The Covid-19 pandemic has had a major impact on the Scottish Government, on Social Security Scotland and on the Department for Work and Pensions, whose support we need in order to transfer social security powers. As was set out in my statement to Parliament on 1 April, we are having to rework our timetable to deliver the remaining devolved benefits and to complete case transfer.

That is a complex on-going exercise. We must consider the impact of the pandemic not only on our own services, but on the availability of health and social care professionals to bring their expertise to co-design of disability and carer benefits, at a time when many of them are still needed on the front line. We must also account for the extraordinary pressures that have been placed on the DWP following the unprecedented demand for universal credit, which is impacting on the resources that it has available for the devolution programme.

I will update Parliament on revised delivery dates for Scottish carers assistance and dates for completion of case transfer of Scottish clients who are in receipt of carers allowance, once the re-planning work is complete.