 The next item of business is portfolio questions. I would like to get as many people in as possible, because I think that if you take the trouble to put a question down, we should all try to reach you. It's a collective effort, so snappy questions and contained answers. I call Tom Arthur, please. Thank you, Presiding Officer. To ask the Scottish Government how many households in the Renfrewshire South constituency have been assisted by the Scottish Welfare Fund since 2013? Between April 2013 and September 2017, the Scottish Welfare Fund has helped 23,500 households in Renfrewshire, with more than £5.6 million being granted in crisis grants and community care grants, providing a vital lifeline for people in Renfrewshire and across Scotland, helping those in desperate situations where they cannot afford to buy everyday items such as food, nappies or meat basic living costs. Tom Arthur. I can ask the minister to comment on what impact she believes the UK Tory Government welfare reform has had on pushing people into circumstances where they have needed the support of the Scottish Welfare Fund. While welfare measures passed since 2010 are expected to reduce annual spending in Scotland by £3.9 billion by 2021, there is no doubt that the UK Government's welfare reforms, in particular the inbuilt weight for the first payment of universal credit, is pushing people into crisis situations. In their report, the Trussell Trust highlighted a 17 per cent increase in their food bank usage in universal credit full service areas, more than double the national average. The number of Scottish Welfare Fund crisis grant applications has increased by 50 per cent since the introduction of universal credit in Scotland, with 14 per cent specifically due to delay in benefit payments. It is now imperative that the UK Government takes action to reverse the freeze to working-age benefits, remove the restriction in terms of child benefit for two children and halt the roll-out of universal credit before more people are pushed into poverty. Maurice Corry Minister, tell me how many armed forces veterans families have been assisted by the Scottish Welfare Fund in Renfrewshire South? I thank the member for that question. I do not have that detailed information to hand, but I am very happy to source that and write to him accordingly. Does the minister accept that the Scottish Government's 7 per cent real terms cut to the Scottish Welfare Fund since 2013 means that councils have fewer resources and Spice are saying that that means that 26,000 fewer or more crisis grant payments could have been made if the funding had kept pace with inflation? What I do accept is that the overall cut to the Scottish budget has made political choices for this Government very difficult and we are doing our very best to support the most vulnerable in our community. I think that our welfare fund demonstrates that admirably. Thank you, Presiding Officer, to ask the Scottish Government what support it provides to people on number-clad and receipt of universal credit to a system to have greater control over their household budget. Since we believe that it is important to give people choice over how to manage their money and, since October, people making a new claim for universal credit in full service areas such as Inverclyde have had the choice to receive their universal credit award twice monthly and have their housing costs paid directly to their landlord. Since January this year, that choice has been extended to everyone in full service universal credit areas. To the end of December, some 5,800 people with new claims had been offered one or both of the universal credit Scottish choices. Around 2,500 people have taken up one or both of those choices and so far, as we understand it, not only the delivery of those choices but the information available has been clearly understood by those in receipt of it and the choices are being used. Stuart McMillan I thank the minister for that reply and I think that the information has been very helpful. Given the extension of universal credit choices to existing universal credit claimants, how many households does the Government expect to benefit from once universal credit has been fully rolled out? Minister We expect that up to 700,000 households in Scotland will be able to benefit from universal credit Scottish choices by the end of the planned universal credit rollout by the UK Government, which is currently timed for 2022. To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to tackle loneliness and social isolation in South Scotland region. Thank you. As part of our engagement process, our draft strategy, which we launched in January, has included the organisation of a series of events to hear from local communities and organisations. We have already hosted an event in Dumfriesen, and there is one planned in Gala Shields. The draft strategy includes a commitment to consider the particular issues and barriers in terms of isolation in rural areas. It is important that we hear from communities in Scotland about what will make a difference for them. Emma Harper I thank the minister for that answer and welcome the Scottish Government strategy. Does the minister agree that we should recognise the work that the national rural mental health forum, run by the mental health charity Support in Mind Scotland, is undertaken with respect to the unique challenges that are presented by rural isolation? I thank the member for that additional question. There are undoubtedly particular issues across all ages in our rural communities, highlighted, for example, by the young farmers campaign. The national rural mental health forum is a strong network of rural people and stakeholders who are driving change to enable people in rural communities to be open about their mental health with a solid evidence base and to improve people's lives and create a programme to influence policy makers such as Government. I encourage the rural mental health forum to contribute to the consultation on our draft strategy. I am sure that it will be able to present a number of important ideas for us to consider. I ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding the impact