- Asked by: Michelle Ballantyne, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 February 2019
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Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 26 February 2019
To ask the Scottish Government which staff at Social Security Scotland will have the power to make decisions regarding a person's claim, and where such staff will be based.
Answer
At this time, Social Security Scotland Client Advisors based in Dundee and Glasgow currently make decisions on Best Start Grant Pregnancy and Birth claims.
If a client requests a redetermination of a decision then this is carried out by a Client Experience Officer that is based in Dundee or Glasgow.
- Asked by: Michelle Ballantyne, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 31 January 2019
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Current Status:
Answered by Aileen Campbell on 21 February 2019
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown on how funding from the (a) Fair Food Fund and (b) Fair Food Transformation Fund was spent in each year since 2016.
Answer
(a) Table 1: Total spending from the Fair Food Fund by year from 2016-17 to 2018-19:
Year | Spend |
2016-17 | £991,000 |
2017-18 | £1,010,000 |
2018-19 | £1,589,916 |
The breakdown of this spend is detailed in Table 2:
Table 2: Breakdown of spending from the Fair Food Fund by year from 2016-17 to 2018-19:
Year | Recipient of funding | Spend* |
2016-17 | Fair Food Transformation Fund | £508,000 |
Fareshare (distribution of surplus food to community members) | £250,000 |
Centrestage (Dignified Food Provision Project) | £200,000 |
Meal Makers (to reduce food poverty and malnutrition, improve diets and combat social isolation among older people) | £20,000 |
Emergency Food Fund transition (small awards to projects funded under the Emergency Food Fund) | £9,000 |
Evaluation Support Scotland (evaluation of Dignified Food Provision Project) | £4,000 |
2017-18 | Fair Food Transformation Fund | £743,000 |
Fareshare (distribution of surplus food to community members) | £200,000 |
Cash for Kids (Christmas holiday food provision to children) | £40,000 |
Rocket Science (Evaluation of FFTF) | £27,000 |
2018-19 | Fair Food Transformation Fund | £738,712 |
Fareshare (distribution of surplus food to community members, trial of community pantry models) | £250,000 |
Centrestage (Dignified Food Provision Project) | £50,000 |
Rocket Science (Evaluation of FFTF) | £6,000 |
Tackling food insecurity during school holidays** | £492,745 |
Nourish Scotland (Dignity Project) | £52,459 |
*2018-2019 refers to total amount granted as final spend figures will not be available until after 31 March 2018
**18 third sector organisations received grants to provide food and activities to children and young people throughout the school holidays
(b) Table 3: Breakdown of spending from the Fair Food Transformation Fund by year from 2016-17 to 2018-19. All recipients of FFTF grants are organisations working to reduce food insecurity in dignified ways. The supported projects span a range of activities that offer food as part of wider activities and services, provide or refer people to wider income advice, and provide opportunities to participate or develop new skills...
Year | Recipient of funding | Spend |
2016-17 | 29 third sector organisations | £508,000 |
2017-18 | 34 third sector organisations | £743,000 |
2018-19 | 32 third sector organisations | £738,712 |
- Asked by: Michelle Ballantyne, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 31 January 2019
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Current Status:
Answered by Aileen Campbell on 21 February 2019
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a list of the projects that have benefitted from the Fair Food Transformation Fund.
Answer
The projects that have received support through the Fair Food Transformation Fund, and their localities, are:
Organisation | Delivery Location |
Apex Scotland | Dumfries and Galloway (regional reach) |
Beith Community Development Trust | North Ayrshire (Beith) |
Bethany Christian Trust | Edinburgh |
Bridging the Gap | Glasgow (Gorbals) |
Calderwood Baptist Church | South Lanarkshire (East Kilbride) |
Castlemilk Parish Church of Scotland | Glasgow (Castlemilk) |
Central and West Integration Network | Glasgow (Central and West Glasgow) |
Cheviot Youth | Scottish Borders (Kelso) |
Community Renewal Trust | Glasgow (Govanhill) |
Crookston Community Group | Glasgow (Crookston, Pollok) |
Cyrenians | Edinburgh (Various surrounding areas) |
Edinburgh Food Project | Edinburgh |
First Base Agency | Dumfries and Galloway (regional reach) |
Food For Thought | West Dunbartonshire |
Granton Community Gardeners | Edinburgh (Granton) |
Kate’s Kitchen | Dumfries & Galloway (Annandale & Eskdale) |
Kyle of Sutherland Development Trust | Highland (Kyle of Sutherland) |
Midlothian Foodbank, Gorebridge
Parish Church | Midlothian (Gorebridge) |
Moray Foodbank | Moray |
Nourish Scotland | National |
Oasis Food Bank (Redeemed Christian
Church of God) | Edinburgh (Gorgie) |
Penicuik Community Alliance | Midlothian (Penicuik) |
Perth and Kinross Foodbank | Perth and Kinross |
Pilmeny Development Project | Edinburgh (Leith) |
Pilton Community Health Project | Edinburgh (North Edinburgh) |
Sauchie Active 8 | Clackmannanshire |
St Pauls Youth Forum | Glasgow (Blackhill, Provanmill) |
Start-Up Stirling | Stirling (All Stirling) |
Stepwell Consultancy | Inverclyde (Greenock) |
The Everlasting Foodbank | Glasgow (Dennistoun) |
West Dunbartonshire Community Foodshare | West Dunbartonshire |
Whitlawburn Community and Resource Centre | South Lanarkshire (Cambuslang and Rutherglen) |
Woodlands Community Development Trust | Glasgow (Woodlands) |
Yoker Parish Church | Glasgow (Yoker) |
- Asked by: Michelle Ballantyne, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 February 2019
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Current Status:
Answered by Jeane Freeman on 20 February 2019
To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that patients being prescribed opiates have all other options explained to them by their doctor.
