Seòmar agus comataidhean

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

Criathragan Hide all filters

Displaying 2150 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S5W-22245

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 March 2019
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 29 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its consultation on disability assistance, whether access to accessible vehicle leases and equipment will be maintained in the event of a continuing payment being (a) reduced, (b) stopped, (c) subject to a challenge or re-determination and (d) awaiting a determination from the First-tier Tribunal, and whether the value of the access would be non-recoverable.

The Scottish Government will introduce Short-Term Assistance (STA) which will be available to clients who have an award reduced or stopped as a result of an entitlement decision and will ensure they will continue to be paid the full value of their assistance, where they have challenged the decision. If they are a customer of the Accessible Vehicle and Equipment Scheme and they are in receipt of STA, they will continue to be eligible to access the scheme until at least the conclusion of their challenge. This is, however, subject to HMRC and HM Treasury agreement to extend relevant tax exemptions to clients in receipt of STA. The assistance will not be recoverable, regardless of whether or not the challenge of the initial decision was upheld.

Question reference: S5W-22342

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 22 March 2019
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 29 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-22084 by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 21 March 2019, whether the proportion of face-to-face assessors trained to conduct the assessments for individuals whose primary disabling condition is a mental health condition or learning disability will be equivalent to the same proportions of the current caseload, which has those primary disabling conditions.

Question reference: S5W-22304

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 March 2019
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 29 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-22100 by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 20 March 2019, whether it will provide the information that was requested regarding whether, during the discussions, the DWP advised that change would threaten eligibility for reserved passported benefits, and, if so, on what date.

Question reference: S5W-22242

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 March 2019
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 29 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its consultation on disability assistance, with regard to duration of awards, what mechanism it will use to agree a timeframe to consider the impact of a condition where a person has a fluctuating condition.

Question reference: S5W-22306

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 March 2019
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 29 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-22047 by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 20 March 2019, for what reason its social security position papers and consultation on disability assistance do not detail, or refer to, its plans for a Scottish version of Disability Living Allowance for people over 65.

The Disability Assistance consultation is focussed on the new benefits we will be introducing in Scotland. People over 65 applying for Disability Assistance for the first time will not be able to apply for Disability Living Allowance and as outlined in the consultation paper, will apply for Disability Assistance for Older People. Scottish people over 65 already receiving Disability Living Allowance, will be transferred to the Scottish Government as outlined in the policy position paper published on Case Transfer.

The policy paper can be found here: https://www.gov.scot/publications/social-security-case-transfer-policy-position-paper/pages/1/ .

Question reference: S5W-22243

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 March 2019
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 29 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its consultation on disability assistance, with regard to duration of awards, how it defines "significant development milestones" and the conditions under which these would occur, and which of these would require children to be reviewed in exception to the rule that it will introduce a "rolling award".

Question reference: S5W-22266

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 March 2019
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 28 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government whether an individual can seek a re-determination or review of a decision of Social Security Scotland not to provide a home assessment.

The circumstances outlined in the Consultation on Disability Assistance in which the Agency may invite a person for a face to face assessment are consistent with section 14 of the Social Security (Scotland) Act 2018. The circumstances outlined in the consultation are those where an assessment may be the only practical way to obtain information. The approach outlined in the document has been informed by previous consultation and it is supported by advice from the Disability and Carers Expert Advisory Group. Question 64 of the Disability Assistance consultation requests any further comments consultees wish to make relating to Disability Assistance not specifically covered by the consultation document. This question allows consultees to provide any comments on areas they have not had the opportunity to provide.

Question reference: S5W-22263

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 March 2019
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 28 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with COSLA regarding the recognition of short-term assistance for the purposes of ensuring continuity of the passported entitlements that local authorities control during the period when short-term assistance is paid.

Question reference: S5W-22244

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 March 2019
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 28 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its consultation on disability assistance, with regard to duration of awards, what mechanism it will use to determine whether a person is likely to have a significant change in their needs in order to set a review point, and whether a person will be entitled to request a re-determination of the decision to set a review point in isolation.

Question reference: S5W-22223

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 March 2019
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 28 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, further to its comments in its consultation on disability assistance regarding Social Security Scotland's ability to use face-to-face assessments in prescribed circumstances for the determination of disability assistance for working age people, for what reason it has not requested specific feedback on this list of circumstances in its consultation; how it plans to manage the agency's freedom to decide where a face-to-face assessment is required, and how it will consult in further detail on the agency's proposed use of this power.