A major UK Government department has been accused of treating the Scottish Parliament with “disdain” by senior politicians.
The decision by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to refuse to send officials to brief the Welfare Reform Committee was strongly criticised by both SNP and Labour MSPs.
Group members had invited staff who make decisions on Employment and Support Allowance to informally brief them. However, the DWP declined the request by letter and instead offered MSPs the chance to visit the decision makers in their offices.
Committee convener and Labour MSP, Michael McMahon said the refusal smacked of the DWP “treating this Parliament with disdain” and branded it insulting.
He added: “I fail to see how the decision-makers visiting us to brief the committee in a private meeting at Holyrood is any different to us visiting them in their offices.
“The information we would gain is the same. This appears to be purely about control.”
Deputy convener, the SNP’s Jamie Hepburn, said: “At some stage, the DWP has to engage fully with this committee and not just when it wants and how it wants. That is just not good enough.”
