Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid) 29 June 2022
29 Jun 2022 · S6 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Social Security (Special Rules for End of Life) Bill
Does the member accept that the devolution of social security benefits is a joint programme of work between the Scottish Government and the UK Government, and that the delay to the delivery of some of our devolved benefits has been because both Governments had to reprioritise during the pandemic?
In the same item of business
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Liam McArthur)
LD
The next item of business is a debate on motion S6M-05222, in the name of Ben Macpherson, on the Social Security (Special Rules for End of Life) Bill, which ...
The Minister for Social Security and Local Government (Ben Macpherson)
SNP
This legislative consent motion is in response to the UK Government’s Social Security (Special Rules for End of Life) Bill. I appreciate that the debate was...
Jeremy Balfour (Lothian) (Con)
Con
It feels a bit like déjà vu, as we had a similar debate on a different social security issue last week. Last week, the minister felt that I was slightly part...
Ben Macpherson
SNP
Does the member accept that the devolution of social security benefits is a joint programme of work between the Scottish Government and the UK Government, an...
Jeremy Balfour
Con
I accept that the pandemic has been an important factor in the delay, but even before the pandemic, there were statements in the chamber that those benefits ...
Pam Duncan-Glancy (Glasgow) (Lab)
Lab
Let me start with the substance of the motion and the impact on people. This is about people’s lives and terminal illness—it is possibly the time when we nee...
Ben Macpherson
SNP
We all want to move to the implementation of the benefits as quickly as possible and to full case transfer, but I again pose, in a constructive spirit, these...
Pam Duncan-Glancy
Lab
That is possibly the first time that I have heard that point about the budget in relation to pace, which is interesting. We could do a number of things diff...
Ben Macpherson
SNP
I am grateful to members across the chamber for their time and their contributions to the debate. Although the Scottish Government has taken a very different...
Pam Duncan-Glancy
Lab
I thank the minister for that clarity. I appreciate it. The confusion has resulted because we face such a confused situation. It is incumbent on all of us to...
Ben Macpherson
SNP
I agree with the spirit of that, and that is certainly how I engage with UK DWP ministers and Scotland Office ministers on the process. The only alternative...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
LD
That concludes the debate on the Social Security (Special Rules for End of Life) Bill—UK Legislation.