Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-22839

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 21 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-19380 by Jenni Minto on 11 July 2023, what steps it is taking to review the conclusion of the National Services Division's National Specialist Services Committee assessment in 2018, which concluded there was insufficient evidence to support a formal national service at that time, in light of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) having approved magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) for essential tremor (ET) with special arrangements, and NHS England subsequently commissioning MRgFUS as a national service from the same evidence base.

Decisions on the national designation of services are considered by NHS National Services Division (NHS NSD) as part of NHS National Services Scotland.

NHS NSD have encouraged the MRgFUS team in NHS Tayside to submit a formal application for national designation of the MRgFUS service in Dundee, supported by the health board’s Executive Leadership Team, for consideration and scrutiny. NHS NSD hopes to receive such an application from NHS Tayside for 2024-25.

Question reference: S6W-22344

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 20 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 15 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how it was decided who would be represented on task group that is considering the issue of a right to breaks for carers.

Group membership has been identified through dialogue between Scottish Government officials and organisations representing carers, local carer centres and statutory organisations expected to be involved in implementing the proposed right to breaks from caring. Further members were invited following a discussion at the group’s first meeting, to help ensure a good spread of expertise to enable the group to fulfil its remit.

Question reference: S6W-22342

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 20 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 13 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government who is on the task group that is considering the issue of a right to breaks for carers, and what organisations they represent.

The Right to Breaks Regulations and Guidance Working Group is made up of representatives from:

unpaid carers
Shared Care Scotland
Coalition of Carers in Scotland
MECOPP
Carers Trust Scotland (representing young carers)
Carer Centre Managers Network
Health and Social Care Partnerships – Borders, Edinburgh, Falkirk, North Ayrshire
COSLA
Social Work Scotland
Scottish Government

As the names of group members is personal data of a third party, disclosing that would contravene the data protection principles in Article 5(1) of the General Data Protection Regulation and in section 34(1) of the Data Protection Act 2018.

Question reference: S6W-22343

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 20 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 13 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when the task group that is considering the issue of a right to breaks for carers will report back its recommendations, and how it will do so.

The Right to Breaks Regulations and Guidance Working Group’s role is advisory, to help with the development of the statutory guidance and regulations that will be required to deliver the right to breaks for carers proposed by the National Care Service (Scotland) Bill. This work cannot be finalised until after parliamentary scrutiny of the Bill has concluded and is likely to feed into wider consultation on the approaches proposed.

Question reference: S6W-22177

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 9 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when it anticipates that payments for the Winter Heating Payment for 2023-24 will be made.

I refer the member to my letter of 6 November 2023 to the Social Justice and Social Security Committee. Subject to the necessary client data being provided by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) on the dates and to the quality standards agreed, Social Security Scotland will begin processing Winter Heating Payments from mid-December. Payments will be made in batches and those clients receiving payment in the initial batches can expect to receive their Winter Heating Payment before the end of December. We anticipate that the vast majority of payments to the remaining clients will be made by the end of January 2024.

Question reference: S6O-02730

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 November 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to increase the number of probationer teachers choosing the preference waiver scheme.

Question reference: S6O-02684

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 November 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it is taking to support farmers to protect crops, including from future flood-related damage.

Question reference: S6W-20976

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 19 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how policy commitments such as Fair Work are embedded into the grant-making processes for third sector organisations.

Scottish Government grant making is allocated across portfolios to various parts of the third sector to improve a wide range of outcomes. Some Scottish Government funding will also be issued through independent grant makers or intermediary organisations. Each grant funding programme will have its own specific application criteria related to desired policy outcomes.

Through our Fair Work First policy we are seeking to further promote and enable employers’ commitment to fair work by applying Fair Work principles to public sector grants, other funding and contracts where it’s relevant and proportionate to do so. We published updated Fair Work First guidance on 24th of March 2023 to support the adoption of this new conditionality. The Scottish Government model grant offer letter template has been amended to incorporate this new conditionality, as has relevant guidance, including grant policy guidance, and the Scottish Public Finance Manual.

Question reference: S6W-20972

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 19 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government which officials are responsible for designing the approaches taken in the processing of applications for grants and the allocation of grants to third sector organisations.

Scottish Government grant making is allocated across portfolios to various parts of the third sector to improve a wide range of outcomes. Some Scottish Government funding will also be issued through independent grant makers or intermediary organisations. Each grant funding programme will have its own specific application criteria related to desired policy outcomes. This information is not centrally collated.

Question reference: S6W-20975

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 19 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what impact assessment is undertaken when a decision on a third sector grant application has not been taken, or payments are not made, by the beginning of the relevant financial year.

Chamber and committees