Answer
All prescribing by all prescribers, requires to be in line with clinical guidelines and evidenced-based practice. Medical prescribers are also required to follow the prescribing and managing medicines and devices guidelines set out in the General Medical Council’s Good Medical Practice standards which emphasizes safe prescribing.
- Asked by: Michelle Ballantyne, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 01 February 2019
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Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 19 February 2019
To ask the Scottish Government what role Social Security Scotland’s Local Delivery Relationship Leads will have in delivering work capability assessments, or the Scottish equivalent.
Answer
Work Capability Assessments are carried out for someone who makes a claim to Employment Support Allowance or Universal Credit. Both of these benefits are reserved to the UK Government. Consequently, Social Security Scotland Local Delivery Relationship Leads will not have any role in delivering them.
- Asked by: Michelle Ballantyne, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 01 February 2019
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Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 19 February 2019
To ask the Scottish Government what meetings it has had with (a) stakeholders in the tertiary education sector and (b) City and Guilds regarding the introduction of accredited training or academic modules on work capability assessments, or the Scottish equivalent.
Answer
Work Capability Assessments are carried out for someone who makes a claim to Employment Support Allowance or Universal Credit. Both of these benefits are reserved to the UK Government. Consequently, Social Security Scotland Local Delivery Relationship Leads will not have any role in delivering them.
- Asked by: Michelle Ballantyne, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 01 February 2019
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Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 19 February 2019
To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to carry out face-to-face work capability assessments, or the Scottish equivalent, and what specific consideration it has given to people living in rural and remote areas and the islands.
Answer
Work Capability Assessments are carried out for someone who makes a claim to Employment Support Allowance or Universal Credit. Both of these benefits are reserved to the UK Government. Consequently, Social Security Scotland Local Delivery Relationship Leads will not have any role in delivering them.
- Asked by: Michelle Ballantyne, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 31 January 2019
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Current Status:
Answered by Clare Haughey on 11 February 2019
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-21101 by Clare Haughey on 29 January 2019, whether it will confirm what the new arrangements are.
Answer
The opt-in letter asks the patient to confirm that the proposed appointment date is convenient. If not, this is discussed during the 'opt-in' call and a new appointment date and time arranged.
This approach has been the standard approach for adult psychological therapies, and from January 2019 it was introduced for CAMHS and children’s psychological therapies.
- Asked by: Michelle Ballantyne, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 28 January 2019
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 6 February 2019
To ask the Scottish Government whether the new railway station at (a) East Linton and (b) Reston will open before March 2024.
Answer
The Scottish Government remains committed to delivery of East Linton and Reston Station as early as practicable in Control Period 6 (April 2019 – March 2024). As part of this, Network Rail are developing a package of improvements to enhance connectivity on the East Coast Main Line to meet future passenger and freight demands. These improvements include a number of service options for the committed stations at Reston and East Linton and infrastructure works to enhance connectivity along this rail corridor. Once these improvements are further developed we will be able to provide timescales for construction and details of service commencement.
- Asked by: Michelle Ballantyne, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 January 2019
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 5 February 2019
To ask the Scottish Government what action it can take to protect firms in the Scottish Borders, in light of a series of break-ins in Peebles over the evening of 14 January 2019, which affected nine businesses.
Answer
I understand that in connection to a series of break-ins in Peebles on 14 January 2019, one arrest has been made and Police Scotland enquiries are continuing.
Police Scotland continues to engage with local communities and conduct preventative initiatives such as liaising with local business to offer advice around the hard targeting of their premises and information on crime prevention.
The Scottish Government continues to fund and support a number of national community safety organisations to work in communities across Scotland to support people, build resilience and encourage communities to look out for each other.
