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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-29184

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 18 May 2020
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 27 May 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what the average weekly number of items of correspondence it received from MSPs and MPs has been since 1 January 2019, broken down by ministerial portfolio, and what the average time taken to respond was by portfolio.

The information in following the table is taken from the Scottish Government Case Handling systems

MSP/MP correspondence to Ministers from January 2019 to 18 May 2020
Cabinet Secretary/Minister responding	Average Items Received Per Week	Average Response (working days)
First Minister	0.7	20
Deputy First Minister	7.3	15
Minister for Children and Young People	3.0	16
Minister for Further Education, Higher Education and Science	2.2	16
Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Local Government	2.7	21
Minister for Local Government and Housing	9.5	14
Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Fair Work and Culture	6.6	15
Minister for Business, Fair Work and Skills	2.8	19
Minister for Trade, Investment and Innovation	0.5	19
Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform	7.2	19
Minister for Rural Affairs and the Natural Environment	2.2	18
Cabinet Secretary for Finance	9.0	21
Minister for Public Finance and Migration	4.1	13
Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, Europe and External Affairs	0.6	13
Minister for Parliamentary Business and Veterans	1.3	21
Minister for Europe and International Development	0.1	15
Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport	23.9	18
Minister for Mental Health	3.2	21
Minister for Public Health, Sport and Wellbeing	8.4	19
Cabinet Secretary for Justice	6.1	20
Minister for Community Safety	3.9	19
Cabinet Secretary for Rural Economy and Tourism	6.6	11
Cabinet Secretary for Social Security and Older People	2.2	18
Minister for Older People and Equalities	0.8	18
Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity	13.0	16
Minister for Energy, Connectivity and the Islands	5.7	44
Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Economy and Fair Work	2.2	15
Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism and External Affairs	3.8	18
Cabinet Secretary for Government Business and Constitutional Relations	0.5	17
Cabinet Secretary for the Rural Economy	7.1	14
Minister for Public Finance and Digital Economy	4.9	20
Minister for Europe, Migration and International Development	1.7	17

Question reference: S5W-29371

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S5W-28945

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 May 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 26 May 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how many times the Cabinet has met since the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak as a pandemic on 11 March 2020; on what dates these meetings took place, and how many were held in a (a) partly- and (b) fully-remote manner.

Since the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak as a pandemic on 11 March 2020, the Scottish Cabinet has met 11 times, up to and including 19 May. The dates of these 11 meetings are as follows. From 24 March onwards, all of these meetings have been held by teleconference, with a minimum number of Ministers and supporting officials attending in person, while observing the required strict physical distancing and hygiene requirements.

Cabinet meetings held between 11 March and 19 May:

17 March

24 March

31 March

7 April

14 April

21 April

28 April

5 May

10 May

12 May

19 May

Question reference: S5O-04351

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 May 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 May 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the long-term health impacts of suspending non-emergency NHS services and procedures because of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Question reference: S5W-28687

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 April 2020
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 6 May 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what the rate of staff absence has been in (a) Social Security Scotland and (b) the Social Security Directorate during the COVID-19 outbreak.

In March 2020 there were an average of 19 Social Security Directorate absences (both sickness and special leave), and 21 Social Security Scotland absences per day, representing 4.1% and 3.5% of staff respectively. This compares to a Core Scottish Government figure of 4.3% for the same period.

Source: Management Information from Scottish Government eHR system - absences recorded by 28 April, directly employed staff in post as at the start of each month.

eHR absence data is reliant on timely recording on the system by the relevant employee and/or their line manager. Fewer than 30% of absences are recorded on the first day of absence and it takes up to two weeks to record 90% of absences on the system. Therefore, data up to end April will not be available until after mid-May.

Question reference: S5W-28682

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 April 2020
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 28 April 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to increase the frequency of publication during the COVID-19 outbreak of statistical and management information regarding (a) applications, (b) decisions, (c) payments and (d) expenditure for (i) the Scottish Welfare Fund and (ii) locally administered council tax reduction.

We have no current plans to increase the frequency with which we publish information about devolved social security benefits, the Scottish Welfare Fund or the Council Tax Reduction Scheme.

Officials are in regular contact with staff in Social Security Scotland and in 32 local authorities who are working hard to make sure that payments continue to be made to people across Scotland who need help. It is right that they continue to focus on doing so rather than on the production of additional statistical or management information.

Question reference: S5W-28685

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 April 2020
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 28 April 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what change in (a) Best Start Grant applications, (b) Funeral Support Payment applications and (c) Carer's Allowance Supplement caseload Social Security Scotland (i) has experienced and (ii) expects to experience since the start of the of the COVID-19 outbreak.

The number of applications received, decisions made, payments and expenditure for Best Start Grant and Funeral Support Payment since the start of the Covid-19 outbreak have remained fairly consistent.

Given the increases seen in numbers of people applying for DWP unemployment benefits, it is likely that the number of people in Scotland who are eligible for Social Security Scotland benefits will increase. We may therefore expect to see an increase in applications, and subsequently expenditure, over the coming months.

Carer’s Allowance Supplement is made to Scottish recipients of Carer’s Allowance on specific eligibility dates. DWP continue to administer Carer’s Allowance, and they send us a data twice a year to identify those eligible for Carer’s Allowance Supplement on each of the eligibility dates. The data are sent to Social Security Scotland around six weeks after each Carer’s Allowance Supplement eligibility date to allow them to make Carer’s Allowance Supplement payments. The latest eligibility date was 13 th April, therefore we are not due to receive data from DWP until late May. We would not anticipate caseload for Carer’s Allowance Supplement to have changed due to Covid-19.

Scottish Government are working with Citizens Advice Scotland to run a campaign to support people to find out and access all the financial assistance that they are entitled to. This will appear on digital, radio and broadcast channels and be supported by a PR campaign. We are also working with other intermediaries to get this message out there - creating a bank of stakeholder resources in accessible formats and content that can be ordered by voluntary organisations to distribute to very vulnerable people in local communities. Social Security Scotland is also underpinning this with its ongoing marketing activity to encourage people to access the benefits it offers. This includes promoting easements that were included in the recent Coronavirus (Scotland) Act.

Question reference: S5W-28686

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 April 2020
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 28 April 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Social Security and Older People on 1 April 2020 (Official Report, c. 53), whether contingent workers on the Social Security Programme are being retained.

Contractors are retained in the Social Security Programme where their specialist skills are needed, as they are in normal times.

The Scottish Government is committed to supporting all members of our workforce during this unprecedented time, as well as ensuring we have the resources necessary to continue to build the new social security system, taking account of staff absence through sickness or caring responsibilities. Resources are being reallocated within the Programme to support current priorities, including focusing resources on delivering the Scottish Child Payment as soon as possible, to support families on low incomes particularly at risk from the pandemic.

Question reference: S5W-28684

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 April 2020
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 28 April 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what management information it has received from the DWP regarding increases in universal credit caseload in Scotland as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Question reference: S5W-28688

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 April 2020
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 28 April 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Social Security and Older People on 1 April 2020 (Official Report, c. 53), whether work on the Social Security Programme has been paused.

As I informed Parliament in my statement on 1 April, work in the Social Security Programme has not stopped. We have focused remaining resources on delivering the Scottish Child Payment as soon as possible, to support families on low incomes particularly at risk from the pandemic. Work also continues on designing our new disability assistance, albeit at a slower schedule as this relies heavily on engagement with health and social care professionals who are rightly engaged on the front line at present.

Significant uncertainty remains around when we will be able to return to near normal working within the Social Security Programme, Social Security Scotland, the wider Scottish Government, and with suppliers and partners, including DWP. I will keep Parliament updated as the situation becomes clearer.