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 MSPs 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-29197

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 May 2020
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 4 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what criteria were used to allocate the first tranche of funding from the Supporting Communities Fund, and what criteria it will use to allocate the second tranche.

I announced the Supporting Communities Fund (SCF) on 18 March 2020 as part of a package of £350 million investment to support local communities and households in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. This overall investment has comprised of a range of funds to be delivered using a combination of approaches to ensure that resource is mobilised quickly to the places and people where it is needed.

Through our partners/intermediaries we identified community anchor organisations (CAOs) that could maximise the impact of SCF, ensuring funding is quickly and effectively allocated to grassroots and small community based groups. CAOs include charities, voluntary organisations, community controlled housing associations, and social enterprises based in Scotland and delivering services/activities in Scottish communities.

Approvals for SCF allocations have been based on proposals invited from CAOs. The fund has not been operated on an open bid basis. A degree of flexibility is maintained, rather than committing to a rigid distribution methodology. This is especially important given the degree of uncertainty around how coronavirus will continue to impact society.

A second phase of the funding has already commenced, and we are engaging with an extended group of partners including Third Sector Interfaces and Local Authorities to help address where there may be gaps in current provision and where there remains a need for support. Additional guidance to support these partners will be provided as needed to support this next phase of the fund, which will include information to support signposting community organisations to the support available locally and through the fund.

Question reference: S5W-29200

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 May 2020
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 4 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what involvement COSLA had in allocating the first tranche of funding, and will have in allocating the second tranche of funding, from the Supporting Communities Fund.

The £40m Supporting Communities Fund is a Scottish Government fund aimed at local community groups supporting people in their communities impacted by COVID-19. The fund is being targeted through community anchor organisations, utilising and building upon the knowledge and experience of delivering community regeneration funding working with our community development and community regeneration partners. We have approved Supporting Communities Funding for 325 community anchor organisations to date, totalling £12.921m.

We are in regular discussion with COSLA about the funding and will continue to engage with them and partners including Third Sector Interfaces and Local Authorities to gauge and address any gaps in support. We have worked closely with COSLA and local authorities over a number of years to target investment and support to disadvantaged communities across Scotland, which in turn has enabled us to be in a strong position to make use of existing relationships to channel funding

Question reference: S5W-29201

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 May 2020
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 4 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what role SCVO has in allocating grants from the Supporting Communities Fund.

Question reference: S5W-29274

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 May 2020
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 29 May 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how much extra money it has put into the Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP) fund since the start of the COVID-19 crisis.

On 20 May the Minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning announced in the Scottish Parliament an increase to the amount made available for other DHPs - those that are available outside of our full mitigation of the bedroom tax - by a further £5 million to almost £16 million. This will support tenants where Universal Credit or Housing Benefit does not cover the cost of their rent.

We have budgeted £60 million for bedroom tax mitigation through DHPs in 2020-21 and expect the cost of mitigation to significantly increase over and above this due to the additional numbers of people moving on to Universal Credit and we remain committed to mitigating the cost in full.

Local Authorities may also top up their DHP budgets as they see fit from other sources of funding available to them, such as the £50 million COVID-19 Hardship Fund money announced as part of a £350 million package of support on 18 March 2020.

Question reference: S5W-29275

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 May 2020
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 29 May 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has extended the eligibility criteria for the Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP) fund, in light of the COVID-19 crisis.

The power of the Scottish Ministers to make provision in relation to Discretionary Housing Payments is restricted by schedule 5 of the Scotland Act 1998. As a result, the Scottish Ministers have no power to extend eligibility for Discretionary Housing Payments beyond individuals who are in receipt of Housing Benefit, or another reserved benefit payable in respect of liability to make rent payments.

Question reference: S5W-29025

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 May 2020
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 28 May 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether there are plans to extend 100% rates relief to estate agents, to match that given to letting agents in March 2020.

The Scottish Government has introduced a package of support measures to limit the impact of COVID-19 on the business community, this includes a 100 per cent rate relief for non-domestic properties in the Retail, Hospitality, Leisure and Airport (RHLA) sectors. Estate Agents functions in Scotland are typically undertaken by solicitors alongside a wider variety of service activity such as conveyancing, mortgage services and private client legal services. Therefore they are not considered to be part of the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors and are not eligible for this relief. In designing the support package, we had to balance helping as many businesses as possible against affordability. As it is not possible to help everyone we would want to, some sectors are excluded from the RHLA relief.

The new measures also include a universal 1.6 per cent rates relief, which is available for all non-domestic properties across Scotland. Estate agents will be able to benefit from the 1.6% universal rates relief in 2020-21, which will apply automatically to their non-domestic rates bills.

Estate agents may also be eligible for the Small Business Grant scheme for premises in receipt of the Small Business Bonus Scheme (SBBS), or eligible for the SBBS but in receipt of a range of other reliefs.

Question reference: S5F-04139

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 18 May 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 May 2020

To ask the First Minister what analysis the Scottish Government has made regarding the potential impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on women's position in the labour market.

Question reference: S5W-28264

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 April 2020
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 22 April 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of public concerns regarding the COVID-19 outbreak, and to keep the public informed, what action it will take to prioritise and expedite responses to parliamentary questions on this issue, and whether it will consider introducing a shorter expected answer date procedure.

The Government endeavours to ensure that all parliamentary questions are answered as soon as possible and within relevant guidelines as reflected in Standing Orders.

Scottish Ministers recognise that members' may receive a significant number of queries from members of the public concerned about a range of issues related to the Coronavirus pandemic. That is why the Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, Europe and External Affairs recently wrote to all members confirming a variety of means by which such queries can be put to the Government. Members were provided with details of contact points within the Scottish Government, where MSPs can either request or obtain information covering key elements of ministerial activity in response to the pandemic.

Question reference: S5W-28031

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 23 March 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 17 April 2020

To ask the Scottish Government where each COVID-19 test centre is located.

Question reference: S5W-28156

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 30 March 2020
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 3 April 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) assessments will be suspended due to COVID-19.

Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) is a working age benefit which remains remain reserved to the UK Government. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) announced that face-to-face assessments for ESA will be suspended for three months, with effect from 17 March, to protect vulnerable adults from unnecessary risk of exposure to COVID-19. The DWP has advised that face-to-face assessments will be replaced by alternative arrangements which could involve either telephone or paper-based assessments.