SCoSS Board Meeting
Date: 28 August 2025
Time: 13:30
Venue: Microsoft Teams
Minutes
Present—
- Ed Pybus (Chair)
- Adam Bennett (Member)
- Dr Marilyn Howard (Member)
- Judith Paterson (Member)
- Dr Mark Simpson (Member)
Apologies: None
In attendance (SCoSS Secretariat)—
- Stephen Herbert, Secretary
- Andrew Strong, Head of Policy and Scrutiny
- Keith Rae, Senior Policy Manager
- Lisa Kinnear, Governance and Engagement Officer
1. Welcome and declaration of interests
The Chair, Ed Pybus, welcomed the Commissioners to the sixth meeting of the Board in 2025.
Marilyn Howard declared that she is a former recipient of the DWP Winter Fuel Payment.
2. Matters arising from previous meeting
The draft Minutes of the June Board meeting were amended and agreed.
3. The Two Child Limit Payment (Scotland) Regulations 2026.
The Board considered and agreed a report on the draft regulations.
4. Charter research
Andrew Strong spoke to the content of this agenda item, noting that since the publication of the Charter Sub-Committee’s first research report in April, the sub-committee have been considering options for future work on the Charter. In particular, he noted that the Charter sub-committee have developed a set of criteria to be used to select specific options for future Charter work.
The Board considered and agreed three areas of future work on the Charter. The Board also agreed the minutes of the May and June meetings of the Charter Sub-Committee.
5. Audit Scotland Annual Audit Report 2024-25.
Stephen Herbert spoke to the content of the Audit Scotland Annual Audit Report 2024-25. He noted the Audit Scotland report provides a clean, unqualified audit opinion and does not make any recommendations.
The Board noted the report. The Board also noted that this is the last external audit report that will be undertaken following the removal of the external audit requirement in the Social Security (Amendment) (Scotland) Act 2025. The Board thanked Lisa Duthie, Marie McFadden and Grant Harrison of the Audit Scotland external audit team for their work.
6. Annual report and accounts 2024-25.
Stephen Herbert spoke to the content of the Annual Report and Accounts and noted that the Audit Sub-Committee agreed, on 14 August, to recommend the draft annual report and accounts be approved by the Board. He also noted that the Accountable Officer stated, at the Audit Sub-Committee, that he was content to sign the draft annual report and accounts.
The Board considered, amended and agreed that the draft Annual Report and Accounts 2024-25 be approved by the Board and signed by the Accountable Officer. The Board also agreed that the Annual Report and Accounts be published on the SCoSS website once the report has been laid in the Scottish Parliament.
7. Risk Register.
Lisa Kinnear noted that the risk register was reviewed at the June Board meeting at which it was agreed to remove the risks that were no longer relevant. A revised version of the register, removing outdated risks, was considered by the Sub-Committee. The Audit Sub-Committee agreed that the removed risks should include the date they were removed.
The Board considered, amended and agreed the revised risk register.
8. Scrutiny Sub-Committee.
The Board considered bringing external expertise into the work of the Commission, particularly with regard to technical issues relating to the scrutiny of draft regulations.
The Board agreed, in principle, to the establishment of a Scrutiny Sub-Committee. It was also agreed that formal rules and procedures governing appointments to, and the operation of, the Scrutiny Sub-Committee would then be considered at a future Board meeting.
9. Retrospective scrutiny.
Andrew Strong provided the Board with an update on retrospective scrutiny of regulations currently taking place. The Board agreed an approach to scrutiny of the Winter Heating Assistance (Pension Age) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2025 and the draft Social Security (Residence and Presence Requirements) (Israel, the Occupied Palestinian Territories (the West Bank including East Jerusalem, and Gaza) and the occupied Golan Heights) (Scotland) Regulations 2025
10. Chair’s update
The Chair provided the Board with an update on his recent meetings with the Chair of the Scottish Human Rights Commission and the Chair of the Social Security Advisory Committee. He also noted that he would meet with the Chair of the Poverty and Inequality Commission during September.
11. Training update.
Marilyn Howard spoke to this agenda item and noted that she recently attended a training session with Together (Scottish Alliance for Children’s Rights) earlier this summer. Marilyn spoke to the role of the Commission in relation to children’s rights.
The Board agreed to a training proposal from the Equality and Human Rights Commission to undertake online training with regard to equality issues.
12. Any Other Business.
The Board agreed to discuss the recent report of the independent review of Adult Disability Payment at a future meeting.
Meeting closed at 16:47
Date of next meeting: Thursday 25 September 2025