of universal credit in areas where it has been introduced. As the member will know, the Scottish Government has long made our concerns about universal credit known to the UK Government. On 21 March last year, the cabinet secretary for communities, social security and equalities wrote to the DWP's then secretary of state, Damian Greene, raising a range of serious concerns and calling for a complete halt of universal credit roll-out. On 28 September last year, I wrote a joint letter with COSLA based on significant evidence from our local authorities urging the DWP to reconsider and halt the roll-out of universal credit. I also reiterated that request when I gave evidence to Westminster's Work and Pensions Committee on 24 January this year. Unfortunately, the UK Government has never indicated a willingness to engage with us on these issues and has instead forged ahead with a system that is clearly not suitable for the people who need it. The concessions that they made in the autumn last year, such as reducing the six-week wait for the first payment to five weeks, simply do not go far enough. Whilst I am pleased that our Scottish choices are being taken up by people across Scotland, I am well aware that we have only very limited powers over universal credit. We cannot fix the problems caused by the UK Government's decision to freeze the amounts paid or by the systemic problems in the roll-out. Only the UK Government can do that, and we will continue to press them in that regard. Bruce Crawford Thank you, Presiding Officer. Is the cabinet secretary aware that the Tories and Stirling Council have no faith in universal credit, given that they have called for the council to spend £600,000 over the next three years to mitigate against it? Given that the council's Public Safety Committee recently reported that victims of domestic abuse are losing their financial independence on their universal credit single-parent system, making them even more vulnerable in controlling relationships, what more can be done to persuade the UK Government to dispense for that system, hold it as a matter of urgency and review it and address those serious faults? I thank the member for that additional question. I am indeed aware of this, and it is further proof, if proof is needed, that universal credit is failing the people of Scotland. The DWP already have an ability to provide split payments through the alternative payment arrangements for a household where domestic or financial abuse is a problem, but that approach in my view shows a flawed understanding of the nature of domestic abuse and the controlling characteristics of it that victims suffer from. The Scottish Government is currently exploring with the DWP how we might exercise a choice for people in Scotland in terms of universal credit by introducing split payments. However, that is additionally complicated by the fact that it is a reserved benefit. DWP will have to deliver any such choice for us, and of course it will charge us for that. A far better solution would be for the DWP to pay attention to my colleague Dr Philippa Whitford's attempts in Westminster to have that changed at source in universal credit and have split payments by default. To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the need to promote gender equality. Our position is that we will continue to take action to promote and achieve gender equality in our country. I am pleased that a great deal of progress has been made on gender equality over recent years, but there is always much more to do. Our recent action includes taking tangible steps to improve the lives of women and girls in Scotland and challenge inequality where it persists. Already this year, we have passed legislation on women's representation on public boards and on domestic abuse. We are taking forward action to tackle the gender pay gap and make work fairer for women, including by transforming our childcare offer, challenging pregnancy and maternity discrimination and supporting women to return to work. We continue to invest in tackling and preventing violence against women and girls and providing the support and services that they need. I was depressed to be made aware at the beginning of March that some 35 women were detained by the Iranian authorities for attempting just to attend a high-profile football fixture match in Iran, about which a number of my constituents have written to me. What a contrast with Scotland where we have not only taken important steps to encourage women and girls to become interested in football, but that success can be seen demonstrated by the success of the Scottish women's national football team who qualified for their first major championships in Euro 2017 and have made an unbeaten start to the 2019 World Cup qualifying campaign. As Scotland is a nation that has made important advances in encouraging women into football, will the cabinet secretary join me in urging FIFA and its member associations to do all that they can to ensure that the Iranian Government lifts the shameful ban and ensure gender equality for women both to participate and spectate at football and at other sporting activities in Iran? I am grateful to Mr Cameron for that question. I will certainly raise the details of his request in relation to FIFA with my colleagues in health who have the responsibility for sport policy. He makes a fair and credible point, particularly around the role of sport and the impact that that can have on improving equality for women and girls. I will take that forward with health colleagues. Thank you, Presiding Officer. In the spirit of Mr Carlaw's question, I would like to also congratulate the Scottish women's rugby team on its successes during the recent six nations. Does the minister agree with me that full devolution of employment law in Scotland would fully equip this Government to tackle gender inequality in the workplace in Scotland? Thank you, Presiding Officer. I really do not want to get into any rivalry between rugby and football supporters. I am not much of an expert on either sport other than to say that both have an important place in our national life and, indeed, in our advances towards equality. In terms of