Parliamentary questions
Pam Duncan-Glancy
1,119 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
8 Mar 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding its Additional Support for Learning (ASL) review action plan, whether it is on track to fund and support the Young Ambassadors for Inclusion by March 2023, and how this will support the delivery of the overall action plan.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: We continue to fund and support the Young Ambassadors for Inclusion and therefore confirm that the relevant action within the November 2022 Additional Support for Learning (ASL) Action Plan update is now considered complete. In 2022-23 we provided increased …
8 Mar 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it has worked with its partners to ensure that any work in relation to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child is reflected in all aspects of strategic planning for children and young people's education.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Scottish Government are committed to working with COSLA, ADES and our partners to deliver improvements in additional support for learning implementation and to ensure meaningful change for children and young people through our Additional Support for Learn…
8 Mar 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to undertake a programme of internal engagement and awareness-raising, to raise the profile of children and young people with additional support needs, between now and November 2023.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Scottish Government is working with local government partners on the Additional Support for Learning Project Board to deliver the recommendations of the 2020 additional support for learning review by March 2026. As outlined in our updated action plan pu…
8 Mar 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to develop a national measurement framework that will celebrate the successes and achievements of children and young people with additional support needs.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Scottish Government are committed to working with COSLA, ADES and our partners to deliver improvements in additional support for learning implementation and to ensure meaningful change for children and young people through our Additional Support for Learn…
8 Mar 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it is monitoring whether the additional funding that has been provided to Enquire has met the needs of the families it intends to support.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: In 2021-22, as part of the implementation of the Additional Support for Learning review action plan, we provided Enquire, the national advice and information service on Additional Support for Learning, with an additional £70,000 of funding. This aimed to incr…
8 Mar 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether all local authorities have local advocacy partnership agreements that children and young people can access.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Children’s Service, My Rights, My Say is a Scottish Government funded national service which supports children between the age of 12 and 15 years to exercise their rights under the additional support for learning Act. The free support service comprises…
8 Mar 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) parents and (b) carers are currently (i) accessing and (ii) receiving legal (A) advice and (B) representation from Let’s Talk ASN Scotland.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Scottish Government receives quarterly reports from Let’s Talk ASN, the national advocacy and legal representation service for young people (over 16 years old) and the parents and carers of children with additional support needs. In the last quarter, betw…
6 Mar 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much it has allocated specifically to support the delivery of welfare advice in each of the last five financial years.
Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government has invested a total of £14,751,739 since 2018 to support the delivery of specific Welfare Advice Services in Scotland. The amount for each year is as follows: Year 2018-19 2019-20 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 Amount £3.1 m £2.32m …
6 Mar 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it will commission research to consider the implementation factors associated with effective workforce development and deployment within the Pupil Support Staff workforce.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: In an update on the Additional Support for Learning Review Action Plan, published in November 2022 ( https://tinyurl.com/ywu6dtcw ) we committed to revisit this research in spring 2023. In parallel, the Pupil Support Staff Working Group commissioned Educat…
6 Mar 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it is ensuring that the needs of young disabled people are considered in its Independent Review of Qualifications and Assessment.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Independent Review of Qualifications and Assessment is being led by Professor Louise Hayward. Professor Hayward is firmly committed to offering an approach that ensures the achievements of all learners, including those with disabilities, can be recognised…
6 Mar 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the deferral rate for disabled people entering higher education has been in each of the last 10 years.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: Information on the deferral rate for disabled students entering Higher Education is not held by the Scottish Government. UCAS collect and publish information each year on the number of applicants, applications and acceptances for UK providers. As part of the…
27 Feb 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much it has allocated to a National Transition to Adulthood Strategy in the Scottish Budget 2023-24.
Answer · Christina McKelvie: To date, we have been laying the foundations to deliver on Scotland’s first National Transitions to Adulthood Strategy to support disabled young people as they make the transition to young adult life, through research and engagement. The scope, vision, aims …
23 Feb 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of Scottish Child Payment applicants have had their payments delayed, and what the total value is of any such delayed payments.
Answer · Ben Macpherson: I refer the member to the answer to the question S6W-15375 on 10 March 2023. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-commi…
23 Feb 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many applications for the Scottish Child Payment have been delayed, and, of these, how many applicants (a) received bridging payments in December 2022 and (b) are new applicants.
Answer · Ben Macpherson: Social Security Scotland works to progress applications as quickly as possible. Decisions for the majority of people who applied for Scottish Child Payment, or added additional children to their award, between 14 November and 31 December 2022 have now been i…
23 Feb 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether all Scottish Child Payment applicants will receive their payments by the end of February 2023.
