Parliamentary questions
Elaine Smith
1,153 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
26 Feb 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the reported increase in the number of universal credit claimants over the last nine months, whether additional resources will be transferred to local authorities to meet the cost of any additional demand for passported benefits.
Answer · Kate Forbes: The Scottish Government is very aware of the financial impact the coronavirus crisis has had on people across Scotland. This is why we have continually called on the UK Government, which has responsibility for all income-related benefits, to reverse welfare c…
26 Feb 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the reported increase in the number of benefit claimants because of the COVID-19 pandemic, whether the 2021-22 Budget will reflect any additional costs for Social Security Scotland to respond to any increase in (a) benefit claim payments and (b) the number of staff required …
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The budget allocated for benefit expenditure is based on the Scottish Fiscal Commission’s forecast. The most recent Scottish Fiscal Commission publication ( Scotland’s Economic and Fiscal Forecasts | Scottish Fiscal Commission ), sets out the changes to for…
16 Feb 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many applications for the Job Start Payment there were between 17 August 2020 and 31 December 2020, broken down by the sex of the applicant; how many (a) were refused and (b) are yet to be processed, and what proportion of applicants that were approved were awarded the (i) standard a…
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: Information on Job Start Payment was published on 16 February 2021 and provided information from 17 August 2020 to 31 December 2020. This publication is available from: https://www.gov.scot/publications/job-start-payment-high-level-statistics-to-31-december-…
16 Feb 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government with which organisations it regularly consults with to seek the views of disabled people.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: Engaging with citizens and stakeholder organisations to influence and shape our policy making is an important part of the Scottish Government’s approach, particularly through the current pandemic and dealing with its impacts, and we are committed to carrying …
10 Feb 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the (a) relationship between the legalisation of assisted suicide in other countries and the rate of suicide in the general population and (b) study (i) “Does Euthanasia Have a Dampening Effect on Suicide Rates? Recent Experiences from the Netherlands”, wh…
Answer · Clare Haughey: The Scottish Government has made no assessment on this relationship because it is the case in Scotland that assisting, or attempting to assist, a person to commit suicide will constitute a criminal offence. In Scotland, the Stage 1 debate of the Assisted Sui…
5 Feb 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government on which of its advisory and strategic groups is Engender represented.
Answer · Christina McKelvie: Engender is represented on the following Scottish Government advisory and strategic groups:Misogynistic Harassment GroupSocial Renewal Advisory BoardGender Index Working GroupWomen’s Health GroupGender Equality Taskforce in Education and LearningGender Pay Ga…
5 Feb 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government which organisations it regularly consults with to seek the views of women.
Answer · Christina McKelvie: Engaging with citizens and stakeholder organisations to influence and shape our policy making is an important part of the Scottish Government’s approach and we are committed to carrying out open and transparent consultation with all of the people of Scotland …
4 Feb 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-34692 by Mairi Gougeon on 2 February 2021, on what date routine testing for COVID-19 took effect for all hospital admissions to (a) emergency departments, (b) acute assessment units, (c) maternity units and (d) emergency mental health units.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: Testing of all emergency admissions commenced from? 30 November with full implementation on 14 December. On all planned medical admissions, testing commenced from mid-December.
2 Feb 2021 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what importance it places on access to clean air and environmentally-friendly spaces within the National Performance Framework.
25 Jan 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what provision there will be for childcare support for young parents wishing to take up a place on its Youth Guarantee scheme.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: There is a range of childcare support available for all young parents, including those participating in the Young Person’s Guarantee. Young parents can access up to 600 hours of funded Early Learning and Childcare a year (around 16 hours a week in term time)…
25 Jan 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the minimum wage rate will be for a young person taking up an "in work" place as a result of its Youth Guarantee scheme.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The Scottish Government is clear that it expects employers to pay at least the living wage wherever it is possible to do so. Funding under the Young Person's Guarantee has been distributed to Local Partnerships via Local Authorities, to enable them to delive…
25 Jan 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what specific conditions and measures are contained within the £250,000 food and drink sector support fund that it has supported to protect Modern Apprenticeships and youth employment.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: The £250k funding for regional food groups that was announced in September 2020 is for the development of regional food and drink and, in particular, to support the appointment of coordinators across the country’s regional food groups. Groups have been tasked…
25 Jan 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on how the Kickstart Scheme fits with its Living Wage ambitions for Scotland, in light of the scheme's hourly rate being based on the National Minimum Wage, paid at the varying youth rates.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The Kickstart Scheme is a programme of work reserved to the UK Government and they are responsible for setting the terms of the Scheme. In all our discussions with the UK Government on this issue, the Scottish Government has clearly and consistently set out …
25 Jan 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many places will be created in Scotland through the UK Government’s Kickstart Scheme.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The Kickstart Scheme is a programme of work reserved to the UK Government and it is for the Department for Work and Pensions to report on the places created. We are continuing to work with the UK Government to better understand how the Scheme is operating in …
25 Jan 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of people currently undertaking a Modern Apprenticeship are disabled.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: Since 2015-16 there have been 14,525 Modern Apprenticeship (MA) starts who have identified as having an Impairment, Health Condition or Learning Difficulty. The official statistics relating to Modern Apprenticeships are published on Skills Development Scotlan…
