Pam Duncan-Glancy

8 Nov 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to its news release on 29 October 2021 regarding a £41 million Winter Support Fund for low-income households, what eligibility criteria it has applied to the £10 million to help people who are struggling to pay fuel bills.

Answer · Shona Robison: Support from the £10 million Fuel Insecurity Fund will be delivered by third sector partner organisations and will be available to households across Scotland who are at risk of self-disconnecting, or self-rationing their energy use this winter, regardless of …

8 Nov 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to its news release on 29 October 2021 regarding a £41 million Winter Support Fund for low-income households, whether it will provide a breakdown of how the £6 million for third sector organisations will be allocated, and what the distribution criteria are for this part of the f…

Answer · Shona Robison: We are currently finalising grant awards with partners and will publish a list of organisations when this process is complete. In terms of distribution criteria, funding will be awarded to trusted Scottish Government third sector partners who have a wide geo…

8 Nov 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to its news release on 29 October 2021 regarding a £41 million Winter Support Fund for low-income households, whether it will provide details of the framework for how local authorities should utilise the £25 million of flexible funding to support wellbeing and respond to financi…

Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government has issued national guidance to inform local authority deployment of this funding, which has been sent to the relevant local authority officers and is available online: Financial insecurity: guidance to local authorities over winter 2…

5 Nov 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken to (a) prevent and (b) mitigate the disruption caused by changes to public transport due to COP26.

Answer · Graeme Dey: Transport Scotland undertook a public messaging programme to inform and forewarn the public of the need to plan their journey during COP26, directing people to the Get Ready Glasgow website, which held detailed heat maps of affected areas and suggested alte…

28 Oct 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take to address the root causes of the (a) harassment and (b) drink spiking and spiking by injection of women in nightlife venues.

Answer · Keith Brown: Our Equally Safe Strategy sets out Scotland’s ambition to tackle and eradicate all forms of violence against women and we continue to implement this with a clear and decisive focus on primary prevention of violence. Baroness Helena Kennedy QC chairs the inde…

26 Oct 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what additional funding it has provided to Skills Development Scotland since the start of the current financial year.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: Skills Development Scotland (SDS) has been allocated additional funding of £2,586,000 this year through transfers made at the Autumn Budget Revision, of this £1,728,000 was funding for STEM bursaries. Changes to budgets made at the Autumn Budget Revision are …

26 Oct 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to publish its employment action plan for disabled people 2021-22.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: ‘A Fairer Scotland for Disabled People: Employment Action Plan’ was published in December 2018, and includes commitments up to and including 2021-22. We are currently developing a refresh of this action plan, alongside key stakeholders including disabled peo…

26 Oct 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will set out its initial plans for achieving a fairer Scotland for disabled people, as set out in its Covid Recovery Strategy.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: Working alongside Disabled Peoples Organisations, the STUC, and representatives from the third, public and private sectors, the Scottish Government is currently developing a refresh of ‘A Fairer Scotland for Disabled People: Employment Action Plan’. The refr…

26 Oct 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has undertaken of the impact of COVID-19 on disabled people in the labour market.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Scottish Government routinely publishes official labour market statistics for disabled people in Scotland and uses these to analyse how labour market barriers and outcomes for disabled people are changing over time and how they have been impacted by COVID…

26 Oct 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to enable disabled people to feed into its plans for achieving a fairer Scotland for disabled people, as set out in its Covid Recovery Strategy.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: We are committed to working with Disabled People’s Organisations (DPOs) to ensure that the refresh of ‘ A Fairer Scotland for Disabled People: Employment action plan’ is informed by the lived experience of disabled people. The short life working group overse…

20 Oct 2021 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support sectors in the rural economy in order to tackle rural poverty.

15 Oct 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take to ensure that any future transition away from the requirement to wear face coverings is as safe as possible and ensures public safety.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-03564 on 25 October 2021. 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-committ…

15 Oct 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government within what timescale it anticipates the requirement to wear face coverings will be lifted.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-03564 on 25 October 2021. 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-committ…

4 Oct 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to make public transport more accessible for disabled children who require it to attend school.

Answer · Graeme Dey: All buses are required to be compliant with the Public Service Vehicle Accessibility Regulations 2000 (PSVAR) which are a matter reserved to the UK Government. We are however aware that the Department for Transport (DfT) have granted some time limited exempt…

30 Sep 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the potential impact on the delivery of disability and carers benefits will be of the extra capacity in Social Security Scotland that was announced on 29 September 2021.

