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Our preference is to promote the Best Start Pregnancy and Baby Payment before the baby is born, in order to ensure that parents have access at the earliest opportunity. On the run up to the launch of the Pregnancy and Baby Payment, we ran a co-ordinated communications campaign, working with third sector organisations who support pregnant women and families, Health Boards and Local Authorities to get the message out about this new benefit and maximise uptake.

Over the coming months, we will do further evaluation of who has applied to try and identify if there are any groups that are underrepresented. We will take this into consideration to do everything that we can to encourage applications from parents and carers who may be eligible for this benefit.

I refer the member to question S5W-19666 on 13 November 2018 which provided applicants monitoring information in relation to Ethnic group for Social Security Scotland’s Executive Advisory Body.

Posts within the agency’s Senior Management Team were filled in line with the Scottish Government’s selection policy. In equalities monitoring, no applicant identified as black or minority ethnic in relation to ethnic group.

The Scottish Government has written on numerous occasions to the UK Government requesting that the two child limit be scrapped and have made clear our total opposition to the policy. This policy is part of Universal Credit which is a fully reserved benefit the Scottish Government has have no control over and cannot change.

By 2020-21 UK government cuts are expected to take around £3.7 billion out of the Scottish welfare system. It is not our policy to mitigate all of these UK Government welfare cuts, which are the equivalent of three times the Police Scotland budget. Pressure should be maintained on the UK Government to make changes to the policy and we will continue to call for such changes.

We are already investing over £125m in 2018-19 to mitigate the effects of UK Government welfare cuts and to protect people on low incomes - £20 million more than last year. The fact the Scottish Government has to take such action was described by the United Nation Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights as “outrageous”.

Comments made by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Economy and Fair Work referred to the legitimate assumption that any policies to directly top-up reserved benefits would need the agreement and cooperation of the DWP. Mr Mackay also said that “the best way to resolve it is to address the problem at source”.

The Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan sets out the many actions we are taking to increase family incomes and reduce living costs. That includes a commitment to work towards introducing a new income supplement, to provide additional financial support for low income families.

Scottish Government responded to the questions (a) S5W-20346 and (b) S5W-20333 on 20 December 2018.

Recruitment to Social Security Scotland’s Senior Management Team were made in line with the Scottish Government’s selection policy. The personal characteristics of panel members is not monitored or reported.

Appointments to the Executive Advisory Body mirrored the Ministerial Appointments process. The ethnicity of interviewers was not recorded.

The Scottish Government has written on numerous occasions to the UK Government requesting that the two child limit be scrapped and have made clear our total opposition to the policy. This policy is part of Universal Credit which is a fully reserved benefit the Scottish Government has have no control over and cannot change.

By 2020-21 UK government cuts are expected to take around £3.7 billion out of the Scottish welfare system. It is not our policy to mitigate all of these UK Government welfare cuts, which are the equivalent of three times the Police Scotland budget. Pressure should be maintained on the UK Government to make changes to the policy and we will continue to call for such changes.

We are already investing over £125m in 2018-19 to mitigate the effects of UK Government welfare cuts and to protect people on low incomes - £20 million more than last year. The fact the Scottish Government has to take such action was described by the United Nation Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights as “outrageous”.

Comments made by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Economy and Fair Work referred to the legitimate assumption that any policies to directly top-up reserved benefits would need the agreement and cooperation of the DWP. Mr Mackay also said that “the best way to resolve it is to address the problem at source”.

The Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan sets out the many actions we are taking to increase family incomes and reduce living costs. That includes a commitment to work towards introducing a new income supplement, to provide additional financial support for low income families.

The Deputy Director/Senior Medical Officer to the Chief Medical Officer in Scotland has spoken to the Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England, who provides Chief Medical advice to the Department for Work and Pensions. They were informed that Registered Medical Practitioners would be consulted while developing the guidance, as required by legislation.

The Scottish Government has written on numerous occasions to the UK Government requesting that the two child limit be scrapped and have made clear our total opposition to the policy. This policy is part of Universal Credit which is a fully reserved benefit the Scottish Government has have no control over and cannot change.

By 2020-21 UK government cuts are expected to take around £3.7 billion out of the Scottish welfare system. It is not our policy to mitigate all of these UK Government welfare cuts, which are the equivalent of three times the Police Scotland budget. Pressure should be maintained on the UK Government to make changes to the policy and we will continue to call for such changes.

We are already investing over £125m in 2018-19 to mitigate the effects of UK Government welfare cuts and to protect people on low incomes - £20 million more than last year. The fact the Scottish Government has to take such action was described by the United Nation Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights as “outrageous”.

Comments made by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Economy and Fair Work referred to the legitimate assumption that any policies to directly top-up reserved benefits would need the agreement and cooperation of the DWP. Mr Mackay also said that “the best way to resolve it is to address the problem at source”.

The Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan sets out the many actions we are taking to increase family incomes and reduce living costs. That includes a commitment to work towards introducing a new income supplement, to provide additional financial support for low income families.

Over 4,000 applications were received for Best Start Grant on the first day applications opened. That is around the same number of UK Government Sure Start Maternity Grant payments, which Best Start Grant replaces, for the whole of 2017-18 in Scotland. Statistics will be published which will provide the total number of applications received and payments made in 2019, this will include applications for a third or greater child.

The DWP has not requested any information.