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-20858

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 January 2019
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 17 January 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-20346 by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 20 December 2018, how it defines the "practical implementation" of the DWP Verify Earnings and Pensions service, and whether it has considered, assessed or agreed any future implementation.

Practical implementation would be the use of DWP Verify Earnings and Pensions service in the delivery of a devolved benefit. I refer the member to the answer to questions S5W-20346 and S5W-20857 on 17 January 2019. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx .

Question reference: S5W-20835

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 January 2019
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 16 January 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-20546 by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 21 December 2018, whether it will publish each of the three reviews.

Gateway Reviews are conducted for the Scottish Government and associated public sector organisations to help support the successful delivery of programmes and projects by ensuring that good programme and project management practice is being used; that key risks are actively managed and to identify any learning points for better practice.

The reports are confidential to the Senior Responsible Owner (SRO).

Question reference: S5W-20859

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 January 2019
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 16 January 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to S5W-20616 by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 8 January 2019, whether it remains its position, as set out at section 1.3 of its document, Social Security Programme - Disability Benefits Assessments Strategic Outline Case, which was published under the freedom of information request, FoI/18/03113, that "the assumption is that the disability benefit rules and structures will remain broadly the same", and, if so, for what reason this is not referred to in the response.

While our working assumption for planning purposes is that the rules and structures will remain broadly the same, no final decisions have been taken; we will continue to look for opportunities to improve these, provided the changes do not risk the safe and secure transition of devolved disability assistance. As previously stated, we have already identified a number of areas for improvement and are co-designing these with people with experience of the current system so that we can build a system which better meets the needs of individuals.

Question reference: S5W-20754

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 December 2018
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 15 January 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what information (a) it and (b) Citizens Advice Scotland has published on the Financial Health Check service, in addition to its press release of 2 November 2018.

The Scottish Government has published information on the Financial Health Check service on the money matters section of our Parent Club website: https://www.parentclub.scot/articles/financial-health-check ; in our recently published second annual progress report on the Fairer Scotland Action Plan: https://www.gov.scot/publications/fairer-scotland-action-plan-progress-report-2018/ and on our my.gov website https://www.mygov.scot/benefits-support/ .

We do not hold information on the publications made by Citizens Advice Scotland.

Question reference: S5W-20710

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 December 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 15 January 2019

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason its draft social security charter has not been published, and by what date it will be.

Question reference: S5W-20751

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 December 2018
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 15 January 2019

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish its service level agreement with Citizens Advice Scotland for delivery of its Financial Health Check service.

Question reference: S5W-20756

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 December 2018
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 15 January 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what it estimates the cost per check will be for its Financial Health Check service.

Question reference: S5W-20757

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 December 2018
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 15 January 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what procurement process was conducted for the provision of its Financial Health Check service.

Question reference: S5W-20745

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 December 2018
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 15 January 2019

To ask the Scottish Government whether the £3.3 million funding for its Financial Health Check service is performance-linked, and what the criteria are that must be met in order for funding to be released.

Question reference: S5W-20747

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 December 2018
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 15 January 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how many people have had a financial health check conducted (a) centrally by telephone and (b) locally in a citizens advice bureau.