Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) Between Scottish Ministers (SM) and Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (SSWP) on joint working arrangements

3. Ways of Working

3.1. The Smith Commission^[3] also agreed as stated at paragraph 58 that, "as the single face-to-face channel for citizens to access all benefits delivered by DWP, Jobcentre Plus will remain reserved. However, the UK and Scottish Government will identify ways to further link services through methods such as co-location wherever possible and establish more formal mechanisms to govern the Jobcentre Plus network in Scotland." The UK and Scottish Governments are committed to ensuring successful partnership working, to ensure an effective interaction between devolved and reserved services.

3.2. Any relationships between SM and SSWP that fall outside of scope of the social security powers being devolved by the Scotland Act 2016 are not covered by this agreement or associated documentation.

3.3. This MoU is not a contract, nor is it legally binding and it does not remove, alter or reduce prevailing legal obligations of each party, for example obligations under the Human Rights Act 1998, or the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). Nevertheless, both parties expect its provisions to be followed.