Answer · Ben Macpherson: The recently announced Social Security Scotland recruitment campaign will support the effective national roll-out delivery of Child Disability Payment and, in due course, Adult Disability Payment in line with our values of dignity, fairness and respect. This …

30 Sep 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it supports parents or guardians who need to park near schools to allow their disabled children to attend.

Answer · Graeme Dey: The Scottish Government recognises that disabled persons’ parking places play a vital role in enabling disabled people to carry out day-to-day activities that non-disabled people can take for granted. Local authorities have a duty under the Disabled Persons' …

30 Sep 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it will enforce car-exclusion zones around schools in Glasgow.

Answer · Graeme Dey: The Roads (Scotland) Act 1984 places the statutory responsibility for local roads with the local road authorities, including parking on local roads. In addition, Local authorities have a duty under the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984 to manage and maintain local ro…

27 Sep 2021 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government’s response is to reports that social care services in Glasgow have been temporarily suspended because of staff shortages.

26 Sep 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the implementation timetable is for the roll-out of the new Scottish Carer's Assistance payment.

Answer · Ben Macpherson: We are continuing to make good progress towards delivery of Scottish Carer’s Assistance. We are currently undertaking joint feasibility work with the Department for Work and Pensions on the complex interactions Carer’s Allowance has, and Scottish Carer’s Assi…

24 Sep 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when Social Security Scotland will take control of all devolved benefits.

Answer · Shona Robison: We are already delivering 11 benefits, seven of which are new. These include the first major disability benefit, Child Disability Payment, which launched as a pilot on 26 July and will roll out across Scotland on 22 November 2021. The new benefit also marks t…

22 Sep 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support and guidance it is providing to education authorities to support families who are concerned about the potential for COVID-19 to be spread in schools and for their children to then transmit the virus to family members at home, and what measures are in place to ensure that pup…

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: We understand that some parents may have concerns about children and young people attending school due to the associated risk of transmission of COVID-19. We also recognise the responsibility of local authorities and the school workforce to support families w…

21 Sep 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support it will provide for carers in light of the expiry of temporary changes to Carer’s Allowance rules that allowed them to maintain the allowance when the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in them having to take breaks in care.

Answer · Ben Macpherson: Under the terms of our Agency Agreement with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Carer’s Allowance must be delivered in Scotland under the same procedures and rules as in England and Wales. As the COVID restrictions are lifted, DWP’s firm position is t…

14 Sep 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the commitment in its Programme for Government, whether it will set out its plan for a "transitions strategy".

Answer · Clare Haughey: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-02859 on ? 24 September 2021. 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-com…

10 Sep 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what resources (a) it and (b) Social Security Scotland would require in order to extend the Carer's Allowance Supplement to everyone with an underlying entitlement.

Answer · Ben Macpherson: Payment of Carer’s Allowance Supplement to people in receipt of Carer’s Allowance provides support to those carers typically on lower incomes and has enabled the Government to deliver much needed increased support as quickly as possible. Extending eligibilit…

9 Sep 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support is provided to NHS general dental services to offer information on appointments in accessible formats, including large print.

Answer · Maree Todd: As part of the general funding available to NHS General Dental Services, dental practices are required to ensure practice information leaflets, including information on appointments, is available in large print form. This is checked as part of the Practice In…

31 Aug 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what actions it has taken to date to prepare for implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Incorporation) (Scotland) Bill.

Answer · Clare Haughey: In March 2021, the Scottish Parliament unanimously passed the UNCRC (Incorporation) (Scotland) Bill (the “Bill”), which aims to incorporate the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child into Scots law to the maximum extent possible within the powers of the Sco…

25 Aug 2021 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it expects to implement the provisions on pavement parking prohibition in the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019.

24 Aug 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to designate care as a key growth sector and, if so, what the timeline is for this.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: A well-functioning care sector will be vital in delivering a prosperous wellbeing economy for Scotland – one that is strong, fair and green. The Scottish Government’s Economic Recovery Implementation Plan published in August 2020, acknowledged the care sec…

23 Aug 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the Department for Work and Pensions regarding changing the eligibility criteria to access adult disability payment from the current criteria in personal independence payment.

Answer · Ben Macpherson: Scottish Government officials hold regular discussions with Department for Work and Pensions officials on a range of matters including eligibility criteria for Adult Disability Payment. During these discussions, our overriding commitment is to ensure processe…

23 Aug 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the effectiveness of the so-called 20-metre rule that is used as part of the eligibility criteria for being awarded adult disability payment; whether it plans to remove the rule, and, if so, by what date, and what discussions it has had with the Department for Wor…

Answer · Ben Macpherson: Our overriding commitment is to the safe and secure transfer of disability assistance from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to Social Security Scotland, and this has been our priority throughout the development of our new social security system. It …