25 Jan 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) job vacancies and (b) places in (i) education and (ii) training it anticipates will be created in the food and drink sector for young people in 2021.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Government is working with Skills Development Scotland (SDS) and other stakeholders to mitigate and address the far-reaching impacts of COVID-19. This includes measures to maximise apprenticeship uptake and to support existing apprentices to comp…
25 Jan 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the relationship will be between the Modern Apprenticeship workplace-based scheme and its new Youth Guarantee scheme.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The ambition of the Young Person’s Guarantee is that, within two years, every person aged between 16 and 24 will have the opportunity to study; take up an apprenticeship, job or work experience; or participate in formal volunteering. One of the key drivers o…
25 Jan 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what monitoring is in place to ensure that any reduction in Modern Apprenticeships during the COVID-19 pandemic has not disproportionately affected young disabled people.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: Skills Development Scotland (SDS) records and publishes Official Statistics on Modern Apprenticeship uptake across a wide range of protected characteristics, including disability, on a quarterly basis. The published statistics for Quarter 2 of 2020-21 showed …
25 Jan 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what role Modern Apprenticeships will play in the longer-term sustainability of the food and drink sector.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Government and Skills Development Scotland have worked in partnership with Scotland Food & Drink and other stakeholders to develop a sector Recovery Plan that will address the challenges of Covid-19 and Brexit for the food and drink industry. Thi…
25 Jan 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether there has been a decline in the number of Modern Apprenticeship places in the last nine months, and, if so, (a) by how much and (b) what steps it is taking to address this.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: Skills Development Scotland (SDS) has operational responsibility for our apprenticeship programmes and administer them on behalf of the Scottish Government. SDS provide quarterly annual Official Statistics reports on their website. The Quarter 3 figures are d…
25 Jan 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many young people have had their Modern Apprenticeship terminated since March 2020 as a result of company or provider closures, broken down by sector.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: Skills Development Scotland (SDS) has operational responsibility for our apprenticeship programmes and administer them on behalf of the Scottish Government. SDS publishes Official Statistics quarterly and annually on apprenticeships including the number of ap…
25 Jan 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what measures it can put in place to ensure that the Kickstart Scheme does not replace permanent posts.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The Kickstart Scheme is a programme of work reserved to the UK Government and they are responsible for setting the terms of the Scheme. While the Scottish Government has broadly welcomed the intentions behind the scheme, we have not been involved in its desig…
20 Jan 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what protocols are in place to ensure that older people will be vaccinated against COVID-19 if they miss appointments for any reasons, including the late delivery of mail.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Scottish Government is working with partners such as NHS Scotland in making sure that those who miss their vaccination appointment can rebook their appointments. The NHS Scotland has a new contact form which provides contact information based on geograph…
20 Jan 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether all hospital inpatients are routinely tested for COVID-19.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: All hospital admissions to emergency departments, acute assessment units, maternity units and emergency mental health units will be tested. All elective admissions to hospital have been tested since mid-December.
20 Jan 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether older people who are hospital inpatients will be vaccinated against COVD-19 while in hospital to avoid missing a local appointment that might have been scheduled to take place during the time of their hospital stay.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Chief Medical Officer advises that short-stay hospital patients, should be only vaccinated once they have recovered, so any side effects are not confused with symptoms of the disease they were admitted to hospital for. This is a standard in the Green Boo…
20 Jan 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether there are age restrictions on hospital inpatients being tested for COVID-19.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: There are no age restrictions on hospital inpatients being tested for COVID-19.
12 Jan 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with (a) CBI Scotland, (b) the Institute of Directors Scotland, (c) Scottish Chambers of Commerce, (d) the Federation of Small Businesses in Scotland and (e) other business organisations to raise awareness of the importance of facilitating paid time off for fr…
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: Scottish Government Ministers and senior officials have regular discussions with the business community including business representative organisations such with CBI Scotland, IoD Scotland, Scottish Chambers of Commerce network and Federation of Small Busines…
12 Jan 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what support it is able to offer to any worker that has been denied time off work to attend an appointment to receive a COVID-19 vaccination or to escort vulnerable relatives to attend their vaccination appointments.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: We are acutely aware of the significant challenges employers and workers continue to face as our economy responds to the impacts of the Coronavirus. The vaccine forms a critical part of our public health strategy, and whilst we don’t have responsibility for e…
12 Jan 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken to ensure businesses allow staff paid time off to attend appointments to receive the COVID-19 vaccination and to escort vulnerable relatives to their vaccination appointments.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: We have a common goal - to get through this pandemic, and safe, effective vaccines are one of the tools we have to do this. We expect all employers to support workers to be vaccinated, and to do everything they can to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The vacc…
12 Jan 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken to raise awareness of the statement made by the First Minister to any company failing to facilitate time off in relation to the vaccination process that “any company that does not behave in that responsible way that they should rectify that and put concern for…
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: We expect all employers to support workers to be vaccinated, and to do everything they can to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Employment legislation is reserved and we will continue to promote our Fair Work approach to encourage employers to go beyond their s…