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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: S5O-00060

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 16 June 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what methodology it will use to calculate the increase each year in the financial support that it will provide for people who receive disability payments.

In last week’s debate on 9 June 2016, we stated that disability benefits should be uprated in line with inflation. We are committed to ensuring our policies are designed to best meet the needs of disabled people, and we therefore intend to consider how to do this, taking consumer price index as a starting point, in the round with other aspects of our social security policy as part of the forthcoming consultation.

Question reference: S5W-00566

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 16 June 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what funding it has provided to the Fair Food Fund in each of the last four years.

Question reference: S5W-00557

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 16 June 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken to make local community groups aware of the support provided by the Fair Food Fund and the application process.

Question reference: S5W-00560

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 16 June 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it had with voluntary organisations regarding the criteria that must be met prior to providing support from the Fair Food Fund.

Question reference: S5W-00564

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 16 June 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to extend the application period for the Fair Food Fund.

Question reference: S5W-00565

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 16 June 2016

To ask the Scottish Government whether the £1 million funding for the Fair Food Fund will continue in each of the next four years and, if so, whether it will increase or decrease over the period.

Question reference: S5W-00562

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 16 June 2016

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will carry out an impact assessment of support provided by the Fair Food Fund in 2016-17.

Question reference: S5W-00558

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 16 June 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what recent assessment it has made of the criteria to qualify for support from the Fair Food Fund.

Question reference: S5W-00561

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 16 June 2016

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a list of organisations that it consulted prior to the creation of the Fair Food Fund.

Question reference: S5W-00556

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 16 June 2016

To ask the Scottish Government whether the £1 million funding for the Fair Food Fund announced on 2 June 2016 is in addition to the £1 million announced on 10 March 2016.

The establishment of the Fair Food Fund is part of a sustained investment by the Scottish Government to tackle food poverty in Scotland. From 2013 to 2016 the food poverty budget was £500k per annum and supported the Emergency Food Fund. On 10 March 2016 Mr Neil, the then Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, announced an increase in the food poverty budget for 2016-17 to £1 million. On 2 June 2016 Ms Constance announced £1 million will be made available each year of this parliament from 2016-17 to invest in projects that provide dignified and sustainable support for people affected by food poverty.

The Fair Food Fund has been designed in conjunction with the Independent Short-Life Working Group on Food Poverty which has been commissioned by Scottish Ministers to identify the issues which push people into food poverty and make recommendations on how they can be addressed. Membership of the group includes poverty organisations such as Oxfam and the Poverty Alliance, emergency food providers such as the Trussell Trust, other organisations with an interest in food poverty such as Fareshare and Nourish Scotland, independent funders such as the Robertson Trust, Big Lottery and The Hunter Foundation, and local government. The group also includes people with direct experience of food poverty through the Poverty Truth Commission. The criteria for the fund aligns with the recommendations of the group.

The Fair Food Transformation Fund (52% of the overall budget) will open shortly and will be promoted through a range of organisations including Scottish Council of Voluntary Organisations, Community Food and Health Scotland, Third Sector Interface and Interfaith. All funded projects will be evaluated throughout their lifetime to ensure that the Fair Food Fund is getting effective support to those who most need it.