Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-14057

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Monday, 23 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 31 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many publicly-funded Maria Mallaband Care Group care homes there are in Scotland, and how much funding it has given to each of these in each of the last three years.

All care homes in Scotland are required to be registered with the Care Inspectorate. The Care Inspectorate register can be searched by provider here: https://www.careinspectorate.com/index.php/care-services.

Data regarding funding given to individual care homes is not held centrally by the Scottish Government. Neither is it held by the Care Inspectorate or Public Health Scotland.

Local authorities and integrated health & social care partnerships are responsible for commissioning services for people in their area. It is the responsibility of individual local authorities to manage their own budgets and to allocate the total financial resources available to them, including any public funding for care homes, on the basis of local needs and priorities, having first fulfilled their statutory obligations and the jointly agreed set of national and local priorities.

Question reference: S6W-14061

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Monday, 23 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 31 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that the Maria Mallaband Care Group is currently in over 50 individual disputes with trade union members, in relation to the company allegedly not utilising correctly the social care staff support fund, and unlawful deduction of wages.

The Social Care Staff Support Fund is available for social care staff who are absent from work due to having covid-19, or self-isolating in line with public health guidance, to support and encourage infection prevention and control in social care settings.

Scottish Ministers strongly encourage employers to access the Fund on behalf of any staff member who meets all of the eligibility criteria.

The guidance on the Fund includes routes of recourse for any social care worker who has not received support from the Fund that they believe they are entitled to.

Local Authority and Health and Social Care Partnerships will have their own internal and governance processes in place and must adhere to their duties in relation to accounting for public funds. This includes ensuring that payments for additional costs are made in line with the Social Care Staff Support Fund Guidance.

Unlawful deduction of wages is completely unacceptable and any employees in this situation should seek advice.

Employment law is reserved to the UK Government, and HMRC are the enforcement body for non-payment of wages. The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS), provides information and advice on workplace rights and entitlements. Anyone can get free and impartial advice from calling the ACAS helpline number on 0300 123 1100. Alternatively there is help online at: https://www.acas.org.uk/

Scottish Ministers cannot intervene in disputes between employers and their staff, however I would be grateful if there is any information on this matter that you could share with my office.

Question reference: S6W-14047

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 31 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to a recent Health Foundation report highlighting an increase in avoidable deaths in women in the most deprived areas, and what action it plans to take to support women living in poverty.

We thank the Health Foundation for publishing the report detailing the findings of their independent review into health inequalities. Sadly, the report confirms what we already know: that excess mortality is significantly driven by deprivation, and this continues to have an impact on life expectancy.

Women in poverty will benefit from a range of actions we are taking. This includes delivery of our new Getting it Right Together approach across health and social care, improving access to mental health services, strengthening the Universal Health Visiting Pathway and expanding our Welfare Advice and Health Partnerships – placing money advisors in 180 GP practices in some of Scotland’s most deprived areas.

Women’s health is key priority for this government, which is why Scotland was the first country in the UK to publish an ambitious Women’s Health Plan in August 2021. The Plan sets out actions which aim to address women’s health inequalities by raising awareness around women’s health, improving access to health care for women across their lives, and reducing inequalities in health outcomes for women and girls, so that all women and girls enjoy the best possible health throughout their lives.

Question reference: S6F-01770

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 30 January 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 February 2023

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to research commissioned by Citizens Advice Scotland, reportedly finding that people are struggling to afford everyday goods, including period and hygiene products, and the energy costs associated with showering, bathing, and laundry, due to the cost of living crisis.

Question reference: S6W-14060

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 27 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what sanctions are in place if a private social care provider fails to use its social care staff support fund correctly.

The Social Care Staff Support Fund is available for social care staff who are absent from work due to having covid-19, or self-isolating in line with public health guidance, to support and encourage infection prevention and control in social care settings.

Scottish Ministers strongly encourage employers to access the Fund on behalf of any staff member who meets all of the eligibility criteria.

The guidance on the Fund includes routes of recourse for any social care worker who has not received support from the Fund that they believe they are entitled to.

