Responsibilities
The Committee's responsibilities are:
- to give advice on social security issues as it sees fit.
Under this power of initiative the Committee has examined a wide range of policy issues (for example: benefits for disabled people; and benefits for carers). It publishes its views on these general topics in its annual stewardship reports. (The Third and Fourth Reports differed from this arrangement in that they contained, respectively, the Committee's evidence and response to the Government's 1984/5 review of social security.) To help in this area of its work the Committee has frequent meetings with outside organisations, makes visits to the Department's local and national delivery sites and maintains a close interest in developments in the social welfare field.
- to consider and report on social security regulations referred to it.
Draft regulations or proposals for regulations must be submitted to the Committee by the Secretary of State or the Northern Ireland Department responsible for social security issues unless:
they are proposals to replicate in Northern Ireland regulations already agreed for Great Britain;
they are exempted from reference to the Committee (this applies to most regulations on the uprating of benefits and those regulations made within 6 months of the enactment of primary powers); or
following reference of a set of proposed regulations the Committee agrees that the regulations need not be formally referred.
When regulations are formally referred to the Committee, it usually initiates public consultation with interested bodies and individuals so that its reports to the Secretary of State are based on as wide a range of evidence as possible. The organisations consulted by the Committee differ according to the subject of the regulations in question. The Secretary of State is obliged to take account of the Committee’s recommendations and, when the regulations are finally laid before the House, the Committee’s report and a statement explaining the response to its recommendations must also be laid.
In cases of urgency, the Secretary of State may make regulations without prior reference to the Committee, and, if the matter becomes urgent after the reference to the SSAC, the regulations may be made without waiting for the Committee’s report. In both these instances, the Committee would proceed with the consultation in the usual way and produce a report which, together with the Secretary of State’s response, would be laid before Parliament after the regulations have been made.
- to consider and advise on any matters referred to it by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions or the Northern
Ireland Department responsible for social security.
The Committee's views are also sought less formally on a variety of subjects, and it has the opportunity to comment on the early stages of some policy discussions. The Committee does not hold consultation exercises on these subjects, but may meet interested parties to help in formulating views. Although the Committee has no responsibility for social security operations, it takes a close interest in service to the public. Members make regular visits to local service delivery sites and other operational centres to see for themselves how things are working.
- to scrutinise information products produced by the Department for Work and Pensions.
The Department and Ministers continue to be responsible for information products of all kinds whether they are in printed or electronic form, and irrespective of whether they are provided purely for the general public and/or advice agencies, or purely for staff guidance. However, the Committee examines a sample of products and contributes to the process of ensuring that leaflets are clear enough for any reasonable person to understand, and that there are no significant omissions. It also scrutinises the production and checking processes within the Department, and assesses how effectively information products are used by staff when handling customer enquiries.