Chamber and committees

As of January 2023, there were around 319,000 people in Scotland receiving Personal Independence Payment according to the Department for Work and Pensions.

Case transfer is a joint programme with the Department for Work and Pensions. We are relying on DWP to provide us with the right information at the right time and our top priority is maintaining a transfer that is both safe and secure. We continue to aim to complete case transfer for all people in Scotland who receive disability and carer benefits by the end of 2025.

The Scottish Government’s ambition, shared with COSLA, is for a trauma-informed workforce and services across Scotland. Since 2018, we have invested over £6 million in a National Trauma Training Programme, which provides freely available, evidence-based trauma training resources developed by NHS Education for Scotland (NES) and informed by experts by experience.

A trauma-informed approach has been incorporated into all learning plans for Social Security Scotland colleagues including recoveries officers. In addition to this, all recoveries officers undertake bespoke learning on understanding the potential impact of bereavement and having sensitive conversations. Specialist training in relation to vulnerability and debt collection has also been commissioned from Money Advice Scotland.

Official Statistics covering the number of Scottish Child Payment applications received and processed are published as part of the regularly scheduled quarterly publication. The latest Scottish Child Payment statistical publication was released on 28 February 2023.

The next publication will be published on 30 May 2023 and will include information on the number of applications received and processed by the end of March 2023. Official Statistics for Scottish Child Payment can be found at: https://www.socialsecurity.gov.scot/about/statistics/social-security-scotland-statistics-publications

Social Security Scotland directly employed 3,976 staff (headcount) as at December 2022. Of this amount, 69 were fixed term, fixed term student placements and modern apprentices. The remaining 3,907 staff were permanent.

Information on Social Security Scotland’s workforce are published quarterly with the most recent statistics from December 2022 published 14 March 2023, published workforce statistics .

The Scottish Government recognises the benefits magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) could provide to eligible patients with essential tremor.

NHS clinicians are best placed to provide advice and guidance on possible treatment options such as MRgFUS for essential tremor based on clinical need.

We currently have no specific plans to raise patient awareness of this treatment.

The Scottish Government recognises the benefits magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) could provide to eligible patients with essential tremor.

The Scottish Government has not carried out an assessment of MRgFUS for the treatment of essential tremor.

We understand the University of Dundee and Ninewells hospital continue to run a MRgFUS service for essential tremor on a trial basis. It is imperative that before any new procedure is adopted into the NHS, it is first subject to rigorous clinical assessment to establish patient safety and efficacy. The trial in Dundee will help contribute to the building evidence base for the treatment.

Following the devolution of the Debt Advice Levy to Scottish Ministers in 2019, the Scottish Government commissioned the Improvement Service to undertake research into different potential funding models for debt advice. This work has only recently been completed and we will now carefully consider these findings alongside wider evidence, to determine whether any changes are required to future funding arrangements.

The Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) is an arm’s-length body sponsored by the UK Government’s Department for Work and Pensions. Whilst officials within the Scottish Government liaise with MaPS colleagues in Scotland on a range of policy and operational issues, Scottish Ministers have made no assessment of the effectiveness of work undertaken by MaPS in Scotland.

The commissioning of NHS national services is the responsibility of NHS National Services Division (NSD), a sub division of NHS Services Scotland (NSS).Eligible patients for magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) for essential tremor can be referred to NHS Tayside in conjunction with the University of Dundee.

At present, no new application has been received to designate MRgFUS as a national specialist service to NHS Tayside. NSD will continue to work with the MRgFUS team in NHS Tayside in the meantime.

For those people who have been prescribed lifesaving equipment at home, such as home hemodialysis, any reimbursement of energy costs would be the responsibility of the NHS Board. In relation to home oxygen concentrators, the energy costs are covered by a contract with NHS National Services Scotland (NSS), part of NHS Scotland and delivered by Dolby Vivisol. As such, reimbursement of energy costs for running home oxygen concentrators are made to patients by Dolby Vivisol.

Our Fuel Insecurity Fund (FIF) was first established in late 2020, as part of the wider Winter Support Fund, delivered via trusted third sector partners, to help households struggling with their energy costs who were at risk of severely rationing, or self-disconnecting entirely because they could not afford their energy costs.

The First Minister, has confirmed the Scottish Government will now build on the doubling of the Fuel Insecurity Fund announced last year, to now triple it to £30 million for 2023-24. The Fund is a critical plank in our support to people who are struggling with their energy costs. It continues to provide a lifeline to households who are at risk of self-rationing or self-disconnecting their energy use.

This will be delivered in 2023-24 by third sector partner organisations, specifically the Fuel Bank Foundation (FBF), Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA), Advice Direct Scotland (ADS) and the Wise Group. Whilst core staff costs will be provided to Energy Action Scotland, as Scotland’s National Fuel Poverty charity.

FBF and ADS have to date from FIF funding, provided direct financial assistance, up to a limited ceiling, as a short-term crisis support to disabled people for help with their energy costs related to lifesaving medical equipment in their homes.

In light of the current impact of the cost crisis on disabled people, the former Minister for Equalities and Older People approved an immediate priorities plan and set up a Short Life Working Group to focus on progressing this work. The first meeting of this group took place in March 2023 and the group will meet four more times between now and May 2024. Although out of scope for the SLWG, further updates will be provided to them on the analysis of the energy costs and reimbursement of lifesaving equipment at home.