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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-34784

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 6 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many people are currently in receipt of the enhanced mobility award of adult disability payment, also broken down by Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) quintile; how many (a) are and (b) are not in employment, and how many have been in receipt of the payment for (i) one to two, (ii) more than two to three and (iii) more than three years.

As of 31 October 2024, 156,045 clients were in receipt of the enhanced mobility award of Adult Disability Payment.

Social Security Scotland does not currently publish statistics on Adult Disability Payment caseload broken from by Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD). It also does not hold information on the employment status of clients as it is not necessary to collect information on a client’s employment to assess their application.

Adult Disability Payment provides financial support for adults with a disability or long-term health conditions and is available to applicants regardless of their employment status which is the same as Department for Work and Pensions’ Personal Independence Payment (PIP).

Social Security Scotland routinely publishes statistics on Adult Disability Payment caseload, broken down by mobility award level. However, it does not currently publish statistics on Adult Disability Payment caseload broken down by both mobility award level and duration.

Social Security Scotland does not hold this information for clients who have been in receipt of Adult Disability Payment for one to two, and two to three years. Adult Disability Payment was introduced in March 2022; hence no clients have been in receipt of Adult Disability Payment for more than three years.

The latest Adult Disability Payment official statistics publication can be found at: https://www.socialsecurity.gov.scot/publications/statistics. The next release of Adult Disability Payment statistics which will cover the period to the end of January 2025, is due to be published on 18 March 2025.

Question reference: S6O-04416

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 March 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 12 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what action it is taking to reduce the level of wildlife crime.

Question reference: S6O-04390

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 February 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 5 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the reported comment by the Scottish Information Commissioner that Scotland’s non-departmental public bodies, also known as quangos, are costing taxpayers £6.6 billion annually.

Question reference: S6O-04196

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 January 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 15 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Auditor General’s November 2024 report, Fiscal sustainability and reform in Scotland, which states that “The Scottish Government has not been sufficiently transparent with the Scottish Parliament or the public about the current fiscal situation”.

Question reference: S6F-03677

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 06 January 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 January 2025

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government’s response is regarding the latest reported concerns on the use of Hikvision CCTV devices by local authorities in Scotland.

Question reference: S6F-03621

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 09 December 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 12 December 2024

To ask the First Minister what discussions the Scottish Government has had with local authorities regarding the reported impending closure of library facilities across Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-31659

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 22 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 3 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how much Social Security Scotland has paid each year to claimants who pay (a) no income tax, (b) no more than the (i) starter, (ii) Scottish basic, (iii) intermediate, (iv) higher and (v) advanced rate of income tax and (c) the top rate of income tax.

Social Security Scotland currently deliver 15 benefits. Applicants are not required to declare how much income tax they pay as part of the application process for these administered payments.

Social Security Scotland’s low income benefits are means-tested but assessed based on qualifying benefits received from the UK Government’s Department for Work and Pensions or HMRC.

Therefore, for those who receive payment from Social Security Scotland, there is no information held on which income tax bracket they belong to.

Question reference: S6W-31276

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 15 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 27 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what monitoring Social Security Scotland undertakes of the impact of Best Start Foods cards.

Social Security Scotland and Scottish Government work together closely to monitor the impact of the devolved benefits.

The impact of Best Start Foods is measured in three ways: the Social Security Scotland Client Survey; the Social Security Scotland Client Panels Survey; and Scottish Government policy evaluation.

The most recent Client Survey findings are published online at https://www.socialsecurity.gov.scot/reporting/publications/client-survey-2023-2024 and https://www.socialsecurity.gov.scot/reporting/publications/client-survey-five-family-payments-december-march-2024.

The most recent Client Panels Survey findings are published online at https://www.socialsecurity.gov.scot/reporting/publications/annual-client-panels-survey-2023.

In 2022 the initial evaluation of Best Start Foods was published online at https://www.gov.scot/publications/evaluation-best-start-foods/.

A further evaluation of the Five Family Payments is currently underway, which will provide quantitative evidence from a large scale survey of recipients on the impact of receiving Best Start Foods. The evaluation is expected to be published in Summer 2025.

Question reference: S6O-04049

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 November 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it will provide an update on the access and exiting arrangements for the underground car park.

Question reference: S6W-31277

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 15 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 21 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether there is any monitoring of what Best Start Foods cards are used to purchase.

The Best Start Foods card is restricted to stores which sell the eligible foods and is blocked for use in other establishments. The eligible foods are printed on the back of the card.

In line with our principles of fairness, dignity and respect, we do not monitor what people buy with the card. However, the qualitative evidence from the evaluation of Best Start Foods, published on 29 July 2022, suggests that people use their Best Start Foods card mainly to buy cow’s milk, baby formula, fresh fruit and vegetables and that the card enabled mothers and children to eat more healthy foods.