IBM have been awarded a multi-million pound contract to build the first phase of the Scottish Government's new social security IT system.

The devolved administration announced it had signed an £8.3m contract with the computing firm on Wednesday.

IBM will be tasked with ensuring the Best Start Grant and Funeral Expense Assistance can be paid to claimants through the new Scottish social security agency by the summer of 2019.

This is the first a series of IT contracts that will be tendered to handle a number of welfare powers held by the UK Government that are being passed to Holyrood.

The Scottish Government estimates the total cost of new digital systems will be £190m.

Social security minister Jeane Freeman said: "Transferring the newly devolved benefits to Scotland safely and securely is our number one priority and the award of this contract marks another major step in that work.

"Our new social security system will be the largest, most complex programme of change since devolution.

"From the very beginning of this process we have been clear that our social security system will be developed in partnership with people who have personal experience of the current benefits system and the IT system is no different."

She added: "This new service will be directly shaped by the needs and views of the people who will use it, as will all of our Scottish social security system."