- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 01 March 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 12 March 2018
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports in Third Force News on 20 February 2018, which Fair Start regions are affected by subcontractors ending their involvement in the programme.
Answer
No subcontractors have ended their involvement in the Fair Start Scotland Programme. Both the Tayside and West Lots have seen changes to the mix of subcontractors, however these same subcontractors retain an interest in other Lots.
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 01 March 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 12 March 2018
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports in Third Force News on 20 February 2018, what information it has on which subcontractors that were originally contracted to help deliver its Fair Start programme are no longer involved in it.
Answer
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 01 March 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 12 March 2018
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports in Third Force News on 20 February 2018, whether it has audited the ongoing viability of the contracts issued under its Fair Start programme.
Answer
Scottish Government has and will continue to review the on-going viability of contracts awarded for the Fair Start Scotland programme as part of its normal Contract Management processes. Service providers are ready to commence on 3 April as planned.
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 01 March 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 12 March 2018
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports in Third Force News on 20 February 2018, whether contractors for its Fair Start programme have been able to ensure that capacity for services is maintained, and whether services will commence on 1 April 2018 as planned.
Answer
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 09 February 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Jeane Freeman on 9 March 2018
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-14074 by Jeane Freeman on 8 February 2018, when it agreed with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) that some payments of social security assistance will be made through the DWP Central Payments System.
Answer
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 09 February 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Jeane Freeman on 8 March 2018
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-14074 by Jeane Freeman on 8 February 2018, which payments of social security assistance will be made through the Department for Work and Pensions Central Payments System.
Answer
The Scottish Government intends to make payment of all social security assistance through the Central Payment System, with the exception of Carers Allowance Supplement and Best Start Food, which will be paid through the Scottish Government finance system. Detailed design in this area is on-going as part of the Social Security Programme.
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 March 2018
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 14 March 2018
To ask the Scottish Government when details of the fund to support parents of premature babies in hospitals will be announced.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 14 March 2018
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 09 February 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Jeane Freeman on 6 March 2018
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-14074 by Jeane Freeman on 8 February 2018, when it will stop making payments of social security assistance through the Department for Work and Pensions Central Payments System.
Answer
To minimise the risk to individuals and fully support our intention that there is a smooth and safe transition of devolved benefits, in October 2017 the Scottish Social Security Programme Board approved the re-use of the DWP Central Payment System (CPS) for a period of up to 3-5 years.
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 05 February 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Jeane Freeman on 5 March 2018
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-13763 by Jeane Freeman on 22 January 2018, whether the provisions in the Universal Credit (Application, Advice and Assistance) Bill 2017-19 would apply in Scotland, in light of its powers under sections 29 and 30 of the Scotland Act 2016.
Answer
Private Members Bills in Westminster are not published until around the time of the second reading, which will be 16 March 2018 in this case. As a result, it is not yet clear what the scope and extent of the Bill will be.
The overlap between what the Bill sets out to do and what the Scottish Government have already done, with the implementation of the UC Scottish Choices, does not in principle prevent the Bill applying in Scotland.
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 02 February 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Jeane Freeman on 2 March 2018
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of comments by the Minister for Social Security in the Daily Record on 24 January 2018, whether the “once-for-Scotland” approach referred to would entail no face-to-face assessment for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), in the event that this is not required by the Scottish Ministers for the purposes of assessing for disability assistance.
Answer
Employment Support Allowance (ESA) is reserved to the UK Government and we have no powers over ESA assessments at present. If further social security powers were devolved to the Scottish Government, we would be able to consider the coherence of the system and the experience of the individuals being assessed.