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-20877

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 January 2019
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 24 January 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to questions S5W-20555, S5W-20556 and S5W-20558 by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 8 January 2019, whether its statement that the policy “is a fully reserved benefit the Scottish Government has have no control over and cannot change” refers to the two-child benefit cap in particular or universal credit generally, and whether it considers that the statement reflects its powers over universal credit flexibilities or to top up reserved benefits.

The Scottish Government has very limited administrative flexibilities over Universal Credit. These are laid out in the Scotland Act 2016, giving Scottish Ministers the power to change when and to whom Universal Credit is paid, and to vary the amount of housing costs included in the award. We have used these to good effect by introducing the Universal Credit Scottish choices. This does not, however, change the fact that Universal Credit remains reserved to the UK Government and with it the two child limit policy which we do not have the power to remove.

Having top up powers doesn’t mean we can change the benefit. The two child limit and rape clause will remain in place because these are the policy choices the UK Government has made and it is only right that they are the ones to take action to fix this.

Question reference: S5W-21046

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 January 2019
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 24 January 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how many requests for re-determinations for Best Start Grant pregnancy and baby payments have been (a) made and (b) processed, and how many have resulted in a determination that (i) was the same and (ii) differed from the initial determination.

Official statistics, covering the first months of applications for the Best Start Grant, will be published in April 2019. More detailed analysis will be published in a quarterly publication series starting from August 2019. In line with the for Statistics, care will be taken to ensure that these publications are produced to a level of quality that meets users’ needs. Published data will be subject to disclosure control methods to protect the confidentiality of the data. There will be scope to analyse redeterminations made, processed and the outcomes, if we are satisfied with the quality of the data and can safeguard the confidentiality of individuals.

Question reference: S5W-21077

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 January 2019
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 24 January 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-20835 by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 16 January 2019, in the interest of openness, transparency and public accountability and, in light of it publishing details of similar reviews following FoI requests, whether it will ask each senior responsible officer to release their respective review.

Question reference: S5W-21079

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 January 2019
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 24 January 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-20835 by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 16 January 2019, whether any of the senior responsible officers have considered requests from other sources to release their respective reviews and, if so, what their response was.

Question reference: S5W-21078

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 January 2019
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 24 January 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-20835 by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 16 January 2019, whether it approached each of the senior responsible officers to ask if they would consider releasing their respective reviews prior to the cabinet secretary publishing the response.

Question reference: S5W-21081

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 January 2019
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 24 January 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-20835 by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 16 January 2019, whether any of the senior responsible officers have stated that they would wish to be consulted before recipients of the review share all or parts of its contents with others, and, if so, for which reviews.

Question reference: S5W-21080

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 January 2019
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 24 January 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-20835 by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 16 January 2019, whether any of the reviews have been made available by their respective senior responsible officer (a) internally and (b) to the Social Security Programme Board and, if so, which reviews.

Question reference: S5W-21082

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 January 2019
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 24 January 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-20835 by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 16 January 2019, whether a copy of each review has been lodged with its Programme and Project Management Centre of Expertise (PPM-CoE) so that it can identify and share the generic lessons learned and, if so, whether the PPM-CoE has copied summaries of the review recommendations to the relevant accountable officer.

Question reference: S5W-20986

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 January 2019
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 24 January 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that the Northern Ireland scheme, Make the Call, has generated £37 million in extra benefits for 7,765 people, and how this compares with the performance of the Financial Health Check Service.

Question reference: S5W-21003

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 January 2019
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 24 January 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-20757, by Aileen Campbell on 15 January 2019, whether it will provide the information that was requested regarding what procurement process was conducted for the provision of its Financial Health Check service.