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Scrapping the current benefits system and replacing it with a basic income could eradicate destitution, according to a new report.

The RSA charity wants to see every adult in Scotland given a basic annual income of £2,400, rising to £4,800. Children would be paid £1,500.

It claims the move would improve health and wellbeing while removing the stigma of receiving benefits.

But some critics say it would encourage fecklessness.

Read more.

Ms Robison says international comparisons for basic income must be quite tricky due to differences in starting points, taxes and devolution.

Mr McCartney agrees it is important to take care of a number of factors if pilots go ahead in Scotland, including how interest from the global media can alter outcomes.

He suggests in the case of Finland, the global media descending on participants may have impacted the study.

Giving jobless people in Finland a basic income for two years did not lead them to find work, researchers said.

From January 2017 until December 2018, 2,000 unemployed Finns got a monthly flat payment of €560 (£490; $634).

The aim was to see if a guaranteed safety net would help people find jobs, and support them if they had to take insecure gig economy work.

While employment levels did not improve, participants said they felt happier and less stressed.

Read more.

Andy White says engagement with the DWP and HMRC is crucial.

The aim is to at least replicate the minimum subsistence levels, he adds, as he ponders the potential CBI interaction with Universal Credit.

"I don't think we're at the stage to give the level of detail you're asking for."

Mr McCartney says its important this is a feasibility study, with costs to the Scottish government and the engagement with the DWP and HMRC all being important.

Philip Sim
BBC Scotland political reporter

For all the trials in what is proving a rather long pipeline, is there a realistic possibility of Scotland actually adopting a universal basic income system?

To get down to brass tacks, how much would it cost? Reform Scotland crunched the numbers, external for a £100-a-week system, and reckoned it would cost just over £20bn a year in Scotland.

There's no getting away from it: that's a lot of money. But, by scrapping a raft of benefits which the citizen's income would replace, removing tax-free personal allowances and hiking all rates of income tax by 8%, they reckon £18bn could be raised.

All of that would still leave a £2bn shortfall, but Reform Scotland argue this is not insurmountable via other savings and the hope that more people would join the workforce.

Read more.

Green MSP Alison Johnstone asks about engagement with the basic income steering group and the DWP.

Mr White says engagement is not at the level the steering group would have liked, telling the committee there has been one face-to-face meeting earlier in 2019.

We are planning a face-to-face workshop to go through the interim model which was due to take place in December but this has been pushed back to January because of the general election, he adds.

We don't want to propose anything that would see anyone in detriment he says.

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Political issues could be a substantial barrier to running a citizen's basic income (CBI) pilot in Scotland, a report has concluded.

It said the Scottish government needs to engage more with the DWP and HMRC to clarify whether a CBI pilot would be possible.

If co-operation is not possible, such a pilot would be "severely constrained".

The report also said the pilot "is likely to involve substantial spending."

The Scottish government provided funding to research the feasibility of running CBI pilots in Edinburgh, Fife, Glasgow and North Ayrshire.

The interim report, external was published earlier this month, with the final report due in March 2020.

Image source, bbc

Gerry McCartney from NHS Health Scotland, external says they basic income group has completed an interim report.

He adds the purpose of a citizen's income would be about the reduction of poverty and the options of the level to be set have been narrowed down.

There are two rates under consideration:

• a low rate more akin to current levels of benefits
• another rate more akin to the minimum income standard

More about the basic income project is available on its website..., external

"In September 2017, the Scottish Government announced in its Programme for Government that it would support local authority areas to explore a Citizen’s Basic Income Scheme by establishing a fund to help areas to develop their proposals further and establish suitable testing. The amount of funding offered is £250,000 over the two financial years 2018/19 and 2019/20."

The committee convener welcomes:

• Gerry McCartney from NHS Health Scotland, external

• Andy White from Glasgow City Council, external

Green MSP Alison Johnstone says the payment is less well known and she asks about work to improve awareness and encouraging take-up.

The cabinet secretary says Social Security Scotland is in communication with the DWP about it.

There is a lot of stakeholder engagement going on including with third sector organisations who engage with young people, she adds.

SNP MSP Shona Robison asks how the job start payment will relate to the Fair Start Scotland assistance.

Fair Start Scotland, external is Scotland's first fully devolved employment support service.

A great deal of work is happening between social security officials and the Fair Work Minister Jamie Hepburn's portfolio to ensure the take up of benefits and assistance is maximised, Ms Somerville says.

Ms Somerville explains the draft order sets out high level limits but not the rules for the payments which will help young people with the costs of starting a new job.

The order needs to be voted on by both Scottish and UK parliaments, with the latter expected to consider it early in the new year she says.

Image source, bbc

The committee is first taking evidence on subordinate legislation relating to helping young people retain employment.

It is the Scotland Act 1998 (Transfer of Functions to the Scottish Ministers etc.) Order 2020 [draft], external.

The committee convener Bob Doris welcomes:

• Social Security Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville
• Colin Brown from the Scottish government
• Chris Graham from the Scottish government

Image source, bbc

Image source, Getty Images

The Social Security Committee will begin shortly.

The majority of the morning will be considering the feasibility of running citizen's basic income pilots in Scotland.

The Scottish government announced funding in 2017 to explore whether such pilots could be established and how they would run.

Read the committee papers here., external

Image source, BBC/PA

Welcome to BBC Scotland's Holyrood Live coverage of the Scottish Parliament on 28 November 2019.

Here's what we're covering today:

• 10am: Social Security Committee
• 11:40am General Questions

• 12pm First Minister's Questions

• 12:45pm: Members’ Business:Tom Arthur – St Andrew's Day 2019

• 2pm Portfolio Questions: Finance, Economy and Fair Work

• 2:20-2:50pm: Ministerial Statement: Final Report of the Women in Agriculture Taskforce

• 2:50-5:00pm: Stage 1 Debate: Scottish Elections (Franchise and Representation) Bill