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: S6W-02508

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 23 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the effectiveness of the so-called 20-metre rule that is used as part of the eligibility criteria for being awarded adult disability payment; whether it plans to remove the rule, and, if so, by what date, and what discussions it has had with the Department for Work and Pensions regarding this.

Our overriding commitment is to the safe and secure transfer of disability assistance from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to Social Security Scotland, and this has been our priority throughout the development of our new social security system. It is essential that clients continue to receive the payments they rely on both in terms of disability benefit and the passported access this provides. To this end, the Adult Disability Payment criteria will remain largely the same as the existing Personal Independence Payment Framework during the case transfer process, but will be reviewed in due course. We also need to continue to safeguard against creating a system in which individuals paid by Social Security Scotland are subject to significantly different eligibility requirements from clients whose cases have not yet transferred to the Scottish system.

Changes we are making to the delivery of Adult Disability Payment, such as replacing assessments with person centred consultations, will improve the delivery and process of Adult Disability Payment and address many of the concerns raised by stakeholders, including on the 20 metre rule. In particular, the reliability criteria, which is applied to determine eligibility, will be enshrined more fully in legislation for Adult Disability Payment than it previously has been for Personal Independence Payment. This criteria requires a client to be able to carry out activities safely, repeatedly, in an acceptable manner and in a reasonable time, and these factors will be used to ensure that decisions will take full account of how the client experiences each activity – including moving around.

We have also committed to undertaking an independent review of Adult Disability Payment in 2023, one year after delivery has begun. The review will enable all of the eligibility criteria to be considered and will ensure that people in receipt of Adult Disability Payment will be able to provide their valuable feedback and experiences of the process so far. The DWP are aware of our commitment to review Adult Disability Payment.

Question reference: S6W-02405

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 23 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 23 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how much it will spend on the media campaign to raise awareness of the new fire safety laws; how long it will run for, and what the estimated (a) total potential target audience and (b) reach of the campaign will be.

Question reference: S6W-02376

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 20 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Angus Robertson on 23 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the commitment in the Scottish National Party election manifesto, what action it is taking to (a) double skills provision and (b) boost training apprenticeships and skills opportunities.

The Scottish Government is committed to supporting the development of skills to realise the full potential of our screen sector. As set out in the Programme for Government 2021-22, working with Screen Scotland through its partnership with the skills agencies, we will continue to increase skills provision across the sector, including through increasing training and apprenticeship placements. Work is already underway to deliver training targeted at areas of skills needs. This includes two programmes backed by £426,500 from the Scottish Government’s National Transition Training Fund, one which supported trainees learning new skills in production and a second offering training in animation, visual special effects and production accountancy.

Question reference: S6W-02602

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 23 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how many social workers have been employed by each local authority in each year since 1999.

The information requested by Mr Briggs MSP is readily available on the SSSC website, and a detailed breakdown by local authority can be obtained directly from the official source.

Every year in August, the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) publishes the ‘Scottish Social Service Sector: Report on 2020 Workforce Data’. This year's edition was the 10th set of official statistics. Official figures, therefore, only go back to 2011.

According to the most recent data, published in August this year, as of December 2020, there were 6,049 social workers employed in local authorities, the highest number recorded, representing a 1.5% increase since the previous year, 2019, or a 6% increase since 2011.

Question reference: S6W-02504

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 23 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how many specialist dementia beds have been available in each year since 2007, broken down by NHS board.

Question reference: S6O-00200

Asked by: Karen Adam, MSP for Banffshire and Buchan Coast, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 23 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to help provide greener, healthier, eating options for people who have difficulty in making ends meet.

We want everyone in Scotland to eat well and have a healthy weight, yet we know people living on low incomes have poorer health outcomes.

We promote a cash-first approach through the Scottish Welfare Fund and other discretionary supports, and through the Independent Food Aid Network’s Cash-First Pathways.

We have increased the level of the Best Start Food Grant which supports low income families to buy healthy food for children under the age of three and intend to increase eligibility in this parliamentary term.

Our Diet and Healthy Weight Delivery Plan also outlines a range of actions to make access to affordable healthier food options easier for those on low incomes.

Question reference: S6O-00199

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 23 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the current basic annual salary of £18,604 for local councillors is fair when many are working full time in the role.

The Scottish Government is committed to fair income for our councillors, which is why we introduced a new mechanism in 2017 that ensures Councillors' pay is increased annually in line with the percentage increase in the median annual earnings of public sector workers in Scotland. However, I appreciate that the annual salary of an ordinary Councillor is seen as one of the main contributing factors to the lack of diversity among Councillors in Scotland, and I am open to discussing with COSLA and wider stakeholders how we might support them to address this issue.

Question reference: S6O-00198

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 23 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on when it plans to report on the findings of the consultation on New Year’s Day trading for large shops.

Question reference: S6O-00216

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 September 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it has taken to address the consequences of the reduction of universal credit and any potential impact on child poverty.

Question reference: S6O-00212

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 September 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether the recent funding announcement of £50 million for homeless services will be new money or funds previously allocated to existing budgets.