the substantive point that Claire Adamson raised, as people are aware, employment law and indeed equality law remains reserved to the UK. Things such as maternity and paternity rights are something that I know that the Women in Equalities Committee in the UK, Women in Equalities Committee drew attention to yesterday, and their report on fathers in the workplace are all reserved. The work that we are taking forward with employers in terms of encouraging employers to take more flexible approaches in terms of family-friendly working environments and working hours is done by persuasion. We do not, it is fair to say, have the full range of powers that would give us more tools and more choices in terms of how we take forward fairness at work. To ask the Scottish Government what support it offers to people from lower income backgrounds to tackle inequality. The Scottish Government is absolutely committed to supporting those in low incomes and tackling inequality. We are taking a wide range of actions such as our continued commitment to the living wage, delivering 72,500 affordable homes and significantly increasing the investment to free childcare and early learning, providing free school meals for all P1 to P3 pupils and throat school for pupils from low income households, providing a baby box to every new born child in Scotland and investing in free prescriptions and residential care. In addition, we are also spending £750 million in the Retainment Challenge and driving forward the recommendations of our commission on widening access so that every child, no matter their background or circumstances, has an equal chance of going to university by 2030. On top of that, we also invest £100 million a year in welfare mitigation to protect those in low incomes from the worst impacts of UK Government welfare cuts. We will, of course, go further with a range of actions in our child poverty delivery plan, which I look forward to sharing with Parliament next week. Does the cabinet secretary agree with me that a big barrier to tackling inequality felt by young people in rural and hard-to-get areas is the cost associated with travel to apprenticeships, further or even higher education? Will the cabinet secretary look into areas to help young people on limited budgets, living in rural areas, facing unforeseen expenses to help them to access opportunities and tackle inequality? Yes, I am sure that the member is also aware of the consultation that has been led by the minister for transport, who is a use-of in terms of our broader transport policy, and there are also proposals in particular to assist young modern apprenticeships with the cost of travel. We do, of course, understand and appreciate that there are additional barriers, particularly for young people in rural communities. Transport being one of them, and the tone and tenor of the member's question will certainly take that forward. Mark Griffin Thank you, Presiding Officer. In September, it was reported that 104,000 pensioners were missing out on £238 million of pension credit. The Government then spent £1.25 million on an older person's benefit uptake campaign. Is the cabinet secretary able to say how many people responded and how many older people are now better off as a result? Cabinet Secretary? That information will be published shortly in terms of the broader issue in terms of council tax relief. We invest heavily in the council tax reduction scheme, and it should be an important point to always stress that relief is there and available to affected households. Of course, councils should be publicising the relief when bills are issued, and it has featured in our benefits maximisations campaigns, as acknowledged by Mr Griffin. We will get back to him about the specific information that he has requested. To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that people do not lose universal credit because of the starter rate of income tax. This is an issue that clearly highlights the complexities of our current devolution settlement. Universal credit claimants who pay tax at the starter rate are benefiting from Scottish income tax policy. They will pay less income tax than they would anywhere else in the UK because of the new band that we have created. The UK Government controls policy for universal credit and has stipulated that it should be calculated according to an individual's income after tax. That means that, whenever we reduce tax for an individual, the UK Government's rules will operate to reduce their universal credit entitlement. We are aware of the complex interaction between Scottish income tax policy and entitlement to universal credit, which is reserved to the UK Government, and we will continue to engage with them as universal credit is rolled out across Scotland. The minister will be aware of the work of the low income tax reform group, which has told us that someone on the starter rate will only get £7, not the £20 that the Scottish Government promised them. I understand however that the fiscal framework makes provision for a transfer back to the Scottish Government, so can I ask the minister whether she has asked for this money, how much it is and how she will pass it on to the people who will be affected? I thank Ms Dugdale for that supplementary. Of course, it is not the Scottish Government's fault that individuals receive less as a consequence of the UK Government's rules on universal credit. I have explained that it is because the UK Government's rules on universal credit benefit control say that it will be calculated after tax that, where we increase an individual's income as a consequence of our tax policy, it is the UK Government that reduces that income because of how it applies its universal credit rules. My colleagues on my left, in terms of the chamber seating arrangements, my colleagues on the left may shout and moan and claim as much as they like, but they really have to accept responsibility for their party in government at a UK level whose decisions on universal credit make the situation precisely as I have described it. Now, to Ms Dugdale's supplementary question, as she knows from the answer that Mr Mackay gave in the chamber previously, we are