Employment Injury Assistance delivery - next steps: response to consultation

Next steps

The Scottish Government is committed to respecting the outcome of this consultation. The responses to questions 1 and 2 reflect a clear view among those who responded to the consultation that IIS is in need of reform. We recognise that respondents provided mixed views on how to proceed with delivery of Employment Injury Assistance, with the largest number of responses expressing support for prioritising reform over like-for-like delivery in the current Parliament.

We will therefore commence work on developing options for a modernised benefit, while being mindful of affordability, deliverability and constitutional constraints. Due to the need to spend the necessary time to address the challenges set out above, and to work closely with the UK Government to ensure current payments are protected, we will not deliver Employment Injury Assistance in the current Parliament.

We will continue to engage on Employment Injury Assistance more widely and formal consultation on the design and implementation of a fully reformed and modernised Employment Injury Assistance will be undertaken in due course. This will include consideration around a potential replacement for the UK Government's Industrial Injuries Advisory Council.

The Employment Injury Assistance Steering Group will consist of experts and organisations with experience of supporting people to access the Industrial Injuries Scheme. We plan for the group to have its first meeting in the coming weeks.