15.This section sets out a power for the Scottish Ministers to make such provision (for devolved purposes) as they consider appropriate in consequence of Part 4 of the UK Act. Part 4 of that Act creates the personal independence payment and abolishes disability living allowance. Under this section, as read with section 3(3)(b), the Scottish Ministers are empowered to make supplemental, incidental, consequential, transitional, transitory or saving provision. This enabling power is exercisable only for devolved purposes. It could be used, for example, to make supplemental or consequential provision in the devolved area of legal aid where the governing legislation refers to the mobility component of disability living allowance, where consequential or supplemental provision is considered appropriate in light of the abolition of disability living allowance by the UK Act.
16.Further provision in relation to Part 4 is needed because, as with universal credit, the introduction of personal independence payment and the abolition of the disability living allowance have consequences for devolved matters and their associated legislation. The power in this section could be used to make changes for devolved purposes to refer to the personal independence payment instead of the disability living allowance so as, for example, to create new eligibility criteria for certain passported benefits such as ‘blue badge’ parking permits. The Scottish Ministers could also make free-standing provision using this power provided it were for a devolved purpose and in consequence of provision made by or under Part 4 of the UK Act.
17.Subsection (2) provides that regulations under this section may modify primary and secondary legislation (including not only Acts of the Scottish Parliament but also pre-devolution enactments and subordinate legislation) for a devolved purpose and subject to the other restrictions on competence in the Scotland Act 1998.
18.Subsection (3) provides that regulations under this section are subject to the affirmative procedure if they add to, replace or omit any part of the text of an Act, and otherwise are subject to the negative procedure.