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I do not have a huge amount to add to what the cabinet secretary said, except to say that, of course, local authorities and the Scottish Government work collaboratively around the national performance framework, which has place making and well-being encapsulated in the outcomes that we are seeking to achieve together. That is a key part of how we work collaboratively across Government with local authorities.

To pick up on the previous conversation related to this, building on the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015, in the previous parliamentary session there was a very good piece of work undertaken in the local governance review. Part of the work in the new deal will be to think and to act collaboratively between local government and central Government on how we progress the local governance review. That will involve considerations around engagement with communities and progress on the wellbeing agenda.

I am not saying that, because that is what the evidence shows happened for people going from DLA to PIP, but that is the evidence from the DWP’s undertaking of its process. We will see how that situation develops in our system. A key point of emphasis that members will appreciate is that we expect to get more decisions right first time. The split of a third, a third and a third comes from initial findings, but 65 per cent of PIP appeals are successful, so there is a different outcome in the end. We have those background situations that help us to consider how this process into the ADP will progress. Certainly, we would look to get decisions right the first time. That is a determination of ours so we are likely to see more success.

Certainly. As you would expect, we have developed a strategic communication and engagement plan for case transfer, which covers how we plan to communicate key messages and timings, as well as our plans for stakeholder engagement, which is very important, and paid-for marketing communications activity.

In addition, we are developing a wide range of clear communications to help to support people who transfer from DLA to ADP. Those include easy-to-read notifications, so that clients know what is happening at every part of the transfer journey, and—this is consistent with the Scottish Commission on Social Security’s recommendations—a specific leaflet to explain the differences between DLA and ADP. The leaflet will also encourage people to get independent advice before making a decision to ask to have their award transferred.

We will also undertake a series of stakeholder roadshows, beginning this month, which will outline the transfer process for the group in question to our key stakeholders. In addition, there will be a stakeholder toolkit, which will include specific fact sheets, video content and frequently asked questions. We are developing specific case transfer guidance to provide stakeholders with further information on the case transfer process. That guidance will be hosted on the socialsecurity.gov.scot website.

We know that the client group that we are talking about in the context of the regulations before the committee can be particularly difficult to reach, so we will rely on our public and third sector partners to help to get the word out. As the Government undertakes that work, we encourage MSP colleagues—as we do across social security—to continue to raise awareness in their constituencies and regions.

In addition to the significant communications that we are developing, which I have just gone over, advocacy and local delivery services will be available. As colleagues know, the advocacy service is a free service that is available to anyone who identifies as disabled and requires support to engage with Social Security Scotland. That service will be available. Everyone’s circumstances are different, so we encourage everyone who is thinking about asking to have their benefit transferred to seek independent advice for their situation and circumstances.

In the current financial year, the Scottish Government is investing approximately £12 million in funding to support the provision of free welfare and debt advice, as the committee is aware, in addition to our independent advocacy service. That funding will help people to access the advice and support that they need in a way that works for them, whether that is face to face, online or over the phone. As I have mentioned, we have local delivery teams from Social Security Scotland in every authority area, and we encourage people to seek the advice and information that they need.

No one will be worse off through the case transfer process.

Certainly, I am open to coming to the committee. We had a good discussion on case transfer generally recently and I am certainly open to doing that again. Obviously, we will have different engagements—like we have today—on specific regulations, but if there is an appetite from the committee to have a similar session to the one we had previously on case transfer, which would include the process that we are discussing today, I would of course attend it.

I refer to my answer to the deputy convener, in which I set out what we will publish. Of course, the statistics that are assimilated as time progresses will be more insightful for all of us as the roll-out of case transfer is undertaken more generally. I talked about our evaluation report that is to be published in summer 2023. I would imagine that the committee would probably want to discuss that at that point.

When it to comes to increases that result in a change of a person’s conditions, we do not estimate there will be any increased cost, because our approach largely mirrors the DLA-to-PIP transition, which is covered in the funding that we receive from the block grant adjustment. However, our approach to any decreases will likely increase our costs, as we are choosing to be more generous than the DWP policy. The position with increases to a person’s payment is that they will be backdated to when the case transfer happened.

With regard to decreases, we will apply that only from the date of the review rather than the change of circumstances or case transfer. Therefore, they will apply from when the person’s review outcome is decided. Of course, if they choose to undertake a redetermination or appeal, they will get short-term assistance through that process. It would be only from the conclusion of their review that any decrease or a nil award would be applied.

Can you just refine that question, Mr Balfour, so that I am clear about what you are asking?

Is it not for me to bring in my officials if I wish to?