Scotland's benefits bill not too high, new deputy FM says

The Scottish government is not spending too much on benefits, newly named Deputy First Minister Jenny Gilruth has said.

SNP ministers have used devolved powers to create a more generous social security system than in the rest of the UK, but that has fuelled warnings about its financial sustainability.

Gilruth said she would "make no apology" for Scotland's system, comparing it with the "callous approach" she claimed had been taken by successive UK governments.

It came after she was promoted from education secretary to the dual role of deputy first minister and finance secretary in John Swinney's new cabinet.

The Scottish government has the power to administer and create many of its own benefits. SNP ministers pride themselves on having created a more generous system than in the rest of the UK.

However, this comes at a cost.

The social security budget this year was £7.4bn and is forecast to hit £9.2bn by 2030-31.

More than half of this is spent on the Adult Disability Payment, and the Scottish Fiscal Commission forecasts that one million Scots will be in receipt of a disability payment of some kind by 2031.

The gap between what the Scottish government spends on social security and what it receives from the Treasury via welfare spending south of the border is forecast to grow to £1.1bn in 2026-27, rising to £1.2bn in 2030-31, according to the Scottish Fiscal Commission.

This funding gap has to be plugged by moving cash from other areas, increasing taxes or borrowing.

Asked on the BBC's Radio Scotland Breakfast if the benefits bill was too high, Gilruth replied: "No, I don't think it is too high."

She claimed the Scottish government was spending £100m a year to mitigate "Westminster austerity", which she said was "not sustainable".

The deputy first minister said: "We have to continue to support those who are in need and we have seen consistently from Westminster governments, whether they be Tory or Labour, callous approaches to cutting welfare benefits to those most in need, to the disabled and those most on the poverty line.

"We have not taken that approach as a government in Scotland and I have been very proud to serve as a member of the SNP government throughout that time, supporting those who are most in need with an approach that treats people with dignity and respect."

She added: "We think that is the right thing to do as a government, as a responsible government who looks after and cares for our people."

A UK government spokesperson said it had ended austerity and was delivering for Scotland with "the largest funding settlement in the history of devolution".

They added: "Since the general election the Scottish government has received an additional almost £12bn to spend on public services."

Scottish Conservative finance spokesman Craig Hoy said: "It defies belief that the new finance secretary thinks the SNP's ballooning benefits bill is sustainable, and that she has no intention of reining it in."

He added: "We all want a social security safety net for the most vulnerable people, but the SNP's light-touch, tick-box system is on course to hit £10 billion per year."

Swinney announced a slimmed-down cabinet, cut from 12 to nine, on Wednesday.

Gilruth and the Scottish government's other new ministers will be formally approved by parliament later on Thursday.