The UK Government is in danger of breaching people's rights by pushing ahead with controversial aspects of welfare reform, according to the Scottish Human Rights Commission chairman.
Professor Alan Miller criticised the approach, saying particular changes such as the 'bedroom tax' would not have got off the ground at the Scottish Parliament, where the Human Rights Act is embedded in legislation.
"The consequence of that today is that no human rights impact assessment whatsoever was done by the UK Government before they brought through these legislative measures," he told MSPs on Holyrood's Welfare Reform Committee.
The public is left with "inadequate legal protection" because they have no right to enforce treaties through tribunals or courts in the UK, he said.
"The wider lesson from all of this is to incorporate the international human rights legal treaties," he told the committee which is investigating the potential impact of UK welfare policies.
"It leads to better governance, better policies. It enables parliament to hold government to account, to exercise more scrutiny, and it gives the public protection."
Prof Miller said Holyrood would be unlikely to pass similar policies if it had the power to do so.
"I don't think this Parliament would do that," he said. "I don't think it would be able to do it."
Focusing on the bedroom tax, Prof Miller warned: "I think it has the potential to become one of the most compelling human rights issues in Scotland. Really it's not something that we should be sitting around the table having to talk about."
The impact of the changes means councils in Scotland are being placed in a difficult position by being asked to implement cuts through the new regime.
"It puts them in a very, very difficult position," he said.
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