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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

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Question reference: S6O-04433

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S6O-04354

Asked by: Collette Stevenson, MSP for East Kilbride, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 February 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its National Strategy for Community Justice, including the delivery of the sustainable housing on release for everyone standards across all local authorities.

Question reference: S6F-03773

Asked by: Collette Stevenson, MSP for East Kilbride, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 January 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 January 2025

To ask the First Minister, in light of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation report, UK Poverty 2025, whether he will provide an update on the Scottish Government's actions to tackle poverty in Scotland, including in relation to any potential impact of planned UK Government welfare reforms.

Question reference: S6W-32051

Asked by: Collette Stevenson, MSP for East Kilbride, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 09 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 6 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what funding has been allocated in its draft Budget 2025-26 to mitigate any negative impact in Scotland of the UK Government's policy decisions.

On 4 December 2024, the Cabinet Secretary for Finance & Local Government announced a draft Scottish Budget for 2025-26. Included in the draft Budget was the commitment to continue mitigating some of the negative impacts of UK Government policy decisions, including the bedroom tax and benefit cap, and a new commitment to develop the systems necessary to effectively scrap the impact of the two-child limit in 2026. The Child Poverty Action Group has estimated that the change could lift 15,000 children in Scotland out of poverty.

Subject to the approval of Parliament, the Scottish Government will invest over £97 million in Discretionary Housing Payments in 2025-26 to mitigate the bedroom tax and benefit cap and provide additional housing support. This is an increase of nearly £7 million over 2024-25 and more per person than any other UK nation.

In addition to the above support, an additional £20 million was recently added to the Scottish Welfare Fund to enable councils to provide more vital support to people in crisis, bringing the total investment for 2024-25 up to £61 million. Shortfalls in the UK social security system have contributed to an increased demand on the fund, and we will continue to closely monitor spend and demand trends as we look ahead to the next financial year.

Question reference: S6O-04158

Asked by: Collette Stevenson, MSP for East Kilbride, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 December 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how its draft Budget will support the arts and culture sector in 2025-26, including through the provision of multi-year funding programmes for artists and cultural organisations.

Question reference: S6W-31150

Asked by: Collette Stevenson, MSP for East Kilbride, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 3 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of the total cost of mitigating any impact in Scotland of UK Government policy decisions since 2007-08, broken down by the amount spent in the (a) current financial year and (b) last five financial years.

The Scottish Government has spent around £1.2 billion in the past 14 years mitigating the impacts of UK Government welfare reforms such as the bedroom tax and benefit cap, introduced since 2010. Of that, £133 million is being invested in the current financial year (2024-25), and over £631 million has been spent in the last five financial years (2019-20 - 2023-24), funding Discretionary Housing Payments, the Scottish Welfare Fund, money advice services, and Universal Credit Scottish choices.

In addition to the above support, between February 2021 and September 2024, we have invested £905.6 million in the Scottish Child Payment, giving support to the families of over 325,000 under 16s who currently receive it. While we are doing what we can within our limited powers and fixed budget, the UK Government must do more to ensure the UK social security system at least covers essential living costs.

Table 1 provides a breakdown of spending on UK Government welfare mitigation in the last five years, plus the current financial year (six years in total).

Table 1: breakdown of spending on UK Government welfare mitigation (2019-20 - 2024-25)

Year	2019-20	2020-21	2021-22	2022-23	2023-24	2024-25	Total
DHP, Bedroom tax budget	£52.3m	£59.7m	£71.0m	£68.1m	£69.7m	£74.84m	£395.64m
DHP, Benefit cap budget					£6.15m1	£7.75m	£13.9m
DHP “Other”	£10.9m	£18.9m2	£10.9m	£16.0m3	£7.9m	£7.9m	£72.5m
DHP Admin funding	£1.2m	£1.2m	£1.2m	£1.7m4	£2.2m	£2.2m	£9.7m
Scottish Welfare Fund	£33.0m	£57.5m	£35.5m	£38.0m5	£35.5m	£35.5m	£235m
Scottish Welfare Fund admin funding	£5.0m	£5.5m	£5.5m	£5.5m	£5.5m	£5.5m	£32.5m
Money advice services6	£1.5m	£1.5m	£1.5m	£0.7m	See note 6, below		£5.2m
Universal credit Scottish choices	£0.2m	£0.2m	£0.1m	£0.1m	£0.13m	£0.15m	£0.88m
Total cost of mitigating UK Government welfare reform	£104.1m	£144.5m	£125.7m	£130.1m	£127.08m	£133.84m	£765.32m

1. Prior to 2023/24 benefit cap funding was included in the DHP ”Other” line.

2. Figure includes additional £8m of Covid-support funds.

3. Figure includes additional £2.6m for benefit cap support and £2.5m cost of living support.

4. Figure includes £0.5m additional admin funding paid for benefit cap policy roll-out preparation.

5. Figure includes £2.5m to support delivery of the Scottish Welfare Fund in 2022-23.

6. From 2018 to late 2022, The Scottish Government allocated funding from their overall welfare and debt advice budget for specific advice relating to UKG Welfare Reforms. From October 2022, this funding stream was brought together with other previously separate funding streams to support the new, streamlined Money Talk Team service delivered by Citizens Advice Scotland.

Question reference: S6O-04033

Asked by: Collette Stevenson, MSP for East Kilbride, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 November 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its policies and collaboration with local authorities to ensure that support is provided to pupils who cannot attend school for medical reasons.

Question reference: S6O-03861

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S6W-30244

Asked by: Collette Stevenson, MSP for East Kilbride, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 27 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 8 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its policy that adult social care workers must earn at least the real Living Wage, what estimate it has made of the potential Barnett consequential funding that might receive if the UK Government were to replicate this approach in England.

Since 2016, the Scottish Government has provided funding to ensure that adult social care workers, delivering direct care in the third and private sectors, are paid at least the Real Living Wage (RLW).

As employment powers are reserved, this uplift is funded by the Scottish Government but processed, delivered and assured by Local Authorities through the annual contract variation process. This year, the Scottish Government transferred £230 million to Local Government to deliver the uplift to at least £12 per hour.

As we do not have access to the relevant contractual information in England, we are unable to estimate how much it would cost to replicate this approach in England or the subsequent Barnett consequentials.

In the absence of Barnett consequentials, the Scottish Government’s commitment to prioritise funding a minimum RLW rate clearly demonstrates the value we place on the Scottish social care workforce.

Question reference: S6O-03761

Asked by: Collette Stevenson, MSP for East Kilbride, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 September 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of the cost of private finance initiative repayments in the current financial year.