Scottish Parliament should have welfare committee

The UK Government’s proposals for welfare reform are not good enough for Scotland, according to a report by the Scottish Parliament’s health committee.

Welcoming the report SNP Deputy Convener of the Health committee Bob Doris said it was essential the Scottish Parliament had proper scrutiny of welfare proposals with a special welfare and benefits committee.

Third sector organisations have called for the Scottish Parliament to set up a committee to look at the welfare proposals, at any proposals from the Scottish Government and to scrutinise the implementation of UK reforms.  The Committee also said Scottish Government ministers should have to consent to any further legislation on welfare reform.

Despite Labour members supporting the establishment of a welfare committee on the Finance and Local Government committee Labour members of the Health Committee voted with the Tories against the additional scrutiny of welfare plans.

Bob Doris MSP said: “The UK Government’s welfare reform proposals are simply not up to scratch for Scotland.

“Thousands of people across Scotland would face severe and unjustified hardship as a result of these reforms.

“We can improve the welfare system without pursuing this draconian route.

“All the evidence shows the proposed reforms will have serious detrimental effects on poverty and welfare in Scotland, particularly the reforms on housing benefit, universal credit and personal independence plans which have simply not been thought through.

“It is essential the Scottish Parliament continues to scrutinise these reforms and looks closely at any proposals that come forward.  That is why a majority of the committee backed the calls from Scotland’s third sector for a parliamentary committee devoted to welfare and benefits issues, to keep an eye on the actions of the UK and on the impact in Scotland.

“This is the first time a committee has recommended rejecting a piece of Westminster legislation, a move that shows how out of touch the Tory/Lib Dem Government is with the concerns of the people of Scotland."

Note:

The Committee, by majority, therefore recommends the establishment of a welfare and benefits committee for the remainder of the parliamentary session. Jackson Carlaw MSP, Mary Fee MSP, Duncan McNeil MSP and Dr Richard Simpson MSP dissented from this paragraph.

However, the Committee has heard from witnesses many strong criticisms and serious concerns about the changes to the UK benefits system proposed in the Welfare Reform Bill. These legitimate concerns centre on the proposals for Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payments.

The Committee acknowledges that many of these concerns arise from a lack of detailed information but, nevertheless, believes that they cannot simply be ignored. It is appropriate for the Scottish Parliament to scrutinise these changes, particularly where they will impact directly on areas of devolved policy. The Committee notes that an alternative to giving consent in relation to Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payments would be for the Scottish Government to introduce a Bill to the Scottish Parliament. The Committee considers that this approach may be preferable as it would allow the Scottish Parliament time to consider more fully the implications of the forthcoming welfare reforms and the appropriate Scottish policy response to them. However, the Committee is uncertain whether such a Scottish Bill could be drafted, scrutinised and passed by the Parliament in sufficient time to ensure that the Scottish statute book reflects the changes introduced by the Welfare Reform Bill prior to their implementation. The Committee therefore invites the Scottish Government to consider whether this is a practical alternative to allowing the UK Parliament to legislate on behalf of Scotland in these areas and to report its view to the Parliament.