Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-22343

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 20 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 13 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when the task group that is considering the issue of a right to breaks for carers will report back its recommendations, and how it will do so.

The Right to Breaks Regulations and Guidance Working Group’s role is advisory, to help with the development of the statutory guidance and regulations that will be required to deliver the right to breaks for carers proposed by the National Care Service (Scotland) Bill. This work cannot be finalised until after parliamentary scrutiny of the Bill has concluded and is likely to feed into wider consultation on the approaches proposed.

Question reference: S6W-22177

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 9 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when it anticipates that payments for the Winter Heating Payment for 2023-24 will be made.

I refer the member to my letter of 6 November 2023 to the Social Justice and Social Security Committee. Subject to the necessary client data being provided by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) on the dates and to the quality standards agreed, Social Security Scotland will begin processing Winter Heating Payments from mid-December. Payments will be made in batches and those clients receiving payment in the initial batches can expect to receive their Winter Heating Payment before the end of December. We anticipate that the vast majority of payments to the remaining clients will be made by the end of January 2024.

Question reference: S6O-02730

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 November 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to increase the number of probationer teachers choosing the preference waiver scheme.

Question reference: S6O-02684

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 November 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it is taking to support farmers to protect crops, including from future flood-related damage.

Question reference: S6W-20976

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 19 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how policy commitments such as Fair Work are embedded into the grant-making processes for third sector organisations.

Scottish Government grant making is allocated across portfolios to various parts of the third sector to improve a wide range of outcomes. Some Scottish Government funding will also be issued through independent grant makers or intermediary organisations. Each grant funding programme will have its own specific application criteria related to desired policy outcomes.

Through our Fair Work First policy we are seeking to further promote and enable employers’ commitment to fair work by applying Fair Work principles to public sector grants, other funding and contracts where it’s relevant and proportionate to do so. We published updated Fair Work First guidance on 24th of March 2023 to support the adoption of this new conditionality. The Scottish Government model grant offer letter template has been amended to incorporate this new conditionality, as has relevant guidance, including grant policy guidance, and the Scottish Public Finance Manual.

Question reference: S6W-20975

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 19 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what impact assessment is undertaken when a decision on a third sector grant application has not been taken, or payments are not made, by the beginning of the relevant financial year.

Question reference: S6W-20971

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 19 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it provides guidance to officials and civil servants whose duties include the processing of applications for grants and the allocation of grants to third sector organisations, and, if so, what (a) formal and (b) informal guidance has been provided in the last five years, and whether any new or updated guidance was provided ahead of the new funding application window for the 2023-24 financial year.

Scottish Government grant making is allocated across portfolios to various parts of the third sector to improve a wide range of outcomes. Some Scottish Government funding will also be issued through independent grant makers or intermediary organisations. General guidance is available for grant makers across Scottish Government but each grant funding programme will have its own specific application criteria related to desired policy outcomes. This information is not centrally collated.

Question reference: S6W-20972

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 19 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government which officials are responsible for designing the approaches taken in the processing of applications for grants and the allocation of grants to third sector organisations.

Scottish Government grant making is allocated across portfolios to various parts of the third sector to improve a wide range of outcomes. Some Scottish Government funding will also be issued through independent grant makers or intermediary organisations. Each grant funding programme will have its own specific application criteria related to desired policy outcomes. This information is not centrally collated.

Question reference: S6O-02550

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 September 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to start accepting applications for the £10 million fund for Changing Places toilets that was announced in the 2021-22 Programme for Government.

Question reference: S6W-19879

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 31 July 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-19059 by Jenni Minto on 22 June 2023, what actions it is proposing or considering to examine and address the underlying causes of the 19% increase in terminations.

There is no single reason behind the increased rates of terminations of pregnancy shown in the 2022 Public Health Scotland statistics. Scottish Government is working with NHS Boards to explore this further.

Whilst the Scottish Government believes that all women should have access to abortion services should they require them, the Women’s Health Plan published in 2021 sets out a number of ways to reduce the risk of unintended pregnancies. This includes ensuring that women across Scotland have timely access to contraception, and to information which allows them to make informed decisions about their own sexual and reproductive health. We are working with NHS Boards to improve contraception provision for post-partum women, and also to encourage the take up of Long Acting Reversable Contraception (LARC) post-abortion care.

The Scottish Government’s Sexual Health and Blood Borne Viruses (SHBBV) plan for 2023-2026, which is due to be published towards the end of summer 2023, will include a focus on improving access to sexual health services across Scotland.

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