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-22613

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 April 2019
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 23 April 2019

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to publish all advice notes on social security matters produced by the Disability and Carers Benefits Advisory Group.

Question reference: S5W-22517

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 April 2019
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 23 April 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the comment in its cold spell and winter heating assistance position paper regarding Winter Heating Assistance that "No one will lose out as a result of the replacement payment", whether this commitment applies to people who (a) are currently entitled and (b) will have future entitlement to the benefit.

Question reference: S5W-22516

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 April 2019
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 23 April 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the comment in its cold spell and winter heating assistance position paper regarding Winter Heating Assistance that "No one will lose out as a result of the replacement payment", whether the value of the assistance will be maintained in (a) cash and (b) real terms.

Question reference: S5W-22533

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 April 2019
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 23 April 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the comments by the Cabinet Secretary for Social Security and Older People at the meeting of the Social Security Committee on 4 October 2018 (Official Report, col.6), what progress has been made to ensure that video recordings of face-to-face disability assessments are provided for deaf people and BSL users.

Question reference: S5W-22222

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 April 2019
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 23 April 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take where a majority of responses to any of the questions set out at section 5 of its consultation on disability assistance state that they disagree with its position.

Question reference: S5W-22220

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 April 2019
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 15 April 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its comment that “for Disability Assistance for Children and Young People, and Disability Assistance for Older People, it is our intention to make decisions about entitlement using existing supporting information only and not through face-to-face assessments”, whether it has identified exceptional circumstances under which it would expect such assessments should be carried out and, if so, what these are, and for what reason it considers that these would make a face-to-face assessment necessary.

Page 23 of the consultation on Disability Assistance sets out our intended approach to the decision making process for children, young people and older people. Policy development regarding face-to-face assessments for children, young people and older people will be informed by consultation responses.

The consultation can be found at: https://consult.gov.scot/social-security/improving-disability-assistance/

Question reference: S5W-22264

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 March 2019
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 4 April 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how many young people will be required to apply for DWP-delivered personal independence payment instead of disability assistance following its decision not to open eligibility for new applicants aged 16 or over.

The Disability Assistance consultation sets out the Scottish Government’s proposed policy approach to replacements for Disability Living Allowance (DLA), Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and Attendance Allowance (AA). The consultation document states that Scottish Government does not intend to open eligibility to new DACYP applicants age 16 or over due to the potential disruption involved with applying for the benefit then being required to apply for a working age benefit sooner after.

Stat-Xplore provides a guided way to explore DWP benefit statistics, currently holding data relating to 16 different benefits/programmes. Information on the volumes of PIP claims currently in payment to Scottish 16 and 17 year olds is publically available via this website.

Question reference: S5W-22300

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 March 2019
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 2 April 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-22087 by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 20 March 2019, what the working age client data was.

Question reference: S5W-22299

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 22 March 2019
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 2 April 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its statement that it "will establish a timescale of between 40 and 60 working days for a re-determination of Disability Assistance", what its response is to the answer to written question 232059 lodged at the UK Parliament, which states that, between June and October 2018, the median number of calendar days for a personal independence payment mandatory reconsideration to be cleared was between 32 and 36.

Re-determinations and DWP mandatory reconsiderations involve different processes. In our system, a re-determination means that Social Security Scotland will make a fresh determination carried out by a different officer, taking any new evidence into account, which replaces the earlier determination.

The Scottish Government is focused on building a fairer, rights based appeals system that responds to the needs and views of people who receive benefits. Short-term Assistance will be available where a continuing entitlement has been reduced or stopped and that decision is subject to a re-determination or appeal. This will ensure that individuals will not have to manage on a reduced income for a period. We are currently consulting on the timescales for re-determinations for disability assistance and will review our position in light of the responses to the consultation.

Question reference: S5W-22240

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 March 2019
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 2 April 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its consultation on disability assistance, what consideration it has given to a person electing to apply under a system of automatic entitlement to assistance.