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-06362

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 January 2017
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 30 January 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether executive competence is required to deliver the Maternity and Early Years’ Allowance.

Yes, executive competence would be needed to deliver all aspects of the Best Start Grant (formally Maternity and Early Years Allowance). Following the Scotland Act 2016, UK Ministers could transfer their executive competence for maternity payments under existing legislation but Scottish Ministers would still require primary legislation to provide them with executive competence to make the second and school payments of the Best Start Grant. Powers to allow the Scottish Ministers to create the full BSG will, therefore, form part of the Social Security Bill, to be introduced before the end of this parliamentary term.

Question reference: S5O-00572

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 January 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 January 2017

To ask the Scottish Government when the Joint Ministerial Working Group on Welfare will next meet and what will be discussed.

Question reference: S5W-05361

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 December 2016
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 19 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to questions S5O-00060 and S5W-02672 by Jeane Freeman on 16 June and 29 September 2016 respectively, whether it will take the Consumer Price Index as a starting point for uprating (a) cold weather payments, (b) funeral payments, (c) winter fuel payments and (d) Sure Start maternity grants.

Question reference: S5O-00315

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 November 2016
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what lessons can be learned from the Central Scotland Green Network in relation to biodiversity.

Question reference: S5W-03249

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 September 2016
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 7 October 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-02663 by Aileen Campbell on 26 September 2016, how many households have (a) been entitled to and (b) received health start vouchers in each year since 2011.

The Healthy Start Scheme is administered by the Department of Health. Information in the following table was provided by the Healthy Start Issuing Unit (HSIU) and outlines the households entitled and receiving Healthy Start vouchers in Scotland each year since 2011.

Scotland

2010-11

2011-12

2012-13

2013-14

2014-15

2015-16

Households receiving

32871

32769

33097

31944

29427

26531

Households entitled

43275

44546

44511

43763

39638

36567

Question reference: S5W-02662

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 September 2016
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 29 September 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how much is paid in healthy start vouchers to eligible households in Scotland each year.

Question reference: S5W-02672

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 September 2016
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 29 September 2016

To ask the Scottish Government whether an increased carers allowance, as referred to in the Programme for Government, will maintain or deviate from the system of uprating Jobseeker's Allowance that is used by the UK Government.

In line with our response on uprating benefits set out in the answer to S5O-00060 on 16 June 2016, we are taking the Consumer Price Index (CPI) as a starting point for our considerations on uprating and taking views on this, along with other aspects of our social security policy, through the consultation on social security. The consultation ends on 28 October 2016.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

Question reference: S5W-02676

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 September 2016
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 28 September 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how much families with severely disabled children will receive through an extended winter fuel payment, as referred to in the Programme for Government.

Question reference: S5W-02668

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 September 2016
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 28 September 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how many people (a) claim carers allowance and (b) will be eligible for the increased carers allowance referred to in the Programme for Government.

Question reference: S5W-02673

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 September 2016
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 28 September 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how many assessments for disability benefits will be conducted before (a) it expects the UK Government to commence those powers and (b) reforms referred to in the Programme for Government are (i) announced and (ii) commenced.

Implementing reforms to existing disability benefits requires a large-scale programme of transition, legislation and implementation. As part of this programme a timetable for the commencement of the relevant sections of the 2016 Scotland Act will be agreed by Scottish Ministers and UK Government Ministers via the forum of the Joint Ministerial Working Group on Welfare. Further announcements on future social security policy and delivery will be made at an appropriate stage. In the meantime, the Department for Work and Pensions is responsible for disability benefit assessments.