Pam Duncan-Glancy

7 Nov 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the progress of the proposed independent review of the Scottish Welfare Fund.

Answer · Ben Macpherson: The Scottish Welfare Fund is a key priority for the Scottish Government, which is why we instructed an Independent Review within the first year of this Parliament. The Review is a substantial and comprehensive exercise to examine purpose, funding levels, Loc…

7 Nov 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the implementation timetable for the roll-out of the new Scottish Carers Allowance.

Answer · Ben Macpherson: We will begin to roll out Scottish Carer’s Assistance by the end of 2023, with full national introduction in spring 2024. We are also developing our response to the recently published independent analysis of the Scottish Carer’s Assistance consultation respon…

1 Nov 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much it costs for Social Security Scotland to carry out a re-determination request in relation to benefits administered in Scotland.

Answer · Ben Macpherson: Social Security Scotland has 16 working days to complete a re-determination for Low Income Benefits. In the case of Adult Disability Payment and Child Disability Payment, the timescale for completion of a re-determination is 56 calendar days. Work on a partic…

11 Oct 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether Social Security Scotland's systems include a mechanism for increasing the frequency of benefit payments.

Answer · Ben Macpherson: There is no mechanism for increasing the frequency of benefit payments. We have set payment cycles already in operation. Any new payment cycles would not be recommended as they would be complex to implement and have detrimental impact on operational services.

10 Oct 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to S6W-10871 by Humza Yousaf on 27 September 2022, whether the Scottish Stroke Improvement Programme priority area benchmark descriptors have been used consistently since 2019.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The priority benchmark descriptors in the Scottish Stroke Improvement Programme have been used consistently since 2019. Moving forwards, we are now developing new criteria in line with recommendations made in the Progressive Stroke Pathway and upcoming refre…

10 Oct 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what obligations NHS boards have each year to elevate their performance in each of the Scottish Stroke Improvement Programme priority areas, and whether there is a minimum performance of stroke care that NHS boards have to achieve to be able to admit stroke patients.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Stroke Improvement Team supports Managed Clinical Networks to evaluate Board performance, identify areas of concern and work with them to implement local action plans with strong managerial support to improve the delivery of stroke care across Sc…

5 Oct 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to create through its agencies a capital funding stream for community services and community spaces.

Answer · Tom Arthur: The Scottish Government has no plans to create through its agencies a capital funding stream for community services and community spaces. It is for agencies to determine how best to apply allocated funding from Government, including capital and some of them d…

3 Oct 2022 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government’s response is to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation report, Poverty in Scotland 2022.

20 Sep 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has sought legal advice in relation to the so-called Tinker Experiment.

Answer · Christina McKelvie: The Scottish Government seeks legal advice on an ongoing basis as appropriate and I can confirm that legal advice has been sought on this matter.

20 Sep 2022 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to the One Parent Families Scotland report, Living Without a Lifeline – Single Parenting and the Cost of Living.

2 Sep 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether NHS boards currently offer those who survive a stroke with an early multi-disciplinary assessment of their needs, and, if so, what monitoring takes place of these assessments.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: NHS Boards are expected to provide those who have a survived a stroke with the appropriate multi-disciplinary assessment, and are required to demonstrate their provision of access to acute therapy assessment during Scottish Stroke Improvement Programme (SSIP)…

2 Sep 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many stroke survivors have received a full package of stroke rehabilitation in the last year.    

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The information requested is not held centrally.  

2 Sep 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the benchmark descriptors used for the Scottish Stroke Care Audit have remained consistent in all reports published since 2019.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government would expect the Scottish Stroke Care Audit (SSCA) to aim to raise the Scottish Stroke Care Standards to drive improvements when a standard is being met or exceeded by most services. In line with this, the SSCA standard for CT brain sc…

29 Aug 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government by what date it expects to have published its new Disability Equality Plan.

Answer · Christina McKelvie: The Scottish Government are currently co-designing the Disability Equality strategy with Disabled People’s Organisations. The co-design meetings will continue until February 2023. The strategy will be published in Spring 2023 once fully accessible versions ar…

29 Aug 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many Changing Places toilets it has installed since 1 September 2021.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: The Scottish Government has committed to investing £10 million in Changing Places Toilets (CPTs) over this parliamentary term. This investment will increase the number of these facilities across Scotland and support mobile CPTs, to allow disabled people easie…

23 Aug 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on when it plans to publish guidance on the use of restraint and seclusion in schools.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: As outlined in response to S6W-09197 on 24 June 2022 the Scottish Government launched a public consultation on the draft physical intervention in schools guidance on 21 June. The draft human rights-based guidance makes clear that restraint and seclusion sho…

23 Aug 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it holds data on stroke recovery broken down by (a) NHS board and (b) hospital.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The information requested is not held centrally.