currently in discussions with the UK Government on this matter in terms of how those arrangements work. It is more complex than it might first appear, as those matters always are, in terms of the fiscal framework and the Smith commission. Of course, the real answer to all of this is to pass all of the powers to this Parliament so that we control everything in terms of social security and taxation, and we can go on and do a better job than we are receiving from Down South. Question 8. To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to mark the UN International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. I congratulate Mr McGregor on bringing forward the motion that was debated earlier today to mark this very significant day and for securing cross-party support for the debate. To mark the day that I published a blog on our Fairer Scotland website in which I highlighted the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights this year, noting that it is as relevant today as the day it was signed. I also referred to the independent race equality advisers report and her 70 recommendations, which formed the starting point for our race equality action plan. In addition, I was pleased to announce also that we will provide funding of around £70,000 to one of our key race equality partners, BMAS, to deliver a programme of local and national events aimed at involving minority ethnic young people in the year of young people. I am also very much looking forward to attending an event tomorrow, hosted by show racism, the red card, which will celebrate young people's creativity in tackling racism. I thank the cabinet secretary for that response. I welcome the actions that have been taken by us Government to tackle racism, but does the cabinet secretary agree with me that it is actions that matter in all workplaces and establishments, including political parties? Should we adopt a zero-tolerance approach towards racism and discrimination of minorities? I agree with that. The member is right to highlight that a zero-tolerance approach is needed towards racial and racial discrimination and that that is a response that we all need to be consistent with. It is a response that is needed now. I agree with the point that strong and effective action must be taken against anyone committing what is, in fact, a racist hate crime. All those in leadership positions in public life must make clear the rejection of racist and Islamic phobic abuse and take action against anyone who makes such statements. It was, of course, good to see a united front at the weekend from both Annas Sarwar and Humza Yousaf about the racist and Islamic phobic abuse that they routinely experience, which I am sure we are all absolutely appalled at. However, it is, of course, important to stress that it is not just for Annas Sarwar and Humza Yousaf to stand united on this issue. It is the responsibility of each and every one of us to stand united and to tackle racism in all its forms. Will the Scottish Government support calls from Bema Scotland to ensure that Scotland's national identity is as inclusive as it can be, including the integration of refugees and asylum seekers into Scottish society? Will the cabinet secretary join me in agreeing that the anti-refugee sentiment has no place in Scotland and no place in our society? I agree that Scotland has many cultures, and I hope that the member will agree with me that she has seen that reflected in the good cross-party civic Scotland work that we have taken forward in terms of our integration strategy for new Scots in particular. To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to tackle period poverty. In our programme for government, published in September last year, we committed to introducing a scheme to fund access to free sanitary products in schools, colleges and universities. Scottish Government officials are currently working with key stakeholders, including COSLA officials, including the Scottish Funding Council Colleges Scotland University Scotland, to ensure that provision can be put in place by the autumn term this year. We are also committed to considering further action to support others on low incomes in light of the findings of the current pilot scheme in Aberdein. The pilot is currently being evaluated, and I am pleased to say that I have recently announced that we would continue to make sanitary products available to those who took part in the pilot while the evaluation is completed. Stuart Stevenson, is the cabinet secretary aware of the urgency that this matter has for people in Aberdeinshire, where the Tory-led council has now determined that those who require such products have to come forward from them, thus potentially stigmatising those who require them by reason of poverty? I agree that free and accessible provision in schools is vital to tackling the issue, which is why the Scottish Government has committed to making that happen in schools across Scotland from the start of the next academic year. Recent research that we carried out in partnership with Young Scot found that having to ask a member of staff for sanitary products was the least popular option among those in education. Officials have worked closely with stakeholders and formed by this very important research to develop a set of guiding principles for provision, and those principles include ensuring that dignity is front and centre and that students' views are taken into account in developing the delivery approach. It appears that the approach of Aberdeinshire council is not consistent with student views or our guiding principles. I would encourage them to look again at their delivery approach and consultation with students. I stand ready and my officials stand ready to assist either the MSP for the area or councillors or officials. Monica Lennon, as you have already had a supplementary brief, please. I commend the Scottish Government's work on the Aberdein pilot scheme. I have been to visit and see, finding the volunteer, doing fantastic work. Is the cabinet secretary able to say when the interim report or anonymised data from the pilot scheme will be shared and if the Government will come to a view on the merits