Social Security Secretary Angela Constance joined the Holyrood Live team to answer your welfare and benefits questions.
Holyrood is to have greater responsibility, meaning it will be able to create new benefits in devolved areas.
It will also be able to top-up existing payments such as Universal Credit, Tax Credits and Child Benefit.
The new devolved benefits, worth about £2.7bn every year, will be delivered by a new agency.
Image source, Scottish ParliamentThat concludes our Q&A with Social Security Secretary Angela Constance, thanks for all the questions and apologies to those of you whose questions were not selected.
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Scottish Greens social security pledges:
Scottish Lib Dem social security pledges:
Scottish Labour social security pledges:
At the beginning of the summer, Scottish Secretary David Mundell, said: "The transfer of a range of welfare powers is a key milestone in giving the Scottish parliament the ability, for the first time, to legislate on benefits and create a welfare system tailored to local needs.
"This includes the ability to create entirely new welfare benefits - a very significant new power - and I look forward to seeing how the Scottish government will use this."
Angela Constance
Secretary of State for social security
Social Security Secretary Angela Constance says with the 15% of the social security spending, worth £2.7bn, the Scottish government will seize every opportunity to ensure our new powers improve the lives of those most in need.
The minister says the government has consistently said that with 15% of the welfare state it will not necessarily be possible to make up the unfairness of the other 85% that remains reserved.
She says the government is absolutely determined to implement all of our manifesto commitments, which include increasing carer's allowance, introducing the job grant and delivering a more generous Best Start Grant to new parents on low incomes.
The minister says all of this will be delivered even although our budget, by the end of this decade, will have decreased by over 10% in real terms.
She says delivering a benefit system that is fair to the one in four people that receive the benefits that are being transferred to the Scottish Parliament, is a top priority.
How does the Scottish Government propose to pay for more generous welfare provision?
Higher taxes?
Divert spending from other sectors (infrastructure, NHS)?
Will they seek to issue bonds?
Angela Constance
Secretary of State for social security
Angela Constance says as a former mental health officer, she understands fully the importance of this question.
The minister says it is imperative that the professionals who are undertaking the assessment process, understand fully the implications of living day in day out with a mental health problem.
She says again this is an area the Scottish government is exploring fully and it will be responding to the specific requests that were raised in the social security consultation.
Question tweeted from SAMH, external
What is the Scottish government planning to do to improve assessments for disability benefits for people with mental health problems?’
Image source, SAMHBackground:
SAMH is a mental health charity in Scotland that works every day to ensure that people are talking about mental health.
SAMH recently undertook research with our service users about Personal independence Payment (PIP) and mental health.
They told us that they felt stigmatised and disbelieved by assessors, with the assessment focusing on their physical rather than their mental health.
What is the Scottish government planning to do to improve assessments for disability benefits for people with mental health problems?
Angela Constance
Secretary of State for social security
Angela Constance says recognising the needs of those with either a terminal or long term illness, the government is committed to having a faster, more efficient and humane approach to applications, assessments and awards.
The minister says therefore the government is committed to introducing fast tracked assessments and automatic awards for terminal illness.
Ms Constance says that work is underway to deliver long term and life time awards for those with conditions that are unlikely to change.
She says the Disability Benefits Advisory Commission will help us gather the evidence as well as the lived experience of those currently using the benefits system to ensure that everyone is treated with dignity fairness and respect.
Hi my name is David and I have progressive multiple sclerosis.
I just find it terrible for terminally ill people to have fill out full forms. So what are you going to do for those of us with terminal illnesses?
Angela Constance
Secretary of State for social security
The minister says carers make a huge contribution to our economy and society in caring for their loved ones.
She says there is a manifesto commitment to increase carer's allowance to match the level of jobseekers allowance.
Ms Constance says this will benefit carers by £600 a year.
She says the government is also examining the issues raised by Carers Scotland to give carers more flexibility to combine work and study with caring.
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Angela Constance
Secretary of State for social security
Social Security Secretary Angela Constance says there are massive concerns about UK government's sanctions regime and the impact it is having on young people and other people who are claiming ESA, JSA and UC.
The minister says unfortunately the sanctions regime will remain reserved to the UK government.
She says the Scottish government continues to call for this punitive sanctions regime to be halted and reviewed.
Ms Constance says as the government's own research demonstrates the sanctions regime is impacting most on those who are most vulnerable: young people, people with mental health problems.
The minister says the Scottish government have secured agreement from the UK government that the employment programmes which will be overseen by Jamie Hepburn, minister for employability and training, that we can make our own decisions on how these programmes operate in Scotland.
She says the UK government's sanctions regime won't apply to Scottish government employability programmes, where participation is voluntary.
Question from Rowan Alba, external
Rowan Alba works with those whose lives are chaotic often, but not exclusively, due to domestic abuse, drug or alcohol dependency or mental health issues. A combination of these factors can lead to homelessness.
Rowan Alba services in Edinburgh, Perth and Kinross reduce the chances of people becoming homeless or, where this has happened, provide people with the ongoing care and support they need.
Image source, Rowan AlbaThe head of Rowan Alba , externalwrites:
Watching I Daniel Blake recently I was not surprised by any of the content; perhaps I am inured by having worked in the sector for so long, but in 30 years I genuinely haven't known such a difficult or challenging time, with those who are most vulnerable and in need in society so blamed for their ills.
We have appealed a lot of sanctions for our chaotic service users. Might it be time to query this system, and begin to be a bit curious as to why someone is a few minutes late, as opposed to sanction them?
Angela Constance
Secretary of State for social security
Social Security Secretary Angela Constance says it is a very important issue raised by Engender Scotland.
"We don't want to be turning the clock back on women's equality."
Ms Constance says it is an issue that has been consulted on and over 500 responses to the consultation have been received are being looked at very seriously and closely.
The minister points out that Universal Credit remains reserved, but the Scottish government will continue to work with the UK government as it is rolled out.
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