23 Aug 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it collects data on the number of people who are discharged with a disability resulting from a stroke.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The information requested is not held centrally.

23 Aug 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many young disabled people aged between 16 and 24 have had the opportunity to (a) study, (b) take up an apprenticeship, job or work experience and (c) volunteer, as part of the Young Person’s Guarantee.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: Since the launch of the Young Person’s Guarantee in November 2020, we have provided additional funding of £10m per year in 2020-21, 2021-22 and 2022-23 to the college sector to enable them to deliver a range of short industry focused opportunities for young p…

23 Aug 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding in total has been distributed through the Apprenticeship Employer Grant to employers to offer a Modern Apprenticeship or Graduate Apprenticeship.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The total amount paid to employers from the Apprenticeship Employer Grant for Modern Apprenticeships was £19,023,900 and £119,750 for Graduate Apprenticeships.

23 Aug 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many modern apprentices there were in each year from 2017 to 2021.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: Apprenticeships are a key way for all employers to invest in their workforce, providing the skills the economy needs both now and in the future. Official Modern Apprenticeship (MA) statistics are published by Skills Development Scotland (SDS) quarterly, inclu…

23 Aug 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many graduate apprenticeships were offered in each year from 2017 to 2021.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: Following the introduction of Graduate Apprenticeships (GAs) in Scotland, we have seen a positive increase in the number of individuals taking up the opportunity to study for degree-level courses while in employment since the first two years of the programme.…

23 Aug 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many modern apprenticeships were taken up by disabled people in each year from 2017 to 2021.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: Skills Development Scotland (SDS) has operational responsibility for our Modern Apprenticeship (MA) programme. Official MA statistics are published quarterly by SDS, including the number of starts, with a full year report available at the end of each financia…

23 Aug 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many graduate apprentices there were in each year from 2017 to 2021.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: Since the introduction of Graduate Apprenticeships (GAs) in Scotland we have seen a positive increase since the first two years of the scheme in the number of individuals taking up the opportunity to study for degree-level courses while in employment. The fo…

10 Aug 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it expects the new Musculoskeletal (MSK) pathway that it is currently developing to be in operation.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: Scottish Government are engaging with NHS 24 and stakeholders to review the MSK pathway, using data and learning from quality improvement initiatives to inform future developments that will enhance the patient journey. No date has been set for the implementat…

5 Aug 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether a person moving from England to Scotland will experience a gap in delivery of payments as a result of the move from Personal Independence Payments to Adult Disability Payment.

Answer · Ben Macpherson: From 29 August, a person moving from England to Scotland, who is in receipt of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) at the time of moving, will have their award moved to Adult Disability Payment via our case transfer process. As a result they will experience n…

5 Aug 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will involve those with lived experience of care in its work to improve Scotland's care system.

Answer · Clare Haughey: The Scottish Government remains committed to Keeping The Promise by 2030, working in partnership with Local Authorities, The Promise Scotland, third sector, health boards and importantly the care community. On 30 March 2022 the Scottish Government published …

5 Aug 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, since the Self-Directed Support Scotland Act 2013 came into force in 2014, how much funding it has allocated to organisations providing administrative support for people accessing Options (a) 1 and (b) 2 for self-directed support, and what information it has on how many of the organi…

Answer · Kevin Stewart: Scottish Government fund 31 third sector organisations throughout Scotland to deliver Support in the Right Direction, offering Advocacy and Brokerage Services, of which there is an administrative element. In financial year 2022-23 Scottish Government invested…

5 Aug 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure scrutiny of the extent to which The Promise to care experienced infants, children, young people, adults and their families is being kept.

Answer · Clare Haughey: The Scottish Government remains committed to Keeping The Promise, working in partnership with Local Authorities, The Promise Scotland, the third sector, health boards and importantly the care community. On 30 March 2022 the Scottish Government published our …

21 Jul 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its analysis is of the gender equality expertise within the membership of the Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan board.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Tackling Child Poverty Programme Board is part of the Scottish Government’s internal governance. It advises the Scottish Government’s Director-General Communities for tackling child poverty on the Scottish Government’s overall performance in relation to t…