WIREDGOV

The Scottish Parliament yesterday took steps that could help to mitigate against draconian reforms to the benefits system being introduced by the Westminster coalition.

Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon welcomed the passing of Stage One of the Welfare Reform Bill. The Bill will enable arrangements for passported benefits – those which are devolved – to be put in place by April next year so that those eligible do not lose out once the reforms take effect.

Minister for Public Health Michael Matheson yesterday attended the Joint Ministerial Committee (JMC) to set out the Scottish Government’s deep concerns about the welfare reform policies being pursued by Westminster and to ask for closer working on the implementation of these reforms.

Ms Sturgeon said: “Time and again we have made clear our opposition to the welfare reforms being brought in by the UK Government. We know the current welfare system is fundamentally flawed, but the way to fix this is not by targeting the most vulnerable in our society, as these deep and damaging cuts do.

“We know that the only way we can really tackle these issues is to have full powers over welfare and benefits in an independent Scotland.

“One of the main reasons we opposed the UK Bill initially was due to concerns over the lack of legislative detail on reforms which could affect hundreds of thousands of Scots. Now five months later, we still don’t have that detail, despite asking for it again at the JMC today. Without the necessary resources and information from the UK Government, it is placing its programme of reform in real jeopardy, putting the most vulnerable people in our communities at greater risk of poverty.

“We will continue to do everything we can do mitigate the damaging effects these reforms will have on thousands of Scots.

“I believe that the Parliament’s new Welfare Reform Committee, in conjunction with our stakeholders, will play a vital role monitoring the impact of the UK welfare reforms and reporting their consequences to Parliament.”

Mr Matheson put the Scottish Government’s concerns about the impact of the reforms and the lack of information-sharing about the policies to the JMC.

Speaking after the meeting, he said: “I am frustrated that yet again the Westminster government is dragging its heels in providing us with information about how these reforms will affect ordinary Scots. It is disappointing that despite putting our concerns to them and making some very specific requests yet again, there was no commitment to firm action on the part of the UK government.

“I will now be writing to Welfare Minister Lord Freud and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg to ask them to ensure we have the information we have asked for as quickly as possible.”

Related information

Passported benefits are a range of Scottish Government- controlled benefits like free school meals and concessionary travel which people are eligible for if they receive one or more UK welfare benefit.

The Scottish Parliament refused legislative consent to the UK Welfare Reform Bill, now a UK Act. This meant that the Welfare Reform (Future Provisions) (Scotland) Bill became necessary to ensure that passported benefits could continue.