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-19090

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 September 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 17 October 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how much it estimates the administration of the Carer's Allowance Supplement by Social Security Scotland will cost in 2018-19.

The costs for Social Security Scotland to administer the Carer’s Allowance Supplement in 2018-19 are estimated to be in the region of £193,000. This does not include Social Security Scotland staffing costs. Social Security Scotland staff are multi-disciplinary and will work across a number of functions in preparation for the benefits being devolved. It is therefore not possible to fully attribute staff costs to any particular benefit at this stage.

Question reference: S5W-19211

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 October 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 17 October 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-18843 by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 4 October 2018, whether experience panels have (a) been asked whether or (b) proposed that Social Security Scotland should provide a range of application forms for disability assistance that correspond with an individual's primary condition.

We have asked the Experience Panels how the application process can be made more accessible and can best enable people to explain how their illness or disability affects them. The findings from these projects are currently being analysed and will be published in the coming months.

The Scottish Government is committed to creating an application process that is accessible to all who need to access disability assistance.

Question reference: S5W-19227

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 October 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 17 October 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-18928 by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 3 October 2018, when the (a) supplementary information will be published and (b) invitation to tender will be issued, and whether it will make the information detailing the outline service requirement, the procurement process and the support available to potential tenderers publicly available outwith its Dynamic Purchasing System.

Question reference: S5W-19212

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 October 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 17 October 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-18930 by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 3 October 2018, when this information will be in the public domain, and whether the withholding of the information is consistent with the co-design approach agreed by the Parliament on 2 October 2018.

The information referred to will be announced in due course. As noted previously, in line with the principles of co-design, the Social Security Experience Panels have provided extensive input into the Disability Benefits Discovery work, particularly in relation to their experiences of the current system of assessments. This engagement will carry on throughout the development of the disability benefits service over the coming months.

Question reference: S5W-19064

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 September 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 10 October 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what formal relationship Social Security Scotland has with Fair Start Scotland (FSS), and how many staff it has recruited via FSS.

Social Security Scotland has formed a close working relationship with Remploy who are the Delivery Partner for Fair Start Scotland for the Tayside area. We are working in partnership with Remploy to ensure potential candidates for roles within Social Security Scotland are provided with information, encouragement and support.

All permanent appointments to Social Security Scotland are through a fair and open recruitment process involving formal assessment and interview. We do not hold data on the number of candidates with a relationship with Remploy who have been made offers.

Question reference: S5W-19063

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 September 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 10 October 2018

To ask the Scottish Government to what extent Social Security Scotland engages with the Scottish Union of Supported Employment to assist with its recruitment.

Question reference: S5W-18843

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 17 September 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 4 October 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a range of application forms for disability assistance to correspond with an individual's primary condition.

Question reference: S5W-18815

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 17 September 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 3 October 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of Table 5: Indicative BSG expenditure and caseload in Scotland for 2018-19, in the Scottish Fiscal Commission report, Supplementary Costings: Social Security Best Start Grant (Pregnancy and Baby Grant) September 2018, and whether it will commit to delivery from 1 November 2018.

The Scottish Government will deliver Pregnancy and Baby Grant payments before Christmas 2018. We will publicise the start date in due course.

The Scottish Fiscal Commission have chosen to present indicative forecasts for costs in 2018-19 based on potential delivery from 1 November 2018 or 1 December 2018 as the start date is still unconfirmed. This illustrates a range of possible costs in 2018-19, depending on when payments start.

Question reference: S5W-18814

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 17 September 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 3 October 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Scottish Fiscal Commission's forecast regarding (a) the uptake of and (b) expenditure on the Best Start Grant in 2018-19.

We welcome the first forecasts for the Best Start Pregnancy and Baby Grant from the Scottish Fiscal Commission (SFC).

The SFC report highlights the uncertainties around take-up rates and expenditure. There are particular uncertainties with these estimates given that this will be the first benefit to be administered by Social Security Scotland.

The SFC figures were lower than those previously published by the Scottish Government (SG). The main reason for the difference in forecasts is that SFC have assumed lower take-up rates than were used in forecasts previously prepared by SG analysts.

We welcome the SFC's commitment to review data as it becomes available to inform future forecasts.

Question reference: S5W-18820

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 17 September 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 3 October 2018

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the eligibility criteria for the Best Start Grant (Pregnancy and Baby Grant) do not align with the eligibility criteria for free school meals.

The eligibility criteria for Best Start Grant (BSG) ensure that low income families in Scotland who would have received a Sure Start Maternity Grant continue to receive support where they would not if eligibility was narrowed to match that for free school meals. Free school meals are universally available to pupils in primary 1-3 at all publicly funded schools in Scotland. For pupils above primary 3, free school meal eligibility is dependent on whether the pupil’s parents or carers, or the pupil themselves are in receipt of specified qualifying benefits, which are set out in legislation. There is an income threshold set in the qualifying benefits for free school meals where there isn’t for BSG. This means that BSG is paid to people on higher incomes than free school meals, including those experiencing in work poverty.