§ Mr. DalyellTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will assess the advantages of devolving responsibility for the administration of social security in Scotland to the Scottish Office. [53475]
§ Mr. DarlingIt would be impracticable and inefficient to split responsibility for policy and administration of Social Security between Westminster and Holyrood. It is in Scotland's interest that the Social Security system covers the whole of the United Kingdom. Were Social Security spending to be devolved, the Scottish Parliament would have to find additional money to meet the substantial costs involved. These would have to be found from resources otherwise available for other priorities such as Health and Education.