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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.

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Question reference: S6O-03614

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 June 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its ongoing work with local authorities, Police Scotland and other partners to tackle the reported increasing antisocial behaviour in town centres.

Question reference: S6W-27878

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 11 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it is having with the Department for Work and Pensions under the agency agreement for the delivery of Carer's Allowance in Scotland to identify the (a) number of carers affected by overpayment debt and (b) levels of debt accumulated.

The Scottish Government has urged the DWP to carefully consider people’s individual circumstances before any recovery of Carer’s Allowance overpayments from carers. Discussions are ongoing with the DWP as to potential arrangements for the recovery of any Carer’s Allowance overpayments for carers in Scotland that remain once case transfer is complete and the current Agency Agreement comes to an end.

Question reference: S6W-27780

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don on 10 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how the reported underlying causes of the recruitment and retention challenges within the childcare sector, such as gendered occupational segregation, low pay and poor working conditions, are being considered in the development of the strategic framework for Scotland’s childcare profession.

We are engaging closely with our sector wide stakeholder group and taking an evidence-based approach to developing and delivering actions to support Scotland’s childcare profession that include consideration of gender, pay and wider working conditions. This builds on the important work the Scottish Government has led to make Fair Work central to the delivery of the expansion of funded early learning and childcare (ELC).

In 2016, before the ELC expansion to 1140 hours, approximately 80% of practitioners delivering funded ELC in private and third sector services were paid less than the real Living Wage. The investment to support sustainable rates, and the ELC real Living Wage commitment has led to increases in pay across private and third sector services. Our Financial Sustainability Health Check, published 31 July 2023, reports that 81% of funded ELC providers in the private and third sector are now paying the real Living Wage to either all staff or staff delivering funded ELC.

In 2024-25, the Scottish Government has provided local authorities with an additional £16 million to increase pay for staff in the private and voluntary (PVI) sector who are delivering funded ELC to at least £12 per hour from April 2024. This commitment could result in a £2,000 increase in the gross salary annual salary of a full-time childcare worker.

This demonstrates our commitment to the Fair Work agenda, as we remain the only part of the UK to provide funding to allow ELC staff in the PVI sector to be paid the real Living Wage.

Another key action we are taking forward is implementing a process for monitoring progress with providers paying the real Living Wage and re-establishing the ELC Fair Work and Real Living Wage Implementation Group.

These are critical steps towards addressing the recruitment and retention issues facing the sector today.

Question reference: S6W-27781

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don on 10 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many women workers in the early learning and childcare workforce it estimates will be captured by its commitment to pay at least £12 per hour to workers delivering the funded entitlement.

Question reference: S6W-27778

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don on 10 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made on the development of the strategic framework for Scotland’s childcare profession, which was committed to in the document, Best Start: Strategic early learning and school age childcare plan for Scotland 2022-26.

Following the announcement of major new childcare commitments in the 2023-24 Programme for Government, the Scottish Government is re-considering the approach to publication of the strategic framework for the early learning and school age childcare profession. In the mean time we are continuing to work with the Framework Steering Group and other partners to support delivery of the actions developed as part of the original plan.

We have already provided local authorities with an additional £16 million in 24-25 to increase pay for staff in the private and voluntary (PVI) sector who are delivering funded early learning and childcare (ELC) to at least £12 per hour from April 2024. This demonstrates our commitment to the Fair Work agenda, as we remain the only part of the UK to pay ELC staff in the PVI sector the real Living Wage.

In addition, we are progressing our commitment to growing the childminding profession by 1,000 and have funded the Scottish Childminding Association to develop a new national three-year programme of childminder recruitment and retention. We have also implemented a Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG) fee waiver scheme for everyone joining the sector in fiscal year 2023-24 and launched a new national portal for continuous professional learning, which includes mental health and wellbeing resources.

We will continue to work with representatives from across the sector to understand key priorities for the ELC profession and how we can best support retention and recruitment.

Question reference: S6W-27779

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don on 10 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what the updated timescale is for delivery of the strategic framework for Scotland’s childcare profession, in light of the document, Best Start: Strategic early learning and school age childcare plan for Scotland 2022-26, stating that it would be published in late 2022.

Question reference: S6W-27880

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 6 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to reform the threshold element of the Carer Support Payment following the completion of the transfer from Carer's Allowance in Scotland.

As set out in our response to our 2022 public consultation, we are considering options for reform of the earnings threshold as part of longer-term plans for improvements to Carer Support Payment. These include increasing the earnings threshold and introducing a run-on of support to mitigate the earnings ‘cliff edge’, both of which were supported by the majority of respondents to the consultation. Given the range of views on how the earnings rules for Carer Support Payment could work differently from Carer’s Allowance, we are continuing to consider the responses received. We are also considering research, recently published by the DWP in May, on carers’ experiences of claiming and receiving Carer’s Allowance to inform our approach.

Question reference: S6W-27877

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 6 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to the introduction and operation of Carer Support Payment, whether it has made an assessment of the potential merits of taking steps to prevent the accumulation of debt among carers in receipt of Carer's Allowance in Scotland due to (a) delayed investigation and (b) non-investigation of overpayment alerts.

We have taken on board lessons from Carer’s Allowance in designing Carer Support Payment to better prevent overpayments. Information on earnings rules and when to report changes are much clearer. We are making better use of the ability to average out carers’ earnings, and using data from HMRC and scheduled reviews for self-employed carers to check and track carers’ earnings. Our systems use automated decision making for the most straightforward applications, allowing more time and resource to focus on complex cases and earnings processes. We pay Carer Support Payment four weekly in arrears as standard, reducing the potential for overpayments by allowing more time for a change of circumstances to be reported and reflected in a carer’s award. As part of the case transfer process, we also have processes in place to check earnings once carer’s awards are in payment to reduce the risk of inheriting existing overpayments. We are continuing to take feedback from carers and stakeholders to consider how we can continue to improve our earnings processes.

Question reference: S6W-27784

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 6 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding its proposals for a human rights incorporation bill, when it plans to (a) publish an initial draft of the legislation and (b) introduce any bill to the Parliament, and whether it will provide an update on whether it anticipates that a bill on this issue will be passed during the current parliamentary session.

Question reference: S6W-27879

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 6 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what work it will undertake with (a) the Department for Work and Pensions and (b) Social Security Scotland during the roll-out of, and process of case transfer to, Carer Support Payment, to increase the level of help and advice available to unpaid carers in Scotland who may have been left in debt due to overpayments of Carer's Allowance.

The Scottish Government has urged the DWP to carefully consider people’s individual circumstances before any recovery of Carer’s Allowance overpayments from carers. It is our established policy that no-one should be placed into hardship as a result of overpayment recovery. Social Security Scotland have in place processes to prevent and identify overpayments as quickly as possible, and will consider an individual’s financial and personal circumstances as far as they are known before recovery is attempted. Social Security Scotland will discuss the best way forward for individuals and anyone affected will be able to seek support and advice before agreeing any repayment plan. Any deductions are set at manageable levels and individuals can seek a redetermination and appeal where a new determination has been made. Discussions are ongoing with the DWP as to potential arrangements for the recovery of any Carer’s Allowance overpayments for carers in Scotland that remain once case transfer is complete and the current Agency Agreement comes to an end.