Answer · Ben Macpherson: Social Security Scotland received 91,225 new applications for Scottish Child Payment between 14 November and 31 December 2022. This does not include applications from existing clients looking to add additional children to their current award. The majority of…
21 Feb 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting NHS boards to (a) manage patient pathways and (b) track patient outcomes for people living with rheumatic conditions.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-15269 on 8 March 2023. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at Questions and answers | Scottish Parliament Websit…
21 Feb 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on rheumatology services.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: The global pandemic was the biggest shock our NHS has faced in its 74 year existence. Our NHS Recovery Plan published on 25 August 2021 invests £1 billion of targeted funding over five years to increase NHS capacity, deliver reform, and ensure everyone has th…
21 Feb 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how it plans to improve disease control rates for (a) rheumatoid arthritis, (b) axial spondyloarthritis and (c) psoriatic arthritis.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government expects health care professionals to deliver high quality person-centred care in line with best practice guidance. The NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) guideline on management of rheumatoid arthritis in adults (…
21 Feb 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to reduce any regional variation in levels of access to advanced therapies for rheumatoid arthritis.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: In Scotland, the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) appraises the clinical and cost-effectiveness of newly-licensed medicines. Following receipt of a submission from the manufacturer, the SMC carries out an appraisal of the medicine and then determines wheth…
21 Feb 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide the current average (a) remission rate and (b) waiting time for treatment for rheumatoid arthritis, broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: The information requested is not held centrally and is a matter for NHS Boards locally.
21 Feb 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting access to advanced therapies for people with rheumatoid arthritis.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that people living in Scotland with long term conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis are able to access the best possible care and support. The Scottish Government is working to ensure an overarching approach…
20 Feb 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many applications for social security benefits have been on behalf of (a) couples and (b) individuals in each year since 2018.
Answer · Ben Macpherson: Social Security Scotland routinely produces information at application level and not by household type, such as on behalf of couples or individuals. Information relating to applications received for benefits is routinely published by Social Security Scotland…
20 Feb 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, of the households that have claimed social security benefits in the last 12 months, how many had a (a) woman and (b) man as the lead claimant.
Answer · Ben Macpherson: Social Security Scotland does not routinely produce information on households claiming social security benefits. Information on the characteristics of applicants, including gender, is published as part of Official Statistics publications on Social Security S…
20 Feb 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, of the couples who are claiming social security benefits in Scotland, how many have a (a) woman and (b) man as the lead claimant.
Answer · Ben Macpherson: Social Security Scotland does not routinely produce information on couples claiming social security benefits. Information on the characteristics of applicants, including gender, is published as part of Official Statistics publications on Social Security Scot…
14 Feb 2023 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many free bicycles it has issued to children in Glasgow.
31 Jan 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it last assessed the extra costs associated with disability.
Answer · Christina McKelvie: The Cost of Living National Performance indicator is disaggregated by disability on the National Performance Framework Data Explorer. It was last updated on 3 Feb 2023 with the 2018-21 data, showing that disabled people spent 34% of their income on housing, f…
31 Jan 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government on what date it will launch the consultation on the Adult Disability Payment Review.
Answer · Ben Macpherson: The consultation on the eligibility criteria for the mobility component of Adult Disability Payment opened on 31 January 2023 and will close on 25 April 2023. The consultation can be accessed via https://consult.gov.scot/social-security/adult-disability-pay…
26 Jan 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans are in place to house the reported 1,111 Ukrainians currently onboard MS Ambition after 31 March 2023.
Answer · Neil Gray: Since November 2022, Scottish Government officials and Glasgow City Council engage regularly to undertake a Joint Assurance Review to ensure exit planning for the exit of the MS Ambition remains on track. Scottish Government and Glasgow City Council have bee…
26 Jan 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has undertaken of available accommodation in Glasgow and the surrounding areas to relocate the reported 1,111 Ukrainians still onboard MS Ambition by 31 March 2023.
Answer · Neil Gray: Analysis has been undertaken to estimate how many guests on MS Ambition will likely be matched into longer term accommodation based on the availability of hosted and Responsible Social Landlord properties in Glasgow and the surrounding areas. Analysis into th…
26 Jan 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Glasgow City Council about the reported 1,111 Ukrainians who are due to disembark MS Ambition by 31 March 2023.
Answer · Neil Gray: Scottish Government officials and Glasgow City Council have been engaging regularly since November 2022 to undertake a Joint Assurance Review to ensure exit planning for the disembarkation of the MS Ambition remains on track. The Scottish Government and Glas…