Committee
Social Justice and Social Security Committee 18 September 2025
18 Sep 2025 · S6 · Social Justice and Social Security Committee
Item of business
Subordinate Legislation
Social Security (Cross-border Provision, Case Transfer and Miscellaneous Amendments) (Scotland) Regulations 2025 [Draft]
Item 4 is consideration of another SSI. The instrument is subject to the affirmative procedure, which means that the Parliament must approve it before it comes into force.
I welcome back to the meeting the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice and welcome the following Scottish Government officials: Thomas Nicol, who is a lawyer; and Simon Coote, who is head of the cross-cutting policy unit. Thank you for joining us.
Following this evidence session, the committee will be invited under an upcoming agenda item to consider a motion to approve the instrument. I remind everyone that the Scottish Government officials can speak under this item, but not in the debate that will follow.
I invite the cabinet secretary to make a short opening statement.
In the same item of business
The Deputy Convener
SNP
Item 4 is consideration of another SSI. The instrument is subject to the affirmative procedure, which means that the Parliament must approve it before it com...
Shirley-Anne Somerville
SNP
Thank you, convener. I welcome the opportunity to assist the committee in its consideration of the regulations. A key principle in the cross-border regulatio...
Elena Whitham (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (SNP)
SNP
Good morning. In its reply to SCOSS, the Scottish Government said that it would prefer the DWP and Social Security Scotland to share data about clients movin...
Shirley-Anne Somerville
SNP
This is a disappointing part of the regulations that I am presenting today. The priority for the Scottish Government was to make the journey for a client as ...
Elena Whitham
SNP
Will you continue to press for change in a continued quest for the data transfer to happen automatically, or will this be a fait accompli, if we approve the ...
Shirley-Anne Somerville
SNP
This is certainly the process that will be in place. With every benefit, we have a system of support to ensure that we analyse what happens in real time with...
David Torrance (Kirkcaldy) (SNP)
SNP
Good morning. You touched on this in your opening statement, cabinet secretary. Given that the DWP is not sharing data, what will adults who are in receipt o...
Shirley-Anne Somerville
SNP
Again, this is a more complicated situation than we would have hoped for, but, nonetheless, it is about looking at how can we support people during that proc...
Marie McNair (Clydebank and Milngavie) (SNP)
SNP
Good morning, cabinet secretary. Sticking with the data issue, I note that the SCOSS report referred to on-going efforts to agree data sharing with the DWP i...
Shirley-Anne Somerville
SNP
Despite best efforts, we have not been able to agree a cross-border process on terminal illness cases, which is, I think, particularly disappointing. We note...
Marie McNair
SNP
It is just very unfortunate for those people, given that time is not on their side.
The Deputy Convener
SNP
As there are no other questions, we move to item 5, which is formal consideration of motion S6M-18126, on approval of the regulations. I invite the cabinet s...
The Deputy Convener
SNP
Thank you, cabinet secretary, and I hope that your autumn cold—Interruption. Oh right—thank you. The clerk has just told me that if I do not say this bitty, ...
The Deputy Convener
SNP
That being the case, I can now thank the cabinet secretary for battling through the evidence sessions, and I thank her officials in both sessions, too. I su...