Social Security: Fraud and Error appears here as a parliamentary thread from the Commons Chamber on 29 Jun 2026, with 2 speakers contributing 4 speeches.

#Social Security: Fraud and Error, #Benefit Fraud, #DWP, #Scotland, #Devolution

Scottish Government: Social Security Benefits appears here as a parliamentary thread from the Lords Chamber on 24 Jun 2026, with 11 speakers contributing 20 speeches.

#Social Security, #Welfare Devolution, #Scottish Government, #HM Treasury, #Fiscal Framework, #Scotland, #Disability Benefits

MPs said early diagnosis is vital for babies with spinal muscular atrophy because treatments work best before symptoms appear, but the minister said national screening in England must wait for evidence from an evaluation starting in October 2026 in seven of 13 labs, leaving wider access unresolved.

MPs pressed the Church of England on how rural parishes will hear about the £92m Places of Worship Renewal Fund, while a Scottish MP challenged why the new England-only grant scheme replaced a UK-wide VAT rebate; the Church said applications are being promoted through dioceses, but any change to eligibility is for ministers.

MPs considered a Scottish Affairs Committee report arguing that rural areas hosting renewable energy projects should receive more than the planned £5,000 per megawatt community benefit, alongside local jobs, training and housing; grid upgrades were also urged to cut curtailment costs, and a minister agreed to write on the Scotland–Northern Ireland interconnector.

MPs backed a draft order increasing the Scottish Government’s borrowing limits in line with the 2023 fiscal framework, raising the resource limit to a little over £1.91 billion and the capital limit to £3.27 billion. The debate was mostly uncontested on the order itself, but it also turned into a wider exchange over SNP finances, public money and accusations about whether borrowing powers are being properly understood and used.

MPs pressed the Government on what it is doing to boost Scottish growth, with ministers pointing to stronger UK-wide forecasts, trade deals and defence spending, while critics argued that Aberdeen needs approval for the Rosebank oilfield and Scottish towns need help reviving their high streets. The debate ended with no decision, but with ministers saying Rosebank is for the Energy Secretary to decide and that Westminster and Holyrood still need to work together on local regeneration.

MPs discussed how the UK Government’s Pride in Place programme is being used to support regeneration in Scotland, with ministers citing up to £480 million for 24 neighbourhoods over 10 years and £20 million for Kilmarnock. The main challenge was the uneven distribution of funding, with Perth’s MP arguing the city has received nothing and questioning the rules used to decide which places qualify, while the minister defended the allocations as objective.

MPs clashed over whether the shift from oil and gas to clean energy is creating enough jobs in Scotland. The government pointed to more than 1 million green jobs across the UK, over £10.2 billion of investment in Scotland and more than 105,000 jobs supported there, while the Conservative side said oil and gas jobs were being lost faster than green jobs were replacing them and warned that skilled workers were leaving the country.