Public appointment: Member reappointed to Scottish Commission on Social Security Board

Member

Judith Paterson is Head of Advice and Rights for Child Poverty Action Group in Scotland. She has worked in the field of social security advice for over 35 years and is an author of guides on social security law and practice. From 1993 to 2001, she was editor of the Disability Rights Handbook, now published by Disability Rights UK, and before that was in frontline advice roles. She has been a member of social security advisory bodies including the Disability and Carers' Benefits Expert Advisory Group and the Social Security Advisory Committee. Since 2019, Judith has been a member of the Scottish Commission on Social Security.

Reappointment

This reappointment will be for 1 year and will run from 23 January 2026 to 22 January 2027.

This reappointment is regulated by the Ethical Standards Commissioner.

Remuneration

This reappointment is part-time and attracts a remuneration of £225 per day for a time commitment of 36 days per year.

Other ministerial appointments

Judith Paterson does not hold any other public appointments.

Political activity

All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process.  However, in accordance with the original Nolan recommendations, there is a requirement for appointees’ political activity within the last five years (if there is any to be declared) to be made public.  

Judith Paterson has had no political activity within the last five years.

Background

The Scottish Commission on Social Security is an independent body and is separate to Social Security Scotland, an executive agency of the Scottish Government which is responsible for delivering social security payments in Scotland.

The Social Security (Scotland) Act 2018 defines the role of SCoSS in providing independent scrutiny of the devolved social security system, with functions to:

• Provide independent expert scrutiny of draft social security regulations, including preparing and publishing reports and making recommendations on these regulations to the Scottish Government and the Scottish Parliament.
• Prepare reports on how the expectations of the Social Security Charter are being met and make recommendations for improvement. These reports are also published and submitted to the Scottish Government and Scottish Parliament.
• Report on any matter relevant to social security at the request of the Scottish Government or Scottish Parliament.

In carrying out all its functions, SCoSS has regard to the social security principles set out in the Act. This means that SCoSS plays an important role in ensuring that these principles, which are at the heart of the devolved system of social security, are applied in practice.

SCoSS has already produced many detailed and wide-ranging reports on regulations covering most of the devolved social security benefits introduced since 2018, including Young Carers Grant, Scottish Child Payment, Child Disability Payment and Adult Disability Payment. Most of the recommendations in these reports have been accepted by the Scottish Government and have therefore led to significant improvements to legislation.