Hansard

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 to a legislative consent motion would be the introduction of equivalent Scottish primary legislation. However, to take that approach, we would need to have the legislation in place at the same time as the UK bill—which was introduced seven weeks ago—came into force. Given the extent to which the UK bill has been expedited, that would be extremely challenging because of the other pressures on this Parliament’s legislative programme. Without parliamentary approval for the legislative consent motion that we are considering today, those in receipt of, or applying for, DWP disability benefits in Scotland would not be able to take advantage of the widening of the terminal illness definition. I appreciate the member’s point, but I think that the process that we are following is the most practical one in the circumstances.

Pam Duncan-Glancy made a point about speed. I want to be clear that I was in no way insinuating that budget is a factor in delivering the roll-out of new devolved Scottish benefits or in the case transfer process. As a member of the Social Justice and Social Security Committee, Pam Duncan-Glancy will be aware that Social Security Scotland has made it very clear that it could not have gone faster with this process. We have had to ensure the safe and secure delivery of these benefits by creating benefits that have been designed for those with lived experience in mind, and we have undertaken all the stakeholder engagement involved in that process. We have moved at a strong pace to deliver a high-quality service as we continue to undertake the case transfer process and introduce seven benefits that are not available elsewhere in the UK. That is a significant improvement.

Jeremy Balfour raised an important point about awareness. When we deliver new benefits, including through the phases of adult disability payment, we engage with local authorities and stakeholders through our local delivery teams to raise awareness. All of us MSPs can play a really positive role in that process. I will write to all MSPs and Scottish MPs in the coming days to encourage all of us to do what we can through the summer recess to raise awareness of what benefits are available for people, so that they can apply. The Government, of course, does that work on an on-going basis, and it will continue to do so as proactively as it can. However, we can all make a difference, and we should do it together.

It is important that those people who are terminally ill benefit from the change that the UK Government’s definition of terminal illness will create. That includes those people who receive attendance allowance and those adults who will apply for DWP benefits in the short time between the UK Government’s bill coming into force and the end of August, when the adult disability payment will be introduced nationally.

The legislative consent motion that is before us today will ensure the continued delivery of UK Government benefits on our behalf while we continue the safe and secure transfer of people to their respective forms of Scottish assistance.

I thank Parliament for considering the matter, and I look forward to working with colleagues through the summer as we continue to support people who receive disability assistance and to raise awareness of what is available to support people. I hope that Parliament will back the legislative consent motion.