Health and Sport Committee

Meeting date: Tuesday, May 30, 2017

Official Report 529KB pdf

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Subordinate Legislation

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National Assistance (Assessment of Resources) Amendment (Scotland) Regulations 2017 (SSI 2017/134)

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National Assistance (Sums for Personal Requirements) (Scotland) Regulations 2017 (SSI 2017/135)

Agenda item 3 is subordinate legislation. We have two instruments that are subject to negative procedure to consider. Both instruments were considered last week, and the committee agreed to defer consideration so that a letter could be issued to the Scottish Government seeking clarification on the reason for and the impact of the delay in the uprating for the assessment of resources and the sums for personal requirements. We have received a response from the Scottish Government.

The first instrument for consideration is the National Assistance (Assessment of Resources) Amendment (Scotland) Regulations 2017. No motion to annul the instrument has been lodged, and the Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee has not made any comment on the instrument.

I want to raise one issue. As the Government’s response does not make it clear what the financial implications of the delay in implementing the regulations will be for individuals, it would be appropriate to ask the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport about that when she comes before us, in order to find that out.

Do members have any other comments?

I would appreciate that action, convener. I understand that the delay was because of on-going discussions with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, and I am interested in knowing the date on which COSLA wrote to all the local authorities. Perhaps we could air those issues with the cabinet secretary.

We certainly should.

The second instrument for consideration is the National Assistance (Sums for Personal Requirements) (Scotland) Regulations 2017. Again, no motion to annul has been lodged and the Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee has not made any comment on the instrument.

I see that no member wants to comment on the instrument.

As agreed at a previous meeting, we now move into private session to consider the remaining agenda items.

11:53 Meeting continued in private until 12:16.