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-18460

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 August 2018
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 13 September 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether it tracks and quantifies social prescribing.

Question reference: S5W-18622

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 September 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 12 September 2018

To ask the Scottish Government when sections 3, 8 and 9 of the Social Security (Scotland) Act 2018 will commence.

Question reference: S5W-18561

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 September 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 12 September 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what the budget is for Social Security Scotland.

Social Security Scotland is an Executive Agency of the Scottish Government. The Agency went live on 1 September 2018 and is currently accountable for payment of Carer’s Allowance in Scotland and payment of the Carer’s Allowance Supplement.

The budget for the Agency for the financial year 2018-19 is currently expected to be £207 million. The budget comprises three elements and covers the seven months from 1 September 2018 to 31 March 2019. The three elements of the budget are: Carer’s Allowance (£155.5 million), Carer’s Allowance Supplement (£34.9 million) and operational costs (£16.6 million). Significant elements of this budget will be demand led.

The final amounts to be allocated for Social Security Scotland for the 2018-19 financial year will be confirmed through the spring revision to the 2018-19 Scottish Budget.

Question reference: S5W-18562

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 September 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 12 September 2018

To ask the Scottish Government when it agreed the Social Security Scotland (a) corporate and (b) annual business plan for 2018-19, and whether it will publish this.

Social Security Scotland's Corporate Plan will be published shortly, as an interim document. As with everything it does, Social Security Scotland will develop and iterate its Corporate Plan in collaboration with stakeholder communities. Social Security Scotland's Corporate Plan will comprise one of three elements which will make up the Agency's tri-partite strategic planning and reporting regime. The other two parts will be the Agency's Annual Business Plan and Annual Report and Accounts, which will be published next year.

Question reference: S5W-18350

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 August 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 4 September 2018

To ask the Scottish Government when it will next publish the Scottish Universal Credit Choices management information, and for what reason this has not been updated since 23 January 2018.

As Universal Credit is reserved to the UK Government, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) collects data on the Universal Credit Scottish choices on behalf of the Scottish Government. In line with good practice, the Scottish Government then carries out quality assurance on this data to minimise risk of error and ensure that it is suitable for publication.

The information published in January 2018 was initial management information, covering the period 11 November to 31 December 2017, to provide early indications of the take up of the Universal Credit Scottish choices. The Scottish Government will publish further management information covering the first six months of operation of the Universal Credit Scottish choices in October.

Question reference: S5W-18249

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 17 August 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 31 August 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what the qualifying date is for the first payment of the carer's allowance supplement.

Question reference: S5W-18137

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 August 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 29 August 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has responded, or plans to respond, to the Social Security Advisory Committee consultation on the Universal Credit (Transitional Provisions) (Managed Migration) Amendment Regulations 2018, and whether it will publish this response.

Question reference: S5W-18079

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 August 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 24 August 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the commitment in its Race Equality Framework 2016-2030, what work it is doing to fill any gaps in its knowledge of how and to what extent BME groups are accessing the benefits that they are entitled to.

Question reference: S5W-18078

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 August 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 24 August 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made in developing the Social Security Charter, and what involvement minority ethnic groups and race equality organisations have had in this process.

A core of group of 30 people with lived experience of social security, carefully balanced to reflect a broad range of experiences, has been recruited and will oversee the charter’s development. To date it has met on three occasions with sessions focussed on the charter’s structure and appearance, human rights, inclusive communication and what the principles should mean in practice.

A separate stakeholder group composed of 27 organisations, chaired by Dr Sally Witcher, met for the first time on 17 August. Many of these organisations, e.g. the Coalition for Racial Equality and the Scottish Refugee Council, represent or work closely with people from seldom heard groups, including those from minority ethnic communities. An important part of the stakeholder group’s remit is to help ensure that the charter strongly reflects the perspectives of these groups and communities.

Question reference: S5W-18117

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 August 2018
Current Status: Answered by Christina McKelvie on 24 August 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what the outcome was of its consultation, A Connected Scotland: Tackling social isolation and loneliness and building stronger social connections.