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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: S5W-14380

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 05 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 20 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-13690 by Jeane Freeman on 17 January 2018, what information it has received from Citizens Advice Scotland regarding the uptake; on what date this was received, and whether it will publish this in full, including on its website.

The Scottish Government has received the following information from Citizens Advice Scotland related to the Benefits Uptake campaign, which ran in October 2017:

Calls to national campaign helpline during the campaign period
Visits to the Benefits help page on the CAS website
Number of older people’s benefits checks carried out during the campaign period and estimated total financial gain for those clients where there has been a confirmed increase in benefit uptake
Results of social media activity carried out by CAS to support the campaign.

The Scottish Government has worked in close partnership with Citizens Advice Scotland during this campaign, with campaign data being shared regularly since launch, and continues to do so. The most recent data (with an updated total for the estimated financial gain) was received from CAS on 9 February.

This information is currently being analysed alongside other evaluation from the campaign, such as campaign reach, motivation, changes in awareness and attitudes and key message uptake.

A campaign evaluation report will be published on the Scottish Government’s website before the end of the financial year.

Question reference: S5W-14419

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 20 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the Northern Ireland Government's Department for Communities regarding the design and capabilities of its Household Income Database, as detailed in the document, Supporting People - Maximising Income through the Uptake of Benefits, which was published in September 2016.

Scottish Government officials have been in discussion with the Northern Ireland Department for Communities about the design and capabilities of its Database for Income Modelling & Estimation (originally known as the Household Income Administrative Database). The Scottish Government is working with the Administrative Data Research Centre (Scotland) and academics to explore the possibilities of developing a similar database for Scotland.

Question reference: S5W-14168

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 January 2018
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 19 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government when it will provide a substantive answer to question S5W-13765, which received a holding response on 24 January 2018, and what the reason is for the delay.

Question reference: S5W-14169

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 January 2018
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 19 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to questions S5W-13768 and S5W-13762 by Jeane Freeman on 22 January 2018, which organisations attended the four meetings.

The organisations that attended the four meetings (1 September, 2 October, 30 October and 15 December 2017) to discuss how best to split payments of Universal Credit between members of a household are set out in the following table. The table also includes those organisations who were invited, but were unable to attend, and the annotation (*) indicates that they submitted written comments instead.

We will continue to engage with stakeholders as we develop the policy on split payments, including seeking the views from people with direct experience of Universal Credit.

	1 September	2 October	30 October	15 December
Attendees	One Parent Families Scotland	12 customer advisers from 11 different Citizen Advice Bureaux in Scotland	Engender	Citizens Advice Scotland
	Hillhead Housing Association		Zero Tolerance	Child Poverty Action Group
	Child Poverty Action Group		Scottish Women’s Aid	Engender
	CoSLA		Shakti Women’s Aid	Zero Tolerance
	Chartered Institute of Housing		Inclusion Scotland	Scottish Women’s Aid
	Scottish Federation of Housing Associations		Child Poverty Action Group	Shakti Women’s Aid
	Citizens Advice Scotland			Cemo Scotland
	Enable Scotland
	Scottish Women’s Aid
	Engender
	Enable in Scotland
	National Association of Welfare Rights Advisers
Apologies				Carers Trust*
				Inclusion Scotland
				CoSLA*
				Scottish Federation of Housing Associations*
				Families need fathers

* Submitted written comments

Question reference: S5W-14170

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 January 2018
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 19 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-13764 by Jeane Freeman on 24 January 2018, when this work was commissioned.

On 25 October 2016 the Scottish Government published on its website a Memorandum of Understanding between the Scottish Government and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) on joint working arrangements for the implementation of devolved powers, including the Universal Credit flexibilities. It sets out a framework for co-operation and collaboration, including the development of policy and delivery options.

In line with this approach, the Scottish Government will continue to engage in discussions with the DWP on the feasibility, operational and cost implications of different policy options for splitting the payment of Universal Credit between members of a household.

Question reference: S5W-14074

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 January 2018
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 8 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to use the DWP Central Payment System for payment of social security assistance.

The Scottish Government’s priority is to ensure the safe and secure transition of the 11 benefits being devolved for the 1.4million people who rely on them. To support this and to ensure continuity of payment for citizens currently in receipt of assistance administered by DWP, we will use the DWP Central Payments System to make some payments of social security assistance alongside our own corporate finance and accounting system, while claims will be managed through the Scottish Government’s own IT system. This will allow us to deliver a reliable service and the flexibility to transfer to the Scottish Government payment system in the future. The decision to adopt this approach was made following detailed options analysis and joint feasibility study in partnership with DWP. Implementation of the use of the Central Payment System is supported by robust joint planning work and data share and service level agreements between Scottish Government and DWP as part of the social security programme.

Question reference: S5F-02035

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 05 February 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 February 2018

To ask the First Minister how the UK Government's proposed changes to the support for mortgage interest scheme could impact on householders in Scotland, and whether it has asked UK ministers to pause the introduction of these changes.

Question reference: S5W-13765

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 January 2018
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 31 January 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how much it paid the Department for Work and Pensions for the implementation of the flexibilities introduced by the Universal Credit (Claims and Payments) (Scotland) Regulations 2017.

The cost for the DWP to deliver the Scottish Universal Credit choices is determined by a model jointly built by the DWP and the Scottish Government based on how we expect people to take up the choices. This model takes a unit cost approach. It looks at the cost of different actions, such as someone taking up a choices digitally, or calling to ask about the choices, and multiplies these by the number of people who do this. The Scottish Government and the DWP has agreed an estimated unit cost of just under £2.50 for each choice that is administered for a new claim in 2017-18.

We will review this model and its assumptions and refine them in light of the management information the DWP is collecting for us, in order to agree a final cost for delivery of the choices once they have been live for 6 months. We will then review and update the model annually and adjust accordingly the cost to be paid to DWP each year. The Scottish Government will only pay for the actual number of choices offered and taken up.

Question reference: S5W-13766

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 January 2018
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 25 January 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has discussed the use of automatic split payments for universal credit with the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women.

The United Kingdom, as the member state, is required to submit periodic reports to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women every 4 years. These reports detail the legislative and other measures which have been taken by the member state to implement the Convention. The Scottish Government routinely contributes to these reports.

As part of the Scottish Government’s contribution to the latest (8^th) UK periodic report published on 16 November 2017, we set out our concern that paying Universal Credit to households rather than individuals may perpetuate asymmetrical power relations between couples, and put women at greater risk of financial abuse, particularly disabled women.

The Scottish Government will use its new powers over social security to promote women’s economic equality and is currently considering the implications of different policy options for splitting payment of the Universal Credit award between members of a household in Scotland, including the use of automatic split payments.

Separately, the Scottish Government will shortly publish its Position Statement on CEDAW. This report, while not eligible for formal consideration by the UN Committee, gives an opportunity for the Scottish Government to set out more fully how it is working to deliver the enshrined CEDAW Articles covering all aspects of women's and girls' lives. In it the Scottish Government will include further detail on its position on UC split payments.

Question reference: S5W-13764

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 January 2018
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 24 January 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether it commissioned the Department for Work and Pensions to estimate the costs of introducing split payments for universal credit in Scotland, and when this took place.