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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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

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Question reference: S5W-22852

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 May 2019
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 16 May 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what the anticipated points of contact are in the process of requesting a social security redetermination, and whether it will publish a flowchart of these.

Social Security Scotland (the Agency) currently provide re-determination rights for all appealable benefits under the Social Security Act 2018. Clients can request this either by phone or completion of the re-determination form provided with first determination letters. There are at least four contact points between the client and the agency during this process.

The process is described on the mygov website: https://www.mygov.scot/if-you-do-not-agree-with-a-benefit-decision/ .

Question reference: S5W-23033

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 May 2019
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 16 May 2019

To ask the Scottish Government whether the primary focus for the (a) conditions of entitlement, (b) definition of terms and (c) processes for determining entitlement for disability assistance will be in regulations or guidance for disability assistance.

Question reference: S5W-23044

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 May 2019
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 16 May 2019

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will request from the DWP, under its agency agreement, how many people who had entitlement to carer's allowance have sought a mandatory reconsideration of a decision to (a) supersede, (b) suspend or (c) terminate that entitlement as a result of them (i) entering full-time education, (ii) earning or having an income greater than the earnings limit and (iii) no longer caring for 35 hours per week, broken down by the (A) year the decision was made and (B) outcome of that mandatory reconsideration.

Question reference: S5W-22960

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 May 2019
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 16 May 2019

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is anticipates that the social security programme will require an in-year budget revision and, if so, for what reason.

Sufficient financial resource has been allocated through the budget process to fund the Social Security programme’s delivery plans. The original estimate for spend in 2019-20 was based on an initial set of assumptions in summer 2018. These were reviewed through the autumn in the Scottish Government’s budget-setting process, and we will continue to refine the programme’s budgetary requirements for the year in line with the refresh of the Programme Business Case supporting Wave 2. If any changes are required this would be actioned through the Spring Budget Revision.

Question reference: S5O-03257

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 May 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 May 2019

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will integrate the principle of non-regression into provisions on keeping pace with EU laws to ensure that no new measures inadvertently lead to a lowering of consumer and environmental standards.

Question reference: S5W-23069

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 May 2019
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 15 May 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how many Best Start Grant applications in the initial phase up to 28 February 2019 were from people with non-Scottish postcodes; what proportion of these were processed; for what reason they were processed, and how many staffing hours were spent carrying out this task.

Official statistics on the number of Best Start Grant applications received from people with non-Scottish postcodes to 28 February 2019, and the number of these applications that were processed, are available at: https://www2.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Social-Welfare/SocialSecurityforScotland/BSGFeb2019 . All applications received by Social Security Scotland are processed, to determine whether they will be authorised or denied. We do not hold information on the number of staffing hours spent processing applications with non-Scottish postcodes.

Question reference: S5W-22915

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 April 2019
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 14 May 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding how much it will cost the Department of Health and Social Care to deliver welfare foods under agency arrangements in Scotland.

Question reference: S5W-22957

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 May 2019
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 14 May 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how many social security programme staff have recorded (a) short- and (b) long-term absences in the last year.

Question reference: S5W-22950

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 May 2019
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 10 May 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what the expected service delivery date is of the social security advocacy service, and whether the delivery will be aligned with the introduction of disability assistance for children and young people in summer 2020.

Question reference: S5W-22946

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 May 2019
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 10 May 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, if the bidder selected to run the Scottish social security system also provides social security advice, how it will ensure that the advocacy services for the system are (a) delivered, (b) quality assured and (c) audited separately from such advice.