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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: S5W-15073

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 March 2018
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 14 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason regulation 7 of the Council Tax Reduction (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2018, which extends the backdate period for claiming council reduction to six months, applies only to working age claimants and not older people.

Regulation 7 of the Council Tax Reduction (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2018 has the effect of reverting the Scheme to the original provisions of regulation 85(8)(b) and (c) of SSI 303 of 2012. This is because there is evidence that difficulties associated with the Department for Work and Pensions’ roll out of Universal Credit full service result in some applicants for a Council Tax Reduction potentially having good cause for an application to be backdated by 6 months.

Universal Credit is not available to people in receipt of Pension Credit, therefore the equivalent difficulties are not manifest for such cases and there is no evidence to suggest a change is required to the backdating provisions of the Council Tax Reduction (State Pension Credit) (Scotland) Regulations.

Question reference: S5W-15075

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 March 2018
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 14 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on amending the Council Tax Reduction (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2018 to extend the backdate period for older people claiming council tax reduction to six months.

Question reference: S5W-14938

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 March 2018
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.

Question reference: S5W-14937

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 March 2018
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.

Question reference: S5W-14939

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 March 2018
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.

Question reference: S5W-14936

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 March 2018
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.

Question reference: S5W-14566

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 09 February 2018
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.

Question reference: S5W-14565

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 09 February 2018
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.

Question reference: S5O-01888

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 March 2018
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.

Question reference: S5W-14564

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 09 February 2018
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.