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-20141

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 November 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 4 December 2018

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it has not commenced sections 77 and 78 of the Social Security (Scotland) Act 2018 in respect of carer's and funeral expense assistance.

Sections 77 and 78 relate to uprating of devolved social security assistance.

Carer’s Allowance will be uprated (in line with inflation) this coming spring, and we intend to lay the necessary legislation early in the new year. This is unrelated to sections 77 and 78 of the Social Security (Scotland) Act 2018. Carer’s Allowance Supplement will also be uprated in spring and the mechanism for that is set out in section 81 of the Act.

Draft regulations for Funeral Expense Assistance will be brought forward next year for Parliamentary approval, and until payments of this assistance have begun to be made, commencement of sections 77 and 78 of the Act would serve no purpose.

Question reference: S5W-19500

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 19 October 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 23 November 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) regarding bringing forward winter fuel payments for 2018-19 to support older people who use off-grid energy and, what the outcome was.

The Department for Work and Pensions retain responsibility for administration of the Winter Fuel Payment scheme in 2018-19. They are aware of the Scottish Government’s ambition to enhance the support provided to older people who rely upon off-grid energy.

First and foremost we are determined to ensure a safe and secure transfer of each of the eleven devolved benefits, including winter fuel payments. The timing of the introduction of these new benefits will depend upon implementation and successful testing of the new social security system’s operations.

We expect the Department for Work and Pensions to support delivery of this change in line with the commitments made in the UK Government’s 2015 White paper (Cm 8990) and the Memorandum of Understanding agreed with the Scottish Government in 2016.

Question reference: S5W-19205

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 October 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 23 November 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) enquiries and (b) complaints Social Security Scotland has received regarding payment of the carer's allowance supplement, and whether the DWP has reported any misdirected enquiries to the Scottish Government.

Question reference: S5O-02632

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 November 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 November 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will rule out the delivery of Personal Independence Payment and Disability Living Allowance by the DWP under agency arrangements.

Question reference: S5W-19665

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 October 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 21 November 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how many applicants to the Social Security Scotland Executive Advisory Body made an application noting a potential "Conflict of Interest and other Ministerial Public Appointments held", and what roles were listed by applicants in response to questions of this nature.

Question reference: S5O-02606

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 November 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 November 2018

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what employment schemes it runs for offenders in order to improve their skills, reduce reoffending and increase its recruitment of ex-offenders.

Question reference: S5W-19716

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 November 2018
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 14 November 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has made of any infrastructure and capacity implications for transplantation services arising from the implementation of an opt-out organ donation system, and what plans it has to address these.

Question reference: S5W-19715

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 November 2018
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 14 November 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure that there is sufficient investment in healthcare infrastructure to deliver the planned increased supply of organs for transplantation following any changes in organ donation legislation.

The proposals in the Human Tissue (Authorisation) (Scotland) Bill will contribute to the wider package of measures already in place or underway to increase donation and transplantation under the Donation and Transplantation Plan for Scotland.

The rationale and investment required for the healthcare infrastructure to meet an increase in the supply of organs for transplantation following the proposed change in legislation is set out in the Financial Memorandum http://www.parliament.scot/S5_Bills/Human%20Tissue%20(Authorisation)%20(Scotland)%20Bill/SPBILL32FMS052018.pdf and the Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment to the Human Tissue (Authorisation) (Scotland) Bill https://beta.gov.scot/publications/human-tissue-authorisation-scotland-bill-business-regulatory-impact-assessment/ .

Question reference: S5W-19465

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 October 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 14 November 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-13171 by Jeane Freeman on 21 December 2017, for what reason the experience panels are required to consider precise eligibility of extending winter fuel payments to families with disabled children on the higher rate of Disability Living Allowance, in light of it having made this commitment in its Programme for Government 2016-17 and in its answer to question S5W-02679 by Jeane Freeman on 15 September 2016.

The purpose of the experience panels is to understand the direct personal experience and views of people with experience of the benefits being devolved, including families with disabled children. Experience panels research will inform policy development and how Winter Heating Allowance is delivered. Decisions about eligibility will continue to rest with the Scottish Government.

There are over 350 Experience Panel members with experience of Winter Fuel Payments. Experience Panels are already collecting information that will inform our design and delivery of the new Winter Heating Allowance. Some of these panel members reflected specifically on their experience of Winter Fuel Payments as part of our ‘About Your Benefits and You’ research in 2017.

Question reference: S5W-19458

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 October 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 14 November 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Cold Weather Payments Ten Minute Rule Bill, which is due to have its second reading in the UK Parliament on 23 November 2018 and which re-examines the way that weather data that triggers cold weather payments is gathered.