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-22048

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 how it will manage the migration of people over 65 who access attendance allowance to disability assistance for older people.

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-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-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.

Question reference: S5W-21290

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 January 2019
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 21 February 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the statements by the Cabinet Secretary for Social Security and Older People to the Social Security Committee on 17 January 2019 (Official Report, c. 23), where it received the advice that "It is simply not the case that a top-up to child benefit, which would require intricate working with Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, could be done simply and quickly."

It is clear that making any alterations to a reserved benefit is a significant and complex task. It would require the agreement of UK Ministers and the cooperation of the relevant UK Government department to include any change to their work programme and ensure that any potential negative impacts of those payments on recipients - for example through breaching the benefit cap - were mitigated by making the necessary legislative and IT infrastructure changes.

Our experience of introducing Universal Credit Scottish Choices and working with the DWP on devolved benefits has shown the complexities that are involved when working with two social security systems. Such complexities would be increased if we sought to top-up a reserved benefit.

It is for these reasons that we are undertaking detailed options appraisal so we can examine the interrelated strategic questions of policy and delivery and assess the risks and opportunities.

Question reference: S5W-21504

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 February 2019
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 19 February 2019

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason papers presented to the Social Security Scotland Executive Advisory Body have not been published on the body's meetings, minutes and agendas webpage.