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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

Filter your results Hide all filters

Displaying 2084 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S5W-20536

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 December 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 8 January 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-20268 by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 7 December 2018, for what reason the Social Security Scotland Senior Management Team and Executive Advisory Body were appointed without anyone who identifies as black or minority ethnic, and whether there were any applicants who did.

I refer the member to question S5W-19666 on 13 November 2018 which provided applicants monitoring information in relation to Ethnic group for Social Security Scotland’s Executive Advisory Body.

Posts within the agency’s Senior Management Team were filled in line with the Scottish Government’s selection policy. In equalities monitoring, no applicant identified as black or minority ethnic in relation to ethnic group.

Question reference: S5W-20616

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 December 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 8 January 2019

To ask the Scottish Government whether the working assumption of its Social Security Directorate is for disability benefit rules and structures to remain broadly the same as those stipulated under disability living allowance, attendance allowance and personal independence payment.

The Scottish Government remains committed to creating a system of disability assistance that works for the people of Scotland. We have previously outlined a number of ways by which we will achieve this, including: an accessible and transparent application process; responsibility for sourcing supporting information sitting with Social Security Scotland, rather than the individual; significantly reducing the volume of face to face assessments; delivering an assessment service that offers individuals choice and control. Further development of disability assistance will be taken forward in consultation including Experience Panel feedback. It will ensure the safe and secure transition of payments and do so in a manner consistent with our ethos of treating people with fairness, dignity and respect.

Question reference: S5W-20760

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 December 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 8 January 2019

To ask the Scottish Government when it will provide a substantive answer to question (a) S5W-20346 and (b) S5W-20333, which received a holding response on 17 December 2018.

Question reference: S5W-20703

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 December 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 8 January 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what the estimated saving or cost is of its proposed social security policy on terminal illness, which requires registered medical practitioners to determine eligibility based on their clinical judgement, compared with the DWP policy on terminal illness, which is based on rules in which death "can reasonably be expected" within the next six months.

Question reference: S5W-20535

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 December 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 8 January 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-20268 by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 7 December 2018, whether the interview panels for the Social Security Scotland Senior Management Team and Executive Advisory Body included anyone who identifies as black or minority ethnic.

Question reference: S5W-20556

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 December 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 8 January 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, further to comments made by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Economy and Fair Work in The Times on 8 December 2018, when it requested access to DWP data for the purposes of mitigating the two-child benefit cap.

The Scottish Government has written on numerous occasions to the UK Government requesting that the two child limit be scrapped and have made clear our total opposition to the policy. This policy is part of Universal Credit which is a fully reserved benefit the Scottish Government has have no control over and cannot change.

By 2020-21 UK government cuts are expected to take around £3.7 billion out of the Scottish welfare system. It is not our policy to mitigate all of these UK Government welfare cuts, which are the equivalent of three times the Police Scotland budget. Pressure should be maintained on the UK Government to make changes to the policy and we will continue to call for such changes.

We are already investing over £125m in 2018-19 to mitigate the effects of UK Government welfare cuts and to protect people on low incomes - £20 million more than last year. The fact the Scottish Government has to take such action was described by the United Nation Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights as “outrageous”.

Comments made by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Economy and Fair Work referred to the legitimate assumption that any policies to directly top-up reserved benefits would need the agreement and cooperation of the DWP. Mr Mackay also said that “the best way to resolve it is to address the problem at source”.

The Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan sets out the many actions we are taking to increase family incomes and reduce living costs. That includes a commitment to work towards introducing a new income supplement, to provide additional financial support for low income families.

Question reference: S5W-20614

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 December 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 21 December 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-20108 by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 7 December 2018, when the Social Security Programme Board is expected to give a formal view on the Go/No Go for (a) disability assistance, (b) carer's assistance, (c) employment injuries assistance, (d) cold-spell heating assistance, (e) winter heating assistance and (f) the income supplement.

Question reference: S5W-20546

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 December 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 21 December 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what (a) starting gate and (b) gateway reviews have taken place in its social security directorate.

Question reference: S5W-20261

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 November 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 20 December 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how much (a) its Social Security directorate and (b) Social Security Scotland (i) paid to the DWP (A) in 2017-18 and (B) since April 2018 and (ii) expects to pay to the DWP in (aa) 2018-19 and (bb) 2019-20, broken down by cost type.

The following tables reflect actual and forecast payments to DWP:

Payments for Implementation costs (actual and indicative) to DWP from Social Security Directorate

	Payment
17-18 (actual)	£3.5 million (inc VAT)
18-19 (actual to date covers period April – June)	£1.3 million (inc VAT)
18-19 (forecast July – March)	£7.4 million (inc VAT)
19-20	Forecast figures currently being negotiated with DWP

Implementation costs are the demonstrable and jointly agreed net costs to DWP wholly and necessarily incurred by as a result of the devolution of powers.

Payments for Running costs (actual and indicative) to DWP from Social Security Scotland

	Payment
18-19 (to date)	£0
18-19 (indicative)	£4.2 million (inc VAT)
19-20 (indicative)	£7.3 million (inc VAT)

Running costs are the demonstrable and jointly agreed net costs to DWP for the provision of services to Scottish Government.

In addition to the above, the Social Security Directorate paid £38,467 for delivery of Universal Credit Scottish Choices from October 2017 to May 2018. Work is currently ongoing with DWP to refine forecast delivery costs.

Implementation costs for 2019-20 are currently being negotiated with DWP.

Question reference: S5W-20470

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 07 December 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 20 December 2018

To ask the Scottish Government which local authorities have used television advertising to encourage applications to the Scottish Welfare Fund.