of universal access? Cabinet secretary, we are working very hard to do that as quickly as possible. It will not be done before Easter, but I certainly hope and will endeavour to make sure that that work is complete before the summer months. To ask the Scottish Government what its policy is regarding empty homes in the private sector. Empty homes can be a blight on communities and are a wasted resource at a time when people across Scotland need homes. Our policy provides support to local authorities and other organisations to encourage private owners to bring their properties back into use. We work with the Scottish Empty Homes Partnership to deliver an advisory helpline and a network of dedicated empty homes officers across Scotland with more than 2,800 homes brought back into use since 2010. We committed to doubling the funding for the partnership in the programme for government and want to see empty homes officer support in every local authority. I am pleased to see the hard work of the partnership come to fruition with a new empty homes officer post-agreed by Aberdeen City Council last week. Local authorities also have the power to charge an empty homes levy under the council tax variation for unoccupied dwelling Scotland regulations that we introduced in 2013 as an additional tool to encourage the private owners of the properties to bring them back into use. We provide dedicated funding through the £4.5 million Empty Homes Loan Fund and the £4 million Town Centre Empty Homes Fund. I welcome the minister's answer, as indeed I welcome the decision by Aberdeen City Council last week. In particular, I welcome his support for a network of empty homes officers. There is evidence that there is a direct correlation between such dedicated posts and success in bringing empty homes back into use. I wonder if the minister could tell us today that he has mentioned the levy. Does he believe that local authorities now have all the powers that they need in order to tackle this problem? Presiding Officer, I know that the levy is being used. I have no evidence from local authorities to say that that is not working. I am always more than willing to listen to what local authorities have to say in those areas. If they come forward with further proposals, I will certainly consider them. We want to do all that we can to ensure that those empty homes are brought back into use. To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to incorporate the international covenant on economic, social and cultural rights into Scots law. Many of the rights that are identified in international human rights treaties already find expression in the law of Scotland, including rights that are set out in the international covenant on economic, social and cultural rights. The First Minister's advisory group on human rights leadership, chaired by Professor Alan Miller, has been asked to consider the potential effects of incorporating international human rights treaties into domestic law and the means by which that might in practice be undertaken. The group will make its recommendations by the end of this year. We are clear that any mechanism designed to secure the further incorporation of international treaties must be practical, must be deliverable, and must result in genuine improvements in the everyday lived experience of individuals across the whole of Scottish society. Given the Government's commitment to deliver a collaborative process to determine the rights that should be incorporated, and given the recent report by the Equality and Human Rights Commission on Great Britain's lack of progress in implementing it, can the cabinet secretary advise me on her view as to what should be the first right or rights to be incorporated? There is a question. I think that I would be all day if I was to stand here and give my deliberations on the hoof, although I do indeed, as you would expect, have some personal preferences. It is really important in this instance that we allow the First Minister's advisory group, which will give important leadership on this area. As I said in my original answer, what we have been clear about as a Government is that incorporation and the benefits of that need to be practical and deliver real improvements to real folk in their real lives. It is fair to say that there is a job of work to do in terms of understanding that mechanism and process better in terms of how we get to that place. On the issue of collaboration, it is important for the member to be aware that the advisory group will meet every few months and will be working hard to collaborate right across Civic Scotland. I am sure that the member will be able to take opportunities to feed into that process. To ask the Scottish Government when the Gypsy Traveller Ministerial Working Group last met. The ministry of working group on Gypsy Travellers met for the first time on 1 February 2018. The minutes of that meeting have been published on the Scottish Government website. There will be three further meetings this year, and we will share a set of draft actions early in 2019. I thank the cabinet secretary for her answer, and I am pleased to hear that the group met in February. Considering the broad scope of the ministerial group and that it is working across Government portfolios, how will the cabinet secretary seek to record and measure data specific to Gypsy Traveller community so that we maintain a realistic view of progress? The member raises a fair point on the importance of data, consistent with our approach across the range of equalities. We need to ensure that we have the right data. It also needs to be proportionate in that we could invest all our time and all our money contemplating and completing research and seeking out data. It is important to say that, given that there is also an imperative on the Government to act, we need to have a proportionate approach to data. However, it is a fair question. Our overall approach is laid out in our equality evidence website, and we published our strategy some months back in terms of equality evidence. In terms of measurable success, I would also like to emphasise to the member that I, as the chair of the ministerial working group and