STORM TRACKER: Follow 'Storm Amy' as it bears down on Ireland amid brutal forecast
Search
06 Sept 2025
Search
06 Sept 2025
Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content.
Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist.
If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter .
Support our mission and join our community now.
To continue reading this article, you can subscribe for as little as €0.50 per week which will also give you access to all of our premium content and archived articles!
Alternatively, you can pay €0.50 per article, capped at €1 per day.
Thank you for supporting Ireland's best local journalism!
Labour has accused the SNP of “breaking its promise” on the fifth anniversary of the law which created Scotland’s social security system.
The Social Security (Scotland) Bill was passed on April 25 2018, setting up a new system for benefits transferred from the UK Government.
A total of 13 Scottish Government benefits are now being delivered through Social Security Scotland, seven of which are only available in Scotland.
However, Labour said a number of powers have gone unused with responsibility still lying with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), including responsibility for Carers’ Allowance until 2025.
The party also said that the IT system for devolved benefits had led to a £39 million overspend.
Labour MSP Paul O’Kane said the Scottish Government had “bungled the delivery” of the new benefits.
Mr O’Kane said: “The SNP has broken its promise to Scotland with its disastrous failure to use our social security powers.
“Five years of SNP failure has left Scots at the mercy of the cruel and callous Tory-run DWP and bungled the delivery of the payments they have taken on.
“Disabled people are waiting months for lifeline support and people are at risk of being short-changed on cold weather support during the worst cost of living crisis in decades.
“The SNP promised us something truly different, but all this incompetent SNP Government has done is replace one broken system with another.”
A spokesperson for Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “Only Labour could come up with such drivel and try and trash the reputation of a success story with over £5 billion being delivered to over one million people across the country.
“The Scottish Government is now delivering 13 benefits, seven of which are only available in Scotland including the Scottish Child Payment and Carers Allowance Supplement.
“These wouldn’t even be available if Labour had their way considering they argued against Scotland having powers over social security.
“But when we see the damage the Tories have caused, thankfully there is a government in place to deliver social security benefits and protect people as far as possible from Westminster policies.“
Subscribe or register today to discover more from DonegalLive.ie
Buy the e-paper of the Donegal Democrat, Donegal People's Press, Donegal Post and Inish Times here for instant access to Donegal's premier news titles.
Keep up with the latest news from Donegal with our daily newsletter featuring the most important stories of the day delivered to your inbox every evening at 5pm.
This publication supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and Office of the Press Ombudsman, and our staff operate within the Code of Practice of the Press Council. You can obtain a copy of the Code, or contact the Council, at www.presscouncil.ie, Lo-call 1800 208 080 or email: info@presscouncil.ie.
