Consultation Hub

With the Welfare Foods having been devolved to Scotland through provisions in the Scotland Act 2016, the Scottish Government consulted on proposals to help develop an effective and proportionate Welfare Foods package for Scotland.

The responses to the consultation provided a range of contrasting perspectives on what the Welfare Foods package should deliver and what requirements should be included. Overall, respondents were supportive of the proposals included in the consultation.

The Scottish Government is currently considering the content of the responses.  This will help shape policy development, and we are engaging with stakeholders throughout this process.

We asked for views on a new enterprise agency for the South of Scotland. We held a public consultation, which was open for 12 weeks from 15 March 2018. During this period we also worked with the South of Scotland Economic Partnership to hold a series of 26 public events across the South of Scotland, where people could share their views and ask questions about the Government’s proposals.

We received a total of 268 responses to the public consultation. 153 came from individuals (57%) and 115 from organisations (43%).  Most responses were supportive of our plans to create a new enterprise agency in the South, and for the Scottish Government’s vision for the South of Scotland.  We also received many suggestions about areas of priority and focus for the new agency, including infrastructure, good employment opportunities, the creation of a skilled workforce, and more opportunities for young people.

We commissioned an independent analysis of the consultation responses, including views gathered during the 26 public events.  You can read this at https://www.gov.scot/Publications/2018/10/9556.

The Scottish Government will be introducing legislation to create the new enterprise agency in the coming months.  The responses are being carefully considered to help inform the content of the legislation and shape the structure of the new body.

On 22 January 2018 the Scottish Government launched a full public consultation.  This covered the suite of Regulations required in order to set up a new chamber of the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland, and ensure necessary provision is made for the Upper Tribunal for Scotland when dealing with social security appeals for devolved benefits when they begin to be delivered by the new agency – Social Security Scotland.

The consultation document set out the regulations and sought views on six core sets of draft Regulations

There were 25 responses, 4 from individuals and 21 from representative organisations.  The Scottish Government is grateful to all who responded to the consultation and for the broad support for the draft Regulations.  Where permission was received, individual responses were published online on the Citizen Space website at:

https://consult.gov.scot/social-security/provision-for-social-security-appeals/consultation/published_select_respondent

These responses were analysed and the analysis of Consultation Responses on Draft Regulations making provision in relation to Social Security Appeals was published online at https://www.gov.scot/Publications/2018/09/5676

The Scottish Government’s full response

https://www.gov.scot/Publications/2018/09/3438 covers the views of all those who provided feedback during the consultation process and explains where the draft Regulations have been revised. In doing so it was necessary to balance the views of respondents, the judiciary and the Social Security Committee’s evidence gathering session, while ensuring that what is proposed does not lead to operational or other difficulties.  The final Regulations were laid in Parliament on 13 September 2018.