every minister involved in that working group, is absolutely determined to reach demonstrable progress for issues of inequality that have impacted on the Gypsy Traveller community, which is well established in terms of outcomes, experience the worst outcomes across a range of indicators of any group in Scotland, and we are determined to put that right. David Torrance To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the recent roll-out of universal credit and the impact that that has had on vulnerable people in Scotland. When I wrote to the DWP Secretary of State in September last year a joint letter with COSLA calling for the roll-out to be halted, we included evidence from local authorities that they had been on universal credit the longest, that they were experiencing rent arrears for universal credit claimants of two and a half times more than those on housing benefit, and also had reported an increase in the administrative cost to them, which was up to three times more than the funding received through their delivery of a partnership agreement with the DWP. Additionally, we know of the demand impact on the Scottish welfare fund, which we have already touched on. Although our Scottish choices in terms of the direct payment of rent to both social and private landlords are relatively new and introduced for new claimants in October and rolled out for existing claimants in January, I am hopeful, given the take-up so far, that this will not only benefit individual claimants but will also benefit landlords themselves in terms of those rent arrears. Nonetheless, that is only one part of the difficulty with universal credit, and we are well aware of the impact of that across Scotland. I thank the minister for that answer. The minister will be aware that universal credit was introduced in Fife in December. The local authorities head of revenue and commercial services didn't mince his words when he said, and I quote, I can see a car crash happening when universal credit is fully rolled out. Given that we are witnessing a sharp rise in rent arrears, food bank referrals and crisis grants in local authorities where universal credit has been rolled out, does the Scottish Government agree that this is indicative of a system that isn't working properly, and what additional support, if any, has the UK Government provided to Scotland to address those challenges and to continue to push forward with a disastrous roll-out? A wee bit too long-winded trim it next time, please, Mr Torrance Minister. I agree, of course, and I have said previously and many times that I think that the roll-out of universal credit should be halted and the problems fixed in terms of the systemic problems, but also the policy that freezes the benefits within universal credit should be addressed by the UK Government. I don't understand why any sensible Government wouldn't do as we are urging them to do. I have to say, though, that the UK Government has not provided any additional support to help to address the problems that are being faced, despite being repeatedly demonstrated to them, the problems and the impact on our local authorities as well, indeed, as is the Government. To ask the Scottish Government how the Scottish social security system will support people seeking to appeal decisions. We have always been clear that people will have a right to challenge if they believe that the Social Security Agency has not made the right decision and that we should make that process as simple and straightforward as possible. I am pleased that we have the support at stage 2 for the amendments that I have brought forward to make the appeal process easier whilst retaining the individual's right to decide what they want to do. Those amendments will ensure that the agency does all it can to help an individual with an appeal, including information about the process, providing the right form to make an appeal and signposting the individual to organisations who can provide independent support to them through the process. In addition and in contrast with the current system, I have also amended the bill to ensure that we will make short-term financial assistance available where a continuing payment has been reduced or stopped and that decision is being challenged. We will not use the removal of financial support to pressure individuals to accept decisions that they believe are wrong. In the new Scottish system, you have mentioned that financial support will not be removed. Will you give us some details about the timing of that in terms of when a new decision is made? Obviously, removing financial support results in a cliff edge of having no support at all when they appeal the decision. The introduction of short-term assistance is there precisely to ensure that an individual is not financially penalised while they are pursuing their right to challenge a decision of the social security agency in Scotland right through to appeal at tribunal level. At the end of that stage, when the tribunal has reached its decision, the agency will pay whatever level of benefit the tribunal has determined that the individual is due. I hope that that provides the member with the answer that she is seeking, although I am, of course, happy to talk with her further to understand what we are proposing. Minister will be aware that, at present, the Social Security Bill does not allow a claimant an appeal to the first-year tribunal if there is an overpayment issue. Will she look at that issue afresh and keep the system as it is at the moment where the agency makes a decision on an overpayment and the claimant disagrees with that, he or she will be allowed an appeal to the first-year tribunal? I thank Mr Balfour for raising that, because that addresses a fundamental misunderstanding of what is in the bill. There is, in fact, a right to appeal, because if the agency says to an individual that they have been overpaid, it does so because it has made a new determination and a determination is open to challenge right through to appeal. Any view on the part of the agency that an individual has been overpaid is as open to challenge and right through to appeal as any other determination that the agency might make.