Overview
3.The Act:
	creates the legal framework under which 9 types of social security assistance will be given to people by the Scottish Government (see Part 2),
	gives the Scottish Government the power to make regulations establishing schemes to top-up social security assistance paid to people by the UK Government (see sections 79 and 80 in Part 3),
	provides directly (i.e. without the need for regulations) for the Scottish Government to top-up Carer’s Allowance, which is a form of social security paid by the UK Government (see sections 81 and 82 in Part 3), and
	creates the legal framework under which local authorities (i.e. Scotland’s 32 local councils) can make payments, known as discretionary housing payments, to help people meet housing costs (see Part 5).
4.The following paragraphs give an overview of the Act’s other features not covered above.
5.Part 1 of the Act enshrines in law cardinal features of the Scottish social security system which, at the time of writing, means the system constituted by Parts 2 and 3 of the Act. (The legal definition of “Scottish social security system” is given in section 23, and discussed further under that heading in these Notes.) In summary, Part 1:
	sets out the Scottish social security principles (see section 1),
	requires the creation of a Scottish social security charter, which is to lay down standards for the provision of social security in Scotland that are aligned with the Scottish social security principles (see sections 15 to 19),
	establishes a Scottish Commission on Social Security which, amongst other things, is to be involved in the oversight of the Scottish social security system and evaluating whether proposals for social security regulations are consistent with the Scottish social security principles as well as international human rights standards (see sections 21 and 22),
	places duties on the Scottish Government to promote the take-up of Scottish social security (see sections 3 to 9),
	requires the Scottish Government to ensure that suitable advocacy help is available for those who, due to a disability, need that help to navigate the Scottish social security system (see sections 10 and 11),
	requires the Scottish Government to report annually to the Scottish Parliament on the performance of the Scottish social security system, including on what has been done in the past year to meet the service standards set in the charter (see section 20).
6.Part 4 of the Act makes technical provision connected to the giving of assistance through the Scottish social security system.
7.Part 6 of the Act requires the Scottish Ministers to bring forward regulations altering the way that the UK Government pays universal credit to joint claimants. Specifically, the regulations are to require that couples in Scotland be paid separately unless they choose to receive a single household payment.
8.Part 7 of the Act deals with the technical matters that are typically dealt with at the end of an Act. It confers a power to make ancillary provision by regulations (see section 95), lays down the scrutiny processes that regulations under the Act are to go through (see sections 96 to 98), makes provision about when the Act’s provisions are to take effect in law (see section 99), and gives the Act its official legal name (see section 100).
9.The Act’s provisions fall to be read in accordance with the interpretation rules in Part 1 of the Interpretation and Legislative Reform (Scotland) Act 2010.