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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: S6W-08251

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 9 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Young Persons Allowance component of the Employability Fund will be continuing, and, if so, what criteria applicants must meet for this, and whether there are plans to change the criteria in the near future.

Through No One Left behind, we are delivering an all age approach to employability that is flexible and person centred. It promotes a strengthened partnership approach where the spheres of government work together with partners across the public, private and third sector to make informed, evidence based decisions on required support, flexing these to meet emerging labour market demands.

Phase 2 of No One Left Behind commenced in April 2022 with funding previously allocated to the Employability Fund and Community Jobs Scotland transferring from national to local governance.

Those participants aged 16-17 years old, and those aged 18 who are not in receipt of benefits, who are participating for between 10-30 hours per week will continue to be eligible to be paid a training allowance while undertaking training through No One Left Behind. There are no plans to change the criteria in the near future.

Question reference: S6W-08138

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 5 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that the standards set out in NHS service specifications for rare and complex diseases, such as cystic fibrosis, are adhered to, and to what extent these service specifications represent a statutory expectation of the minimum level of care that patients should expect to receive.

The National Services Division (NSD) of NHS National Services Scotland commission a number of highly specialised services in Scotland for patients who require investigation, treatment and ongoing follow up care for rare and complex conditions such as Cystic Fibrosis. Each designated service is subject to strict governance and performance reviews to ensure they maintain the highest possible standards of person-centred care across Scotland.

More information about specialist services is available on the NSD website: About specialist services | National Services Scotland (nhs.scot)

Where a formal review has been undertaken, a report of the review findings and recommendations is presented to both the National Patient, Professional and Public Reference Group (NPPPRG) and National Specialist Services Committee (NSSC) for scrutiny.

We have set out the wider policy within which NHS Scotland is expected to deliver services, and expect all NHS Boards to provide high quality care that is safe, effective and person-centred. Where there are specific issues that prevent them from doing so, robust processes are in place for NSD to provide support as required.

Question reference: S6W-07647

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 25 April 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether any jobs related to the National Care Service are being recruited by Scotland Excel, and, if so, what these roles are.

Question reference: S6O-00992

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 April 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 April 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how Long COVID has been factored into its COVID-19 strategic review.

Question reference: S6O-00977

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 April 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 April 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what plans it has to offer home fee status to Ukrainian refugees in Scotland, or those displaced following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Question reference: S6W-07646

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 8 April 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many government contracts KPMG has withdrawn from bidding for since renewed scrutiny of its practices in January 2022, and what these contracts were.

KPMG have advised that there are 23 contracts across Scottish Government public bodies that they would have considered bidding for, were it not for them having stepped back from bidding for Scottish Government work. The combined value of these opportunities is estimated to be over £137,000,000, but KPMG are not conducting internal assessments of these opportunities and so may not have bid for them all, and would be unlikely to have won everything that they bid-for.

As tenders are ongoing it would not be appropriate to list the contracts at this stage as, were bidders to understand that a potential competitor was not participating, it could distort the competition, either reducing quality or increasing costs to the public purse. However, the tenders cover a range of service types, including research, analytical services, business-planning, and economic modelling.

Question reference: S6W-06939

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 14 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has run any public information campaigns to inform individuals about the potential to (a) study and (b) work in the social work field.

The Scottish Government is acutely aware of the importance that our social work workforce has on Scotland’s community, particularly in the lives of our most vulnerable individuals. In order to fully support our community, the capacity and skill level of our social workers is of vital importance.

Although no specific campaigns have been run to raise awareness of the potential to study in the social work field, social work degree courses are often found to be oversubscribed year on year. There are currently nine universities in Scotland who deliver social work programmes. The number of individuals applying for these courses continues to exceed the number of places available, with an overall increase of almost 100 individuals in the last three years. This is shown by 629 applications in 2018-19 versus 720 applications in 2021-22.

As part of their response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) on behalf of Scottish Ministers developed the Temporary Social Work Register. This was a public campaign which called for anyone who had left the social work profession in the last five years, as well as final year social work students, to re-join the field on a temporary basis to help alleviate some of the pressures which the pandemic caused. This initially encouraged an influx of almost 300 applications to re-join the sector, with many finding employment.

Whilst no public campaigns were run for employment specifically in the social work field, the Scottish Government has undertaken three phases of the ‘CaretoCare’ campaign, which encourages individuals into a career in Adult Social Care, therefore raising awareness for the social services sector as a whole.

Question reference: S6W-06942

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 14 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether people should be encouraged to pursue careers in social work, and how it will address reported concerns that too many challenges face people actively trying to gain more qualifications in the field.

The Scottish Government is committed to supporting the social work workforce. We greatly value their contribution to supporting the most vulnerable in society, particularly throughout the pandemic.

Over the last five years, £25 million funding has been invested to support the training of social workers, including via postgraduate bursaries and support for practice-based learning. The postgraduate social work bursary scheme provides a contribution to the fees level set by universities.

There are other sources of funding that can be applied for. Full details of these can be found at www.saas.gov.uk and www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Education/Funding-Support-Grants

There are a range of social work degrees available from full-time undergraduate to in-work postgraduate courses. Social work courses are offered at nine universities across Scotland. More information can be found here: Studying social work at university - Scottish Social Services Council (sssc.uk.com)

As part of our ambition to increase access to the social work profession the Scottish Government is working with Skills Development Scotland and the Scottish Social Services Council to explore the creation of a Graduate Apprenticeship in Social Work.

Question reference: S6W-06940

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 14 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to remove any financial obstacles that may be affecting people applying for Masters level courses in social work at Scottish universities.

The SSSC has been administering Postgraduate Bursaries on behalf of Scottish Government since 2004. Funding of £2,655m each year is provided to support up to 300 students undertake the postgraduate course in social work.

A review of the scheme was undertaken by SSSC in 2021 to widen access to eligible postgraduate students. In response to Covid -19 Scottish Government approved a Hardship Fund for postgraduate social work students in May 2020. The fund remains in place.

As part of the 2021 Manifesto Commitments, the Scottish Government committed to undertake a review into the funding provision for postgraduate students. The review will be led by SAAS and areas for exploration are in the early development stages and therefore I cannot confirm at this stage what courses will be considered as part of the review.

Question reference: S6W-06941

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 14 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what funding opportunities exist for people applying for Masters level courses in social work at Scottish universities to ensure that all fees can be met without placing financial burden on them.

I refer the Member to the answer to question S6W-06940 on 14 March 2022

The post graduate social work bursary scheme provides a contribution to the fees level set by the individual universities. This is to ensure that the funding available is able to support up to 300 students

There are other sources of funding that can be applied for. Full details of these can be found at www.saas.gov.uk and www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Education/Funding-Support-Grants

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers