Questions and answers

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 ��˿�� 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-22077

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 March 2019
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 20 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of statements in its Social security case transfer: policy position paper, how many working-age people in receipt of Disability Living Allowance will transfer to Disability Assistance for Working Age People.

Question reference: S5W-22056

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 March 2019
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.

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

Question reference: S5W-22083

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 March 2019
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 20 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the statement in its Social security case transfer: policy position paper that "before we can transfer existing claims we first need to deliver our new claims/application service", whether the transfer of existing cases is liable to delay should the new claims and application services fail to be established in accordance with the dates provided in the Cabinet Secretary for Social Security and Older People's letter to the Convener of the Social Security Committee of 28 February 2019.

Question reference: S5W-22049

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 March 2019
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 15 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government at what rate disability assistance for older people will be paid, and whether it will provide a breakdown of the components of this benefit.

Question reference: S5W-22076

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 March 2019
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 15 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of statements in its Industrial Injuries Disabled Benefit: policy position paper, and the Cabinet Secretary for Social Security and Older People's letter to the Convener of the Social Security Committee of 28 February 2019, whether it is its confirmed position that the new claims service for Employment Injury Assistance will be launched in Autumn 2022.

Question reference: S5W-21939

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 March 2019
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 14 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how its (a) social security policy position papers and (b) consultation on disability assistance take account of the EU social security coordination rules.

The policies discussed in the consultation and associated papers are not directly relevant to the coordination rules. The rules control how differing social security systems fit together to ensure EEA nationals can access support in other member states. Each participating system remains free to decide the nature of its benefits, eligibility criteria and levels of payment.

The Scottish Government is committed to its legal responsibility to ensure that all devolved benefits offer fair and equal access to EEA nationals.

Question reference: S5W-21923

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 March 2019
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 13 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Social Security and Older People on 28 February 2019 (Official Report, c. 50), what assessment it made prior to the statement of the cost of using agency arrangements until 2024; how much it estimates the transition will cost each year, broken down by (a) benefit and (b) the methodology used to calculate this, and what discussions it has had with the DWP regarding these costs.

Agency agreements are a cost-effective way of ensuring that people continue to receive the right payments at the right time whilst we undertake the work required to develop our new system in a safe and steady way.

The costs under each agreement will reflect DWP’s actual delivery cost. Under HMT’s Managing Public Money guidance, DWP are prohibited from charging another government department for services delivered with a view to making a profit. This is to ensure fairness to the tax payer and provides assurance that the costs offer value for money. Agency agreements will be put in place agreed on a case-by-case basis with DWP and detailed costs will be scoped as each agency agreement is prepared. Discussions with DWP in relation to these costs are on-going and a full breakdown is not available at this time.

Agency agreements will reduce a number of overheads for Social Security Scotland, including elements like the staff that we would require to administer these benefits ourselves from the date of executive competence, and other associated costs like property: these need to be set against the cost of the agreements themselves.

Question reference: S5W-21650

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 February 2019
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 5 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what rules (a) ministers and (b) officials must follow regarding the (i) release of and (ii) commentary on statistics to the media prior to their official release.

Access to official statistics prior to their release is governed by the Pre-Release Access to Official Statistics (Scotland) Order 2008. This piece of legislation sets out the rules and principles that must be followed, and describes who may receive pre-release access to official statistics, the circumstances in which access may be given, and the duties of the people giving and receiving pre-release access.

It gives authority to Scotland’s Chief Statistician to grant pre-release access, in certain circumstances and subject to a number of conditions, which Ministers and officials must follow.

A Minister or official who has been given pre-release access must not disclose any of the statistics, nor give any broad indication of their content or what they may show, to any individual who has not similarly been given access, as per Condition 5(3) of the 2008 Order.

Question reference: S5O-02966

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 February 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the progress of the Neonatal Expenses Fund.

Question reference: S5W-21532

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 February 2019
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 26 February 2019

To ask the Scottish Government whether Social Security Scotland has set its risk appetite.