From SPICe...

"Wave 1 benefits are: best start grant, carer‟s allowance supplement, funeral expense allowance, best start foods and the young carer grant.

"Not included in this list are universal credit Scottish choices or the job grant as neither are Scottish social security benefit payments.

"Wave 2 benefits are the remaining benefits being devolved: the three forms of disability assistance, cold spell heating assistance, winter heating assistance, employment injury assistance and severe disablement benefit."

SNP MSP Shona Robison asks what needs to be put in place before the wave 1 benefits can be launched.

Ms Somerville says everything is running to schedule and the agency has the staff required to deliver them.

On wave two, we have two of the three major contracts required she tells the committee.

The discovery phase for disability assistance has been completed the minister adds.

Wave 1 benefits are:

• best start grant
• carer‟s allowance supplement
• funeral expense allowance
• best start foods
• young carer grant

Image source, Scottish government

Wave 2 benefits are the remaining benefits being devolved:

• the three forms of disability assistance
• old spell heating assistance
• winter heating assistance
• employment injury assistance
• severe disablement benefit

The Scottish Government published an overview of the benefits that are being devolved including spend and caseload. Available here, external

Read the rest of the SPICe briefing here., external

Tory MSP Michelle Ballantyne says the social security programme had estimated a budget requirement of £180m for staffing in 2019/20 but only got £77.8m from the budget.

Ms Ballantyne asked if staffing levels had to be revised down due to lower amount of money coming from the government than expected.

Ms Somerville replies: "We have workforce planning in place to ensure that the right people are in position at the right time.

Image source, bbc

"We'll keep a close eye on the budget overall for staffing."

The social security secretary adds that the reasons why the budget numbers changed is because this is a "very fast paced programme".

"This isn't a static project.," Ms Somerville elucidates and reiterates that the estimate for what was required changed.

Mr Balfour asks why the 11 benefits will not be delivered by 2021, highlights the cabinet secretary's predecessor made firm commitments on this.

Ms Somerville says benefits are being delivered at pace but going any faster would risk the commitment to ensuring a safe and secure transition.

We will take control of all the benefits by April 2020 she adds, but how we will deliver those benefits was set out in a statement to parliament previously.

Scotland's auditor general Caroline Gardner warned that while the Scottish government had done a "good job" delivering the first two benefits, its second phase of delivery included the most complex and highest risk benefits.

She also highlighted the difficulties that Social Security Scotland, which is headquartered in Dundee, had encountered employing adequately skilled staff, both in project management and in IT.

Ms Gardner said the vacancy rate was 30%, prompting a reliance on agency staff and contractors and pushing up costs.

Image source, bbc

The auditor general told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme: "To put it in context, the benefits that have been delivered so far are about 2% of the total £3.5bn that will be involved when it's fully rolled out.

"The government deliberately focused on the benefits that were easier to implement first of all - the one-off payments, the relatively small caseloads and where people's eligibility is easy to assess, new parents for example.

"The disability benefits are very different. More people are involved, assessing eligibility is much more complex and there are regular payments that people will rely on for their living costs, so scaling that up really is a very significant move from the success that has been achieved so far."

Image source, bbc

Ms Somerville says the government is being as creative as it can be and says it is looking for very experienced people to come in, as well as getting people from the digital academy.

Andy McClintock from the Scottish government says: "Everything they do is secure by design."

Mr McClintock adds they are working with the National Cyber Security sector to protect citizens' data.

He says there is a shortage of people with the required skills in the cyber sector, but he points out working with Social Security Scotland is a "once in a lifetime chance to do something important".

Tory MSP Jeremy Balfour asks if staffing made it to 100% in April.

I don't have the current vacancy rate to hand, replies the social security secretary.

The monthly rate at mid-April was 15% she adds.

Image source, bbc

Ms Somerville says they are recruiting in a challenging market.

Lisa Baron-Broadhurst from the Scottish government explains the staff only need to be paid for spells.

Ms Baron-Broadhurst explains: "I actually think we've got a great team delivering social security."

She says they are proactively training and developing the staff.

David Wallace from Social Security Scotland points to the positive engagement scores of the agency.

Ms McNeill asks about a reliance on temporary and contract staff due to an issue with finding experienced permanent staff.

The social security secretary insists there will be challenges around key skills for the delivery of such a big change.

To deal with this we are growing our own says Ms Somerville, pointing to a digital academy within the programme.

She also suggests at some points in makes sense to have contract staff because certain specific skills might only be required for a very short amount of time.

Image source, bbc

Deputy convener Pauline McNeill asks about the high level of vacancies in Social Security Scotland, at 30% according to Audit Scotland.

Social Security Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville explains the 30% vacancy rate was for the need in March 2019 not December 2018 when Audit Scotland took the figure.

Ms Somerville explains staffing is being looked at.

Image source, bbc

The minister insists there is nothing in the outcomes of the social security directorate that causes her concern.

"There is no issue with morale within the programme or within the agency."

The minister accepts this is a difficult programme to work in and she pays tribute to the staff.

Image source, Audit Scotland

There is no clear understanding of what is needed to deliver welfare payments to Scotland's expected 1.4 million claimants, Audit Scotland has said.

The warning from the spending watchdog comes as the Scottish government prepares to take over control of 11 benefits from the UK government.

So far almost £90m has been spent on delivering the new benefits system.

However, Audit Scotland said it was still unclear what the overall cost would be.

In its report, external, the spending watchdog said that while the delivery of the first two benefits to be taken on by Social Security Scotland had gone well, the real challenge lay ahead.

The new benefits - the carer's allowance supplement and best start grants - began being given to claimants in 2018.

Read more here

MSPs will take evidence on the delivery of devolved benefits by the Scottish government.The committee will hear from:

• Social Security Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville
• David Wallace from Social Security Scotland, external
• Lisa Baron-Broadhurst from the Scottish government
• Andy McClintock from the Scottish government
• Kevin Stevens from the Scottish government

Read the committee papers here., external

Image source, PA/Getty

Welcome to Holyrood Live on Thursday 9 May 2019.

Social Security Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville appears before MSPs this morning to discuss the delivery of devolved benefits. She will be joined by the Social Security Scotland chief executive.

Extensive coverage of first minister's questions will follow general questions at noon.

Then SNP MSP Kenneth Gibson leads a member's debate on pension credit and mixed-age couples.

After lunch, Health Secretary Jeane Freeman will respond to the view into NHS Highland bullying allegations.

Then environment ministers face portfolio questions before MSPs debate the Vulnerable Witnesses (Criminal Evidence) (Scotland) Bill for the final time.