- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 March 2019
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Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 26 March 2019
To ask the Scottish Government whether an individual will have an absolute right to a home assessment for disability assistance in the event that they request one as a result of Social Security Scotland having determined that a face-to-face assessment is required.
Answer
We have committed to providing home assessments for those who need them. Our Consultation on Disability Assistance seeks views on the details of this and responses to the consultation will inform policy development.
The consultation can be found at:
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 14 March 2019
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Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 21 March 2019
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the comment in its disability assistance assessments policy position paper that "we therefore intend to provide a proportion of assessors with additional training in the impact of mental health conditions and learning disabilities", what proportion of assessors will have this additional training, and how this will compare with the current proportion of assessors with such training.
Answer
The proportion of assessors required to undertake this training has still to be determined. In doing so, the Scottish Government will undertake modelling taking into account feedback from the current Disability Assistance consultation as well as input from the Disability and Carer Benefits Expert Advisory Group.
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 14 March 2019
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Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 21 March 2019
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the comments in its duration of awards and automatic entitlement for disability assistance policy position paper, how it defines non-engagement with a light-touch review, and on what other occasions Social Security Scotland will have the power to stop a person's disability assistance.
Answer
The Scottish Government will use feedback from the current Disability Assistance consultation and the Experience Panels to develop the definition of non-engagement with a light-touch review. We will also use this feedback to define the circumstances where powers to stop a client’s disability assistance may be required.
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 14 March 2019
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Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 21 March 2019
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the comments in its duration of awards and automatic entitlement for disability assistance policy position paper, other than by way of a change of circumstances, what standard of evidence will be required to justify a review before the indicated award review date as a result of information being provided to Social Security Scotland.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to S5W-22092 on 21 March 2019. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at .
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 14 March 2019
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Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 21 March 2019
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the comment in its severe disablement allowance (SDA) position paper that, "In 2018 a survey was issued to Experience Panel members inviting them to share their experience of SDA. Although only a small number of responses were received, members did not raise any significant concerns or identify areas for change", which panel report contains the responses, and whether it will publish the background or source data.
Answer
Give that fewer than 10 Experience Panel members took part the data will be not be published as there is a risk it could be disclosive. No concerns were identified from the small number of panel members spoken to.
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 14 March 2019
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Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 21 March 2019
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the comments in its duration of awards and automatic entitlement for disability assistance policy position paper, whether all information supplied to Social Security Scotland, regardless of whether it is formally regarded as a change of circumstance, would be permissible to justify a review before the indicated award review date.
Answer
The Scottish Government will use feedback from the current Disability Assistance consultation and the Experience Panels to develop a framework on when undertaking a light-touch review earlier than the set award review date might be required.
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 March 2019
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Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 21 March 2019
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the statements in its position paper on Short Term Assistance, for what reason it decided to use the civil legal test of "balance of probabilities" to determine whether to reduce or stop an individual's payments during a fraud investigation, and whether it considered using the criminal legal test as part of this decision.
Answer
The Scottish Government has chosen to propose a “balance of probabilities” test in determining when to stop providing assistance, where it suspects fraud, as an appropriate level of protection to the public purse.
We believe that it would be disproportionate to apply a stringent criminal test to benefit decisions
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 March 2019
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Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 20 March 2019
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish the severe disablement allowance mortality statistics that it has requested from the DWP.
Answer
To date, the Scottish Government has not specifically requested "mortality statistics" on Severe Disablement Allowance from The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 14 March 2019
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Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 20 March 2019
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the comments in its disability assistance qualifying periods policy position paper, what evidence it received that demonstrated that changing the qualifying periods for disability assistance would cause the people entitled to disability assistance to have "confusion and disruption"; who provided this advice, and whether it will publish it.
Answer
As stated in the policy position paper, where clients receive passported benefits up to six months later than when they started to be paid Disability Assistance, we believe this would result in confusion and disruption to clients.
We will use the feedback from the consultation to inform our drafting of regulations for all forms of Disability Assistance, including qualifying periods.
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 March 2019
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Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 20 March 2019
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the statements in its Support for Carers position paper, what other changes to eligibility clients and stakeholders have asked it to consider.
Answer
As part of building foundations for long term carer benefits, the Scottish Government has engaged with carers and carer organisations to identify potential areas for change. These suggestions include:
- Extending the eligibility to those with multiple caring responsibilities and reducing the time required spent caring.
- Exploring the possibility of introducing different levels of benefits for those with different caring commitments in different circumstances.
- Removing restrictions on those studying and looking at ways of encouraging carers into work and education.
- Exploring further payments for pensioners with caring responsibilities including to those already with underlying entitlements.
- Extending the period that CA is paid to a carer when the cared-for person dies or goes into hospital.
- Offering benefits in kind