Hansard

The Convener (Douglas Ross) Con

Good morning and welcome to the sixth meeting of the Education, Children and Young People Committee in 2026. We have received apologies from Willie Rennie.Th...

The Minister for Children, Young People and The Promise (Natalie Don-Innes) SNP

I thank the committee for inviting me to give evidence on the draft Care Leaver Payment (Scotland) Regulations 2026 and welcome the opportunity to assist the...

The Convener Con

Minister, you mentioned the public consultation. That closed in January 2024. Why has it taken two years since then to bring the instrument forward?

Natalie Don-Innes SNP

I will bring in my official, Aisha Pereyra, to say more in a moment, but a number of things had to be considered following the consultation, including the de...

The Convener Con

Before we come to your official, were those issues things that ministers and officials had anticipated? When you were carrying out your consultation, which w...

Natalie Don-Innes SNP

I will have to ask my officials to clarify that.

Aisha Pereyra (Scottish Government)

We had to create an enabling power in primary legislation for the payment, and the enabling power in the Social Security (Amendment) (Scotland) Act 2025 did ...

The Convener Con

But we are now in February 2026. I am just curious as to why the process seems to have been quite elongated.My other concern relates to the consultation. You...

Natalie Don-Innes SNP

I accept that that is a lengthy period, but the committee has been given an answer on the legalities relating to the timescale. My focus was on getting the p...

The Convener Con

Are you aware of young people having missed out on the payment as a result of the lengthy period between the consultation and the regulations being introduced?

Natalie Don-Innes SNP

There was no guarantee that the young people who engaged in the consultation would get the care leaver payment. No specific timescale was set for the payment...

The Convener Con

What was the issue in May?

Aisha Pereyra

The enabling power commenced in May 2025.

The Convener Con

Could the regulations have been introduced in May or June before last year’s summer recess? What is the reason for the delay until February 2026?

Natalie Don-Innes SNP

I am not able to clarify the point about the parliamentary timescale, so I will need to ask my officials.

Aisha Pereyra

As I said, the enabling power commenced in May 2025. Once we knew that we had that power and the bill became an act, we continued at pace with the draft regu...

The Convener Con

Earlier, you said that the work was running concurrently.

Aisha Pereyra

Yes. We were, of course, thinking about the draft regulations at the same time as we were going through the consultation process and holding the safeguarding...

The Convener Con

Were those workshops held before or after the enabling power was granted to the Government in May?

Aisha Pereyra

Sorry—I do not have my calendar with me.The workshops were held after the consultation; they were running concurrently—Interruption.—Yes. We ran workshops pr...

The Convener Con

It sounds like there was an opportunity from when the Government had the enabling powers. Most of the workshops and consultations had taken place. We still h...

Natalie Don-Innes SNP

I could not say that for certain, although I believe that that was an aspect—as well as the further work that had to take place in preparation for bringing t...

The Convener Con

Perhaps you could write to us on that, if you want to.

Natalie Don-Innes SNP

I would be happy to do that, to clarify the point about the time between May 2025 and bringing the regulations to the committee today.

The Convener Con

There are no further questions. Is there anything more that you wish to say in response to the questions that have been asked, minister?

Natalie Don-Innes SNP

I have nothing further to add.

The Convener Con

I invite the minister to move motion S6M-20537 in her name.Motion moved,That the Education, Children and Young People Committee recommends that the Care Leav...

The Convener Con

The committee has agreed to the draft regulations, on which it must now produce a report. Is the committee content to delegate responsibility to me, as conve...