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The audit of local authorities is delivered by Audit Scotland, on behalf of the Accounts Commission, operating independently of the Scottish Government. Improvements to audit procedures for local authorities are a matter for Audit Scotland and the Accounts Commission to consider.

Does the member recognise that 12 benefits are now being delivered, seven of which are new? The devolution of powers in the Scotland Act 2016 did not include a majority of the low-income benefits in the social security system; those continue to reside with the UK Government. Is the member as disappointed as many people are, including Martin Lewis, whom he cited, that there was zero action from the chancellor on low-income benefits? That is a disgrace.

Will the member take an intervention?

In a constructive manner and on the basis of what she has just said, would Carol Mochan support more powers coming to this Parliament over taxes such as capital gains and inheritance tax, so that we could start to realise some of the wealth in Scotland in a more progressive way? Without those powers, we are very limited in some of the things that we can do.

I am sure that Mr Rennie will welcome the launch of the first pilot phase of the adult disability payment on Monday, and that he will appreciate the position as we launch that disability benefit after having successfully launched the child disability benefit.

We are also currently undertaking, in a safe and secure way, transfer to Social Security Scotland of cases of people in Scotland who receive disability benefits from the UK Government’s Department for Work and Pensions. While that process is being undertaken, we cannot create a two-tier system in which people who are paid by Social Security Scotland are paid more than clients whose cases have not yet been transferred to the Scottish system. That transfer will be undertaken as quickly, but also as safely and securely, as possible.

The order that is under consideration will uprate benefits for which we have executive competence, but which are currently administered on behalf of the Scottish ministers by the DWP under agency agreement, as we undertake safe and secure transfer. Those benefits include the attendance allowance, the disability living allowance, the carers allowance, industrial injuries scheme benefits, the personal independence payment and the severe disablement allowance.

We have no discretion over the level by which we increase those benefits. The agency agreements that are in place with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which allow the DWP to deliver those benefits on behalf of the Scottish ministers, mean that we are committed to uprating them at the same rate at which the DWP uprates them. Therefore, they are being uprated by 3.1 per cent, in line with the September consumer prices index. It is for the Scottish ministers to make an order to effect the uprate—that is the order that is before Parliament today.

As other members were, I was disappointed that the Chancellor of the Exchequer did not take the opportunity to further increase benefits to support people who need it most to deal with rising living costs. In contrast, the Scottish Government is acting to help households. On the Scottish benefits in which we have discretion to go further, we are acting urgently in response to the growing cost of living pressures. We will provide additional support by further increasing several forms of devolved social security benefits and assistance by 6 per cent, rather than by 3.1 per cent, in separate regulations that will go before the Social Justice and Social Security Committee on 31 March.

In response to the shocking and developing situation in Ukraine, the Scottish Government continues to take urgent steps to resettle people who are fleeing here.

The Home Office has announced the creation of new schemes through which Ukrainian people may come to the United Kingdom to settle: the Ukraine family scheme, which allows people who live in the UK and who have family in Ukraine to bring family members to the UK to settle; and the homes for Ukraine scheme, which allows individuals, charities, community groups and businesses in the UK to support a Ukrainian person to come here.

Normally, many forms of social security assistance have eligibility restrictions on people who are subject to immigration control. However, people who come from Ukraine will not be subject to immigration control, which means that they will not be affected by any such restrictions.

Moreover, the immigration restrictions are not the only obstacle that people arriving from Ukraine, including those who already have the right of abode in the UK, would normally face. Yesterday, the Department for Work and Pensions laid emergency regulations, which come into force today, that seek to exempt such individuals from two remaining obstacles to immediate eligibility for social security assistance: the habitual residence test and the past presence test.

Those tests appear in UK and Scottish social security legislation. Application of them, each of which requires an individual to have spent a certain amount of time in the UK in order to establish their eligibility, would be likely to stop individuals who are arriving from Ukraine being able to claim support until they had been here for up to six months. The DWP regulations seek to disapply those tests for people in specified groups who arrive from Ukraine. If the regulations are agreed to, they will enable such people to access social security benefits from day 1. I commend UK ministers for their actions in that regard.

The regulations that are before Parliament include mirroring modifications to devolved social security legislation. The amendments will be made to UK benefits that are delivered under agency agreement in Scotland, and to regulations that have been made under the Social Security (Scotland) Act 2018. In addition, we are making, in the same instrument, equivalent amendments to the regulations on council tax reduction entitlement.

I appreciate that Parliament has not had its usual opportunity for full scrutiny of the regulations, and I am aware that that is far from ideal. However, the pace at which the legislation has had to be developed in order to meet the necessary timescales means that normal scrutiny is simply not possible, in this case. I hope that Parliament empathises, given the situation and the circumstances.

I am grateful to the Scottish Commission on Social Security for working with Scottish Government officials to help them to introduce this urgent legislation in the shortest possible time. It is commendable that Scottish Government officials also worked at pace with UK Government officials.

Scotland is a welcoming country, and it wants to be so for new arrivals from Ukraine. I hope that colleagues will agree that the instrument that is before them is necessary so that we can ensure that people who arrive from Ukraine, who are fleeing situations that we cannot even imagine, can access crucial social security support on their arrival in Scotland.

I move,

That the Parliament agrees that the Social Security (Residence Requirements) (Ukraine) (Scotland) Regulations 2022 [draft] be approved.

We are living through very serious times, and no one underestimates the challenges that public services are facing. However, for context, it is important to note that, when the Scottish Fiscal Commission evidenced that the overall Scottish budget was to reduce by 5.2 per cent in real terms in 2022-23, the Scottish Government increased local government funding by more than £1 billion for next year, which is a real-terms increase of 6.3 per cent. The Scottish Government will continue to regularly meet and, crucially, collaborate with COSLA and local authorities to ensure that the people of Scotland continue to receive the high-quality public services that they expect.

For context, it is important to recognise that the City of Edinburgh Council will receive £915.4 million in 2022-23 to fund local services, which equates to an extra £86.7 million to support vital day-to-day services, or an additional 10.5 per cent in comparison with funding in 2021-22.

As we move forward with local government finance, there will be considerations, which I am sure that the member will wish to speak to the finance minister about. One such consideration is the funding formula, which will require engagement with COSLA. The Scottish Government is always open to hearing suggestions to improve the funding formula, but proposals must properly come through COSLA in the first instance. We also continue to collaborate with our colleagues in local government on the development of a fiscal framework.

If Conservative members come to the chamber with legitimate concerns—it is their prerogative to do so—it would be more helpful if they also brought solutions for a change.

For context, Aberdeenshire Council will receive £521.3 million in 2022-23 to fund local services, which equates to an extra £44 million to support vital day-to-day services, or an additional 9.2 per cent in comparison with 2021-22.

Liam Kerr referred to Aberdeenshire Council. If members want to see changes for particular local authority areas, they need to consider that the local government needs-based formula that is used to distribute the quantum of funding that is available for local government is kept under constant review, as would be expected. Crucially, that is agreed each year with COSLA, on behalf of all 32 local authorities.

The Scottish Government is always open to suggestions to improve the funding formula. However, as I said, proposals must properly come through COSLA in the first instance.

There is on-going constructive engagement with local government and COSLA about ring fencing and flexibilities. We look forward to continuing that in the period ahead.

In answering that question, I will first put on record again ministers’ admiration of and gratitude for all the efforts and contributions that local authority staff members have made throughout the pandemic in the recent period. Having worked for a local authority in such a role, I know how hard they work.

Ms Baillie will know that these are points of engagement that finance ministers discuss regularly. We discuss those matters with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and with local authorities individually, and we will continue to engage on those important points.