The Social Justice and Social Security Committee is seeking views on future social security spending in Scotland as part of their budget scrutiny work for 2026-27. They are welcoming responses from a wide range of individuals and organisations, including local authorities.
The Committee will consider:-
The affordability of Scotland’s social security system.
The Scottish Government’s plans to fund the level of spending forecast.
The benefits of the increase in social security spending and how it compares to other budget priorities.
Specific benefits, such as the Scottish Child Payment and the Adult Disability Payment, and whether or how these could be adapted.
The questions within the call for views are:-
To what extent do you welcome the growth in devolved social security spend? Please explain your reasons.
To what extent are you concerned about the growth in devolved social security? Please explain your reasons.
What is the evidence that spending on devolved social security is effective in supporting those who need it?
Do you think further increasing any particular social security payments would be a cost-effective way of reducing child poverty? If you think that it would, what increases to which payments should be considered?
What are your views on the advantages and disadvantages of universal benefits compared to those targeted at low-income households?
To what extent is the Scottish Government’s ability to manage the devolved social security budget affected by UK Government policy choices?
The consultation could be found at https://yourviews.parliament.scot/sjssc/future-social-security-spending-in-scotland/.
Closing date for responses is 17 August 2025.
This consultation set out plans and proposals to reform health and disability benefits and employment support. This Green Paper was an important staging post on a journey of reform, building on the vision and approach set out in the Get Britain Working White Paper in November 2024
The consultation can be found at
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