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-07672

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 03 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 17 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will ensure that its forthcoming social security bill does not (a) contain and (b) allow for the introduction of regulations that have the same effect as the Social Security (Personal Independence Payment) (Amendment) Regulations 2017, once responsibility for disability benefits has been fully devolved.

The Scottish Government is very concerned about the significant impact on people’s lives that will result from the recent amendments being made to the Personal Independence Payment regulations by the UK Government. I have already written to the UK Minister responsible for this, expressing the strength of feeling in Scotland about the tens of thousands of people who will be adversely affected and asking her to reconsider these changes.

The Scottish Government does not intend to replicate UK Government legislation within our social security Bill. As will be clear from our actions, our approach to social security is very different to that of the UK Government and we consider it an investment in our people.

That can be seen in our appointment of an Expert Advisory Group on Disability and Carers’ Benefits which will provide the SG with independent expert recommendations and guidance on disability benefits.

The Social Security Bill will - be introduced to Parliament before summer recess and will enable us to deliver a new Scottish social security which has fairness, dignity and respect at its heart.

Question reference: S5W-07872

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 16 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how much the budget is for the first phase of the benefits campaign, which started in week commencing 6 March 2017.

Question reference: S5W-07898

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 16 March 2017

Question reference: S5W-07873

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 16 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what the audience reach will be of the first phase of the benefits campaign, which started in week commencing 6 March 2017.

The Scottish Government worked with a wide range of local press and local radio platforms to reach people and communities across every area of Scotland.

The reach of the radio platform used is estimated to be 1.3 million people (Source: Radio Joint Audience Research 3 2016).

The reach of the press platform used is estimated to be 1.2 million people (Source: Joint Industry Committee for Regional Press Research. 31.05.16).

Question reference: S5W-07871

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 16 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has commissioned any tracking research to assess the effectiveness of the first phase of the benefits campaign, which started in week commencing 6 March 2017.

The Scottish Government is working closely with Citizens Advice Scotland to monitor and evaluate the uplift in calls to the Citizens Advice benefits helpline and visits to the Citizens Advice website following the week long activities. We have not however commissioned any tracking study for this first phase of the Scottish Government’s benefits campaign.

The findings from the first phase of this work will be used to help support and inform our wider approach to ensuring that people receive the benefits to which they are entitled.

Question reference: S5O-00821

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 March 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 23 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what its timetable is for proceeding with the results of the consultation on increasing the number of organ donations.

Question reference: S5W-07686

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 03 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 15 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how many children would be in (a) relative and (b) absolute poverty by 2030 taking into account the already announced welfare reforms of the UK Government.

The Scottish Government has, as yet, not produced any estimates of the number of children likely to be in relative and absolute poverty by 2030 taking into account the already announced welfare reforms of the UK Government. We will be developing baseline projections over the next 12 months to inform the Delivery Plan although it is unlikely that these will stretch as far as 2030 given the difficulties in predicting both economic and welfare reform conditions over the long term.

Question reference: S5W-07685

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 03 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 14 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how much incomes will need to increase by in each income decile in order to meet the relative and absolute poverty targets of 10% and 5%.

In order for a child to move out of poverty their household income must rise above the poverty threshold. The increase in income required to do this depends on the poverty threshold which varies each year.

The amount of income required also varies between households and so there is no single amount by which income would have to increase in each income decile.

Given that the target rate is above zero it would also depend on which households moved out of poverty and which remained in poverty

It would be possible to estimate the average amount of income a household in poverty would require to move above the poverty threshold in the latest year for which statistics are available (currently 2014-15). It would further be possible to break this down by decile. Households in higher deciles will already be above the poverty threshold.

Question reference: S5W-07662

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 14 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what response the Minister for Social Security received to her letter of 10 January 2017 to the Minister of State for Disabled People, Health and Work regarding the contract for assessments of personal independence payments.

Question reference: S5W-07010

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 February 2017
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 8 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-06491 by Jeanne Freeman on 3 February 2017, whether extending winter fuel payments to families with severely disabled children can be delivered before executive competency for this benefit has been fully transferred once the UK Government has laid the regulations.

Changes to existing DWP benefits require the transfer of executive competence. Existing benefits will not transfer at the point at which the UK Government lays commencement regulations this spring, but at a later date or dates, as yet undecided, but no later than 1 April 2020.

The first stage is for the Scottish Parliament to debate and scrutinise the Scottish Social Security Bill which Ministers will lay by June 2017. Scottish Ministers will then make regulations using powers in that Bill to manage the transfer of responsibility for existing benefit recipients to that system.

The Scottish Government’s priority is a safe and secure transfer of social security responsibilities.