Chamber and committees

National Insurance policy is a reserved matter. The introduction of the single-tier pension through the Pension Act 2014 led to the abolition of the ‘contracted-out rebate’ by the UK Government. The abolition of the rebate will lead to increased costs for employers, including all public sector employers. The change takes effect from April 2016.

The following table provides a breakdown of the estimated cost of the abolition of national insurance contracted out rates, broken down by sector.

These estimates were calculated in June 2015, based on latest available paybill information available to Scottish Government sponsor areas.

In light of that answer, there is no fixed date for when I will come to Parliament with a response to the consultation.

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

The Scottish Government has transferred all of the £35.4 million budgeted to Independent Living Fund Scotland.

The fund budget for the Independent Living Fund (ILF) for 2016-17 is £47.2 million. The Scottish Government has initially set aside an additional £1.1 million for administration costs for 2016-17, however the final budget is still to be agreed between Scottish Government and ILF Scotland. The Scottish Government has also committed an additional £5 million to open the fund to new users.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-30523 on 17 March 2016. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-30523 on 17 March 2016. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

No data is available on how long it takes to become a living donor, broken down by NHS board. Assessment to become a living donor is tailored to individual needs and commitments and varies from person to person. The process usually takes at least three months. However it may take more or less time depending on factors such as the number of potential donors who come forward to be assessed for each recipient; the health of the potential donors and the type of tests they require; and the general health of the potential recipient. Information on the process involved in becoming a living donor is available on the Organ Donation Scotland website at the following link: https://www.organdonationscotland.org/sites/default/files/living_kidney_donation.pdf.

Independent assessors (IA) play an important role in the assessment of potential living donors. Once accredited with the Human Tissue Authority (HTA), they act as a representative of both the donor and the HTA. There are sufficient IAs in Edinburgh, however the transplant unit based at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow recently experienced a shortfall in the number of IAs required to interview potential donors and recipients. Following a recruitment exercise, several people have submitted applications to the HTA and will undergo training in March 2016.

The Registered Social Landlord (RSL) Adaptations budget of £10 million has been fully allocated and, following the conclusion of a recent review of the planned adaptations expenditure of all RSLs, we are confident the £10 million will be drawn down in full. We will provide details of 2015-16 adaptations spend by RSLs to the Scottish Parliament Information Centre when this is available.