.

Under the proposals in the Charities (Regulation and Administration) (Scotland) Bill, the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR), would have wider powers to investigate charities and charity trustees. Rules around who can be a charity trustee or senior office-holder in a charity would also be tightened.

The proposed changes to the law were developed following suggestions from OSCR. Some of the changes are intended to ensure Scottish legislation is in line with updated legislation in England and Wales.

The Committee wants to understand what impact the changes in the Bill might have. To make this as easy as possible for all charities to respond, no matter their size, the Committee is inviting people to share their views either through a detailed consultation, or a short survey.

They hope to get an insight into how the charity sector has changed since the Charities Act was passed in 2005 and get a better idea of how the updated laws might impact the Scottish public.

Natalie Don, Convener of the Social Justice and Social Security Committee said: “Charities are a cornerstone of public life in Scotland, with millions of people across the country supporting, or benefitting from their work. It is important that the public can have faith in the often vital work that they do. We’re keen to understand the extent to which the Bill might strengthen that accountability and transparency.

“We also want to understand what administrative impact the Bill might place on charities and their trustees. We understand that many people volunteer for charities and we want to know how these changes might impact on the way that they are able to perform these roles. 

“There are more than 25,000 charities in Scotland and we would like anybody who has a role working or volunteering for one to share their views on the Bill, either by completing the detailed call for views, or the shorter survey.”

The Committee’s survey and detailed consultations will both close on Friday 3 February 2023. Following the closure of the consultation, the Committee will undertake several public evidence sessions before producing a report commenting on the principles of the Bill in the spring.

THREE Holyrood Committees join forces to look at tackling drug deaths and problem drug use

The Scottish Parliament’s Criminal Justice Committee, Health, Social Care and Sport Committee, and Social Justice and Social Security Committee are coming together to hold two special sessions looking at the actions taken to reduce drugs deaths and problem drug use in Scotland. 

The sessions, which will question the Scottish and UK Governments, as well as the new Chair of the Scottish Drugs Deaths Taskforce (SDDT), will seek to focus on what progress has been made and actions taken so far, including implementation of SDDT’s recommendations, as well as what more can be done.

The Committees are working together, recognising the issues which lie behind this crisis stem from different policy areas. Each Committee will send representatives to question witnesses and consider the progress made. 

The Committee will question Rt Hon Kit Malthouse MP, UK Minister of State for Crime, Policing and Probation, on the afternoon of Tuesday 1 February. 

On the following day, MSPs will then question the new Chair of the Scottish Drug Deaths Taskforce, David Strang, followed by the Scottish Government’s Minister for Drugs Policy, Angela Constance MSP.

Speaking as the joint sitting of the three committees was announced, Criminal Justice Committee Convener, Audrey Nicoll MSP (above), who will chair the joint sitting, said: “Problem drug use, and tragically, drugs deaths blight too many families and communities in Scotland. 

“We know that the roots of these issues are complex and historical, and that the Taskforce recommendations touch many policy areas. 

“Implementing the wide ranging solutions requires a co-ordinated approach by Parliament and Government.

“Addressing this drugs crisis is a priority for our committees. We want to support the individuals and families affected, as well as the agencies who work with them and the Government in taking the right actions to reduce drug deaths and tackle the misuse of drugs. 

“I hope these sessions allow us to see some progress in this area, and perhaps find consensus and focus on what more can be done.”

The Committee is a joint meeting of three Committees and not a new Committee.

It is expected the following MSPs will attend the joint sessions as delegates:

Audrey Nicoll (SNP) (Convener)

Miles Briggs (Con)

Foysol Choudhury (Lab)

Russell Findlay (Con)

Gillian Mackay (GRN)  

Gillian Martin (SNP)

Pauline McNeill (Labour)

Paul O’Kane (Lab)

Sue Webber (Con)

It is expected that the new SJSS Convener will also attend, once this person is appointed. (SNP).

The meeting with Kit Malthouse is expected to take place virtually between 3 – 4:30pm, Tuesday 1 February.

The meeting with the Taskforce and Angela Constance MSP is expected to take place virtually 10am – 12:30pm, Wednesday 2 February. The panel with the taskforce anticipated to last 10 – 11am, and the Minister thereafter.

COVID-19 pandemic and UK energy market turbulence must be addressed in fuel poverty strategy

The twin stresses of the COVID-19 pandemic and the significant turbulence in the UK energy market must be tackled to address fuel poverty according to a letter issued yesterday by the Scottish Parliament’s Social Justice and Social Security Committee.

The Committee has been examining the Scottish Government’s Tackling Fuel Poverty Strategy to ensure it meets the needs of low-income households.

The impact of ongoing high inflation was a key concern highlighted in the Committee’s letter. A significant cost of living increase, caused by high inflation, is likely to push more people into, or further into, fuel poverty. The Committee has now called on the Government to define its plans in the strategy beyond this winter to reassure people that support will be available.

The Government’s proposals outline that some households are more likely to experience fuel poverty. While the Committee was happy to see this acknowledged, they want to see what more could be done to help disabled children or adults.

The Committee also raised concerns that the strategy did not fully plan to tackle the depth of fuel poverty in rural, remote and island areas. Some of these areas have recently faced significant challenges in accessing energy caused by winter storms. The Committee called for more detail on how the Government will engage with people living in these communities, who face a disproportionate risk of extreme fuel poverty.

Neil Gray MSP, Convener of the Social Justice and Social Security Committee, said: “The significant recent disruption to energy supplies has brought the issue of equality in access to energy into sharp focus.

“We are pleased that the Scottish Government has made a commitment to address fuel poverty with this strategy. However, we believe the proposals should go further to protect the most vulnerable in our society.

“Sadly, given current indications that high inflation looks set to last well into the Spring, we are extremely worried that more people may be dragged into fuel poverty through no fault of their own. This makes it more important that the Government’s strategy details long term commitments.

“Thank you to everyone who shared their lived experience of fuel poverty with our Committee. The compelling and often upsetting evidence we heard has reinforced our belief that people’s experiences should be reflected in the strategy’s design and implementation.”

The full text of the Committee’s letter can be read here:

https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/committees/current-and-previous-committees/session-6-social-justice-and-social-security-committee/correspondence/2021/tackling-fuel-poverty-in-scotland-a-strategic-approach