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-20268

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 November 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 7 December 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how many members of the Social Security Scotland (a) senior management team and (b) executive advisory body identify as black or minority ethnic (BME).

Question reference: S5W-20121

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 23 November 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 4 December 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what risks or issues senior responsible and accountable officers on the social security programme board have escalated to (a) the relevant corporate board or executive team and (b) ministers, and what the outcome of each of these was.

To date no risks or issues have been escalated by the responsible and accountable officers on the Social Security Programme Board to the Scottish Government Corporate Board, Executive Team or Ministers. We can confirm that the Social Security Programme has well established and robust governance structures, processes and mechanisms in place which will facilitate the escalation of risks and issues to corporate and ministerial level as and when appropriate.

Question reference: S5W-20164

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 23 November 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 4 December 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-19205 by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 23 November 2018, how the enquiries and complaints were categorised, and how many enquiries and complaints were in each of these categories.

Question reference: S5W-20142

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 November 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 4 December 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how it defines inflation for the purposes of section 81(4) of the Social Security (Scotland) Act 2018.

Question reference: S5W-20141

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 November 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 4 December 2018

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it has not commenced sections 77 and 78 of the Social Security (Scotland) Act 2018 in respect of carer's and funeral expense assistance.

Sections 77 and 78 relate to uprating of devolved social security assistance.

Carer’s Allowance will be uprated (in line with inflation) this coming spring, and we intend to lay the necessary legislation early in the new year. This is unrelated to sections 77 and 78 of the Social Security (Scotland) Act 2018. Carer’s Allowance Supplement will also be uprated in spring and the mechanism for that is set out in section 81 of the Act.

Draft regulations for Funeral Expense Assistance will be brought forward next year for Parliamentary approval, and until payments of this assistance have begun to be made, commencement of sections 77 and 78 of the Act would serve no purpose.

Question reference: S5W-19500

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 19 October 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 23 November 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) regarding bringing forward winter fuel payments for 2018-19 to support older people who use off-grid energy and, what the outcome was.

The Department for Work and Pensions retain responsibility for administration of the Winter Fuel Payment scheme in 2018-19. They are aware of the Scottish Government’s ambition to enhance the support provided to older people who rely upon off-grid energy.

First and foremost we are determined to ensure a safe and secure transfer of each of the eleven devolved benefits, including winter fuel payments. The timing of the introduction of these new benefits will depend upon implementation and successful testing of the new social security system’s operations.

We expect the Department for Work and Pensions to support delivery of this change in line with the commitments made in the UK Government’s 2015 White paper (Cm 8990) and the Memorandum of Understanding agreed with the Scottish Government in 2016.

Question reference: S5W-19205

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 October 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 23 November 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) enquiries and (b) complaints Social Security Scotland has received regarding payment of the carer's allowance supplement, and whether the DWP has reported any misdirected enquiries to the Scottish Government.

Question reference: S5O-02632

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 November 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 November 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will rule out the delivery of Personal Independence Payment and Disability Living Allowance by the DWP under agency arrangements.

Question reference: S5W-19665

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 October 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 21 November 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how many applicants to the Social Security Scotland Executive Advisory Body made an application noting a potential "Conflict of Interest and other Ministerial Public Appointments held", and what roles were listed by applicants in response to questions of this nature.

Question reference: S5O-02606

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 November 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 November 2018

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what employment schemes it runs for offenders in order to improve their skills, reduce reoffending and increase its recruitment of ex-offenders.

General advice on CAS	8193
Requests for progress on CAS payments	1411
Signpost to DWP	611
Total	10266

Service provision	13
Policy	11
Administrative process	7
Website	2
Total	33