Parliamentary questions
Mark Griffin
2,186 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
5 Feb 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government which Fair Start Scotland (a) lots and (b) (i) prime- and (ii) sub-contractors are subject to a cohort performance improvement plan.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The Scottish Government continues to work alongside Fair Start Scotland Service Providers to ensure they are meeting the needs of participants and their contractual obligations through various performance management activities, including cohort improvement ac…
3 Feb 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much it forecast to spend on outcome fees for Fair Start Scotland in each year, and what the actual spend was in each year.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The anticipated spend on Fair Start Scotland is regularly published by the Scottish Fiscal Commission and is based on performance levels set within provider contracts. As this is dependent on provider performance in supporting people into sustainable employme…
3 Feb 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-14632 by Jamie Hepburn on 6 March 2018, who the current (a) first delivery partners and (b) supporting contractors are for each Fair Start Scotland lot, broken down by the percentage of the contract value awarded to (i) the private sector, (ii) the …
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The following table contains the current prime service providers, delivery chain partners and share of delivery broken down by Lot. Glasgow ? PeoplePlus PeoplePlus – Supplier Private 50% Momentum – Partner Third 25% The Lennox Partnership – Partner …
3 Feb 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-11844 by Jamie Hepburn on 27 October 2017, what the annual spend has been on Fair Start Scotland in each year since 2017-18, and how this compares with the anticipated spend previously stated.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The Fair Start Scotland Annual Report published on 6 November 2019 outlined the total expenditure in the first year of delivery. As indicated in the answer to S5W-11844 the Scottish Government outlined that spend on Fair Start Scotland was dependent on provi…
31 Jan 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the statement by David Eiser of the Fraser of Allander Institute in his paper, The funding of the Scottish Parliament’s new social security responsibilities: how will it work and what are the risks? 21 key questions (and answers), that "A policy to increase the ta…
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Scottish Government shares Mr Eiser’s view that an increase in the take-up of reserved benefits to which people are already entitled is outwith the scope of the policy spillover provisions within the Fiscal Framework. While the Fiscal Framework broadly s…
27 Jan 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information Social Security Scotland has used to baseline its balance scorecard, and when it will be re-baselined.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: In this early stage, as new and increasingly more complex benefits are still being launched, Social Security Scotland are gathering information and data that will be used to baseline the balance scorecard. It is expected that the scorecard and guidance aroun…
27 Jan 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-26906 by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 24 January 2020, after how many days the Scottish Child Payment would be expected to be paid where an application for universal credit is made on the same day and processