Employment Injury Assistance delivery - next steps: response to consultation

Question 3

The third question sought feedback on proposed timelines for both options. Only qualitative answers were sought for this question, with respondents filling in an open text box. From the written responses sent in, 75% of respondents opted to give feedback on these timelines.

Respondent Feedback

Several organisations expressed frustration at the length of time it has taken to

deliver Employment Injury Assistance to date and criticised the extended timeline for Option 2. On the other hand, some organisations raised concerns about the timeline for Option 2, believing that the timelines were ambitious given the extent of reform they felt is required. They therefore urged sufficient time and resource be allocated to the development of Employment Injury Assistance.

Some organisations called for the stakeholder advisory group to be established faster than the three months laid out in the timeline for Option 2. These responses stated that the group should produce its first reports in a shorter period than outlined in the consultation.

There were also calls from some respondents for more detail on what would happen when the agency agreement between Social Security Scotland and the UK Government, through which IIS is currently delivered, ends in 2026. Some respondents considered the timeline for Option 2 incomplete, with one respondent

calling for the Scottish Government to set out a further timeline for implementation of Employment Injury Assistance ‘at the earliest possible opportunity’.

Scottish Government Response

Our work on Employment Injury Assistance has taken longer than initially intended due to the Covid-19 pandemic and associated delays to the development and delivery of social security benefits. We have prioritised the delivery of our Scottish Child Payment and Child, Adult and Pension Age Disability Payments as stakeholders have expected. Delivery through the agency agreement with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has provided the Scottish Government time to assess the complexities associated with the IIS.

In line with our commitment to respect the outcome of this consultation, we intend to proceed with Option 2 and the steps outlined in the consultation paper. This means not delivering Employment Injury Assistance in the current parliament. However proactive work on Employment Injury Assistance will continue. Officials have begun establishing the Employment Injury Assistance Steering Group, with invites shortly being sent to experts and organisations with experience of the Industrial Injuries Scheme. This group will hold its first meeting in the coming weeks, subject to members’ availability.

We recognise that there were mixed views on the timeline for Option 2, with some calling for actions to be taken sooner and others expressing concern that it was too ambitious. As part of its work, we will ask the Employment Injury Assistance Steering Group to give further consideration to the timelines to ensure it has time to properly consider its priorities alongside the wider challenges and opportunities associated with Employment Injury Assistance.

Some responses raised concerns around the agreements that are in place with the UK Government to ensure continued delivery of IIS benefits in Scotland. We are working closely with the UK Government to ensure the continuity of IIS payments in Scotland beyond March 2026. We will provide an update on this in due course.