Swinney says Murray’s two-child cap claims ‘not helpful’ amid dispute

John Swinney has disputed Ian Murray’s suggestions that ministers in Scotland have not properly asked their UK counterparts for the information needed to scrap the two-child benefit cap.

The Scottish Secretary told reporters that the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) was “not quite sure” what data the Scottish Government wanted in order to lift the benefit limit north of the border.

Officials in Scotland need data from the DWP on who is impacted by the policy – which limits benefits to the first two children – in order to mitigate it.

Mr Murray said on Wednesday that the Scottish Government “haven’t really fully developed what their thinking is so we are not quite sure what they are asking for”.

That claim has been disputed by the First Minister, who said Shirley Anne-Somerville, Scotland’s Social Justice Secretary, had written to Mr Murray and the Work and Pensions Secretary on December 16 requesting the information needed to end the cap.

“I think it’s important, Presiding Officer, that there is accurate information given to the public about the measures being taken forward on the Government’s policy agenda,” Mr Swinney said during FMQs on Thursday.

The SNP leader said Ms Anne-Somerville asked for data on children attached to Universal Credit claims, including their date of birth, data for all children paid under Universal Credit exemption rules and the data the DWP uses to enforce the limit across the UK.

“Now, I was assured face to face by the Prime Minister that the DWP would work collaboratively on this policy,” he told Parliament during FMQs.

“It is not helpful and it is not representative for the Secretary of State for Scotland to make the comments that he made yesterday.

“So if we are going to have this improved climate of relations between the Scottish and UK Government, the UK Government better keep its side of the bargain.”

The SNP announced its commitment to fully mitigate the two-child cap during the Finance Secretary’s budget on December 4.

Since then, the party has been in a dispute with Scottish Labour, which has accused it of not having a proper policy to mitigate the cap.

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has also told the SNP that he would only back the budget if it mitigated the two-child cap this year, instead of in 2026.

His Labour colleagues in Westminster have kept the cap, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer saying the UK Government cannot currently afford to lift it.

A UK Government source told the PA news agency: “Ian was clarifying some prior confusion within the SNP as to whether the Scottish Government had asked for this data before, which they had not.

“He also outlined that UK Government officials are working with their colleagues in the Scottish Government to understand precisely what data they are looking for – as the annex published by the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice on social media stated, the list of data they have asked for is not exhaustive.

“UK Government officials will also support Scottish Government develop what their policy to deliver this outcome actually is, as they currently are not clear on this.

“We understand the Scottish Government have given themselves until March to work that out.”