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-22057

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

Question reference: S5W-22088

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 March 2019
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.

Question reference: S5W-22089

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 March 2019
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.

Question reference: S5W-22084

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 March 2019
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.

Question reference: S5W-22099

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 March 2019
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.

Question reference: S5W-22085

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 March 2019
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 20 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the comment in its disability assistance assessments policy position paper concerning suitably qualified assessors, whether it will publish the advice paper prepared by the Disability and Carers Benefits Expert Advisory Group regarding such assessors.

Question reference: S5W-22109

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 March 2019
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 20 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what devolved social security will be launched in Winter 2019, after the completion of wave 1 in Summer 2019 and ahead of the launch of the new service for disability assistance for children and young people.

Following the launch of our new Best Start Grant payments and Funeral Expense Assistance in summer 2019, we will launch our new Young Carer Grant in the autumn. The grant will provide £300 to young adults aged 16 and 17 (and 18 if still at school) with significant caring responsibilities.

We will also launch our new Job Grant, a consultation for which is currently under way, to support young people moving back into employment.

Question reference: S5W-22086

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 March 2019
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.

Question reference: S5W-22053

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 by what date it will publish a full report of the case transfer research with experience panels members, in addition to the visual summary that was published on 27 February 2019.

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.