IAN Murray has been accused of "not understanding" how devolution works after the UK Government failed to consult its Scottish counterpart over the latest changes to the Winter Fuel Payment.
The Scottish Secretary attempted to defend not informing the Government at Holyrood about alterations to the payment by suggesting Westminster would “never” consult devolved governments on devolved policy.
But Scotland's Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville has said Murray "doesn't seem to understand the system", as she laid out how the Labour Government had made it "almost impossible" for the Scottish Government to know how to proceed with its own devolved winter payment.
After making the Winter Fuel Payment means-tested last year – meaning only those on pension credit or other benefits would receive it – Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced a major policy U-turn last week, with pensioners south of the Border earning up to £35,000 a year now set to get £200 for those aged up to 80 and £300 for those aged over 80.
The current plan in Scotland – which has its own devolved Pension Age Winter Heating Payment – is for all pensioner households to receive £100 regardless of income, while those on pension credit will receive up to £305 depending on age.
That was announced on the back of the initial cut made to the UK payment, but Reeves’s latest announcement will mean – as things stand – pensioners in England and Wales earning less than £35,000 will get a larger payment than those in Scotland.
Scotland will receive more money as a result of the UK change via Barnett consequentials, but Somerville told the Sunday National exact funding implications have not yet been made clear by the UK Government, making it “almost impossible” for the Scottish Government to decide whether it can alter its own devolved payment.
But Somerville said: “If Ian Murray actually understood how the system works, he would know that changes in aspects that are devolved to Scotland, changes that happen down in England, have an implication for a Scottish budget,” she said.
“I don’t think it’s surprising, and I wouldn’t have thought it was asking too much, for the UK Government to therefore talk to the Scottish Government when a decision they’re going to make has major funding implications for the Scottish Government.
“I’m afraid Ian Murray, deliberately or otherwise, doesn’t seem to understand the system.”
Somerville insisted the only way Scotland will only ever be able to escape continued wranglings with the UK Government over social security is through gaining independence.
She said she had “long lost patience” with the Labour UK Government having "no respect" for Scotland after she found out through social media about the fresh changes to the Winter Fuel Payment.
Somerville insisted Scotland must have full powers over social security.
“I read about it [the Winter Fuel Payment change] first on social media before a meeting with the Treasury, where they couldn’t tell me what the financial implications for Scotland were, and we are still trying to work out the details of how their scheme works and impacts on Scotland,” she said.
“So, there is deep disappointment. But when you have a system as we do, that is so reliant on the UK Government both in terms of its policy decisions and the finances, we are always going to be in this position.
“This is an inevitable consequence of having a Union and having a Union with a government which seems to take decisions with no thought to the implications for Scotland.
“There’s clearly only one way we get past that and that’s for the Scottish Parliament to have full control of our social security.”
It is not the first time this year the Labour Government has left its Scottish counterpart in limbo when it comes to social security.
PIP has been replaced in Scotland by the devolved Adult Disability Payment, but the UK Government has still not confirmed whether Scots looking to obtain the UC health element can prove their eligibility via this new system.
Somerville (above) told The National in March she had been seeking clarity on this matter from the previous UK Government and never got answers – a trend which she says is continuing under Labour.
She said the Labour Government’s failure to communicate effectively with Scotland should prove to people a switch in power at Westminster will never result in vulnerable people being better protected.
“Understandably some people thought one of the answers to further protecting vulnerable people in society – or indeed people who just have a right to support like disabled people and carers – was to elect a Labour government,” she said.
“So, we’ve had a Labour government elected, and the first thing they did was cut the Winter Fuel Payment from pensioners. They followed that with cuts to disabled benefits in the rest of the UK.
“If anyone needed further proof that the answer isn’t a change of government in Westminster, we’ve unfortunately seen that.
“The only way we can protect people from those types of changes is we have those decisions being made up here by a Scottish Government through independence.”
Somerville said she wanted to reassure Scottish pensioners they “will have a winter heating payment this year” while the Government in Edinburgh continues to seek answers on the funding implications of Labour’s latest U-turn.
A UK Government spokesperson said: "Decisions on Scotland’s Pension Age Winter Heating Payment are a matter for the Scottish Government. The Scottish Government will mechanically receive additional funding to reflect the increase in spending in England and Wales through a Block Grant Adjustment, as agreed in the Scottish Government’s Fiscal Framework.
"Regarding the comments about the Scottish Secretary, Ian Murray joined an HMT briefing with the Cabinet Secretary for Finance on Wednesday where she was informed ahead of publication of the Spending Review that it would mean an extra £9.1 billion for the Scottish Government over the next three years. That’s more money than ever before for them to invest in Scottish public services."