Local Authority and Health and Social Care Partnerships will have their own internal and governance processes in place and must adhere to their duties in relation to accounting for public funds. This includes ensuring that payments for additional costs are made in line with the Social Care Staff Support Fund Guidance.

Question reference: S6W-14058

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 27 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many private social care providers have utilised its social care staff support fund.

The Scottish Government has supported additional staffing costs, including the Social Care Staff Support Fund, through sustainability payment funding to Integration Authorities.

£561 million in 2020-21 and over £700 million in 2021-22 was allocated to Integration Authorities for social care Covid-19 support, including sustainability payments. While no further Barnett consequentials have been provided, the Scottish Government has continued funding a number of additional Covid-19 costs in 2022-23, providing funding for all costs associated with vaccinations and testing in care homes, and the Social Care Staff Support Fund, to 31 March 2023.

We do not have data broken down to the level requested by the member.

Question reference: S6W-14059

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 27 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide details of use of the social care staff support fund by private social care providers, including the amount (a) of funds claimed and (b) paid out to social care staff.

Question reference: S6W-13791

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 26 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will undertake an impact assessment regarding potentially establishing a permanent Glasgow-wide integrated public transport system, in light of the announcement that Glasgow subway tickets would be temporarily accepted on both ScotRail and First Bus services during the suspension of subway services on 9 January 2023.

Regional transport strategies and developments, including their impact assessments, are led by the local authority and its Regional Transport Partnerships. We are aware that Glasgow City Council published its Glasgow Transport Strategy last year, with numerous policies addressing integration of transport.

The Scottish Government completes impact assessments and appraisals on its national policy and regulatory development, including for the smart and integrated ticketing measures in the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019, the second National Transport Strategy, and the second Strategic Transport Projects Review. The Scottish Government is also progressing the Fair Fares Review which will develop and assess options to create a fairer, more transparent system of fares across all modes that maintain and increase affordability for those who need it most.

Question reference: S6W-14044

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 25 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to provide any additional financial support to people in abusive relationships during the cost of living crisis, in order to enable them to leave their abusive partners in situations where they are financially reliant on them, and what its position is on the reported suggestion by Women's Aid to introduce an emergency support fund for this purpose.

We are very concerned about the additional hardship women and children experiencing domestic abuse are facing as a result of the Cost of Living Crisis. We recognise this can impact their ability to leave their abuser and we are exploring options around the delivery of financial support in order that this is not a barrier to leaving an abusive partner.

We are working with Scottish Women’s Aid (SWA) and other organisations to consider how this support can be best developed and delivered.

No-one should have to endure domestic abuse and help and support is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on Scotland’s Domestic Abuse and Forced Marriage Helpline on 0800 0271234.

Question reference: S6W-13359

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 25 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what (a) support it has provided to and (b) recent engagement it has had with the Edinburgh-based renewables firm, Red Rock Power, and whether it will reconsider any relationship it has with the company in light of reports that it is linked to the endangerment of the world’s rarest ape, the Tapanuli orangutan, through the construction of the Batang Toru dam in Indonesia by its parent company, the Chinese state-owned, State Development and Investment Corporation.

The Scottish Government has not provided any funding support to Red Rock Power in relation to its offshore wind activities in Scotland. Officials last met with Red Rock Power in November 2022 to discuss progress on their development of the Inch Cape Offshore Wind farm off the coast of Angus.

Scottish Ministers are committed to protecting the natural environment which is demonstrated across a wide range of policy areas including biodiversity. A new global biodiversity framework was agreed at the UN CBD COP15 meeting in Montreal, in December 2022, with the aim of protecting and restoring biodiversity across the world. This framework includes a ‘whole of government’ approach – which we were successful in advocating for through the Edinburgh Process for biodiversity - and ‘whole of society’ approach.

We recognise the importance of biodiversity and the urgent need for action at all levels to tackle the twin crises of biodiversity loss and climate change, to ensure a nature-positive world. In Scotland we will continue to work to halt biodiversity loss by 2030 and reversing declines by 2045, through our new Scottish Biodiversity Strategy and Delivery Plan.

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