Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S5W-22084

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 March 2019
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 21 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the comment in its disability assistance assessments policy position paper that "we therefore intend to provide a proportion of assessors with additional training in the impact of mental health conditions and learning disabilities", what proportion of assessors will have this additional training, and how this will compare with the current proportion of assessors with such training.

Question reference: S5W-22089

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 March 2019
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 21 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the comments in its duration of awards and automatic entitlement for disability assistance policy position paper, how it defines non-engagement with a light-touch review, and on what other occasions Social Security Scotland will have the power to stop a person's disability assistance.

Question reference: S5W-22091

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 March 2019
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 21 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the comments in its duration of awards and automatic entitlement for disability assistance policy position paper, other than by way of a change of circumstances, what standard of evidence will be required to justify a review before the indicated award review date as a result of information being provided to Social Security Scotland.

Question reference: S5W-22088

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 March 2019
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 21 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the comment in its severe disablement allowance (SDA) position paper that, "In 2018 a survey was issued to Experience Panel members inviting them to share their experience of SDA. Although only a small number of responses were received, members did not raise any significant concerns or identify areas for change", which panel report contains the responses, and whether it will publish the background or source data.

Question reference: S5W-22092

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 March 2019
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 21 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the comments in its duration of awards and automatic entitlement for disability assistance policy position paper, whether all information supplied to Social Security Scotland, regardless of whether it is formally regarded as a change of circumstance, would be permissible to justify a review before the indicated award review date.

Question reference: S5W-22085

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 March 2019
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 20 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the comment in its disability assistance assessments policy position paper concerning suitably qualified assessors, whether it will publish the advice paper prepared by the Disability and Carers Benefits Expert Advisory Group regarding such assessors.

Question reference: S5W-22056

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 March 2019
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 20 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the statements in its Support for Carers position paper, what other changes to eligibility clients and stakeholders have asked it to consider.

As part of building foundations for long term carer benefits, the Scottish Government has engaged with carers and carer organisations to identify potential areas for change. These suggestions include:

Extending the eligibility to those with multiple caring responsibilities and reducing the time required spent caring.
Exploring the possibility of introducing different levels of benefits for those with different caring commitments in different circumstances.
Removing restrictions on those studying and looking at ways of encouraging carers into work and education.
Exploring further payments for pensioners with caring responsibilities including to those already with underlying entitlements.
Extending the period that CA is paid to a carer when the cared-for person dies or goes into hospital.
Offering benefits in kind

Question reference: S5W-22086

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 March 2019
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 20 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish the severe disablement allowance mortality statistics that it has requested from the DWP.

Question reference: S5W-22053

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 March 2019
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 20 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government by what date it will publish a full report of the case transfer research with experience panels members, in addition to the visual summary that was published on 27 February 2019.

Question reference: S5W-22083

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 March 2019
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 20 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the statement in its Social security case transfer: policy position paper that "before we can transfer existing claims we first need to deliver our new claims/application service", whether the transfer of existing cases is liable to delay should the new claims and application services fail to be established in accordance with the dates provided in the Cabinet Secretary for Social Security and Older People's letter to the Convener of the Social Security Committee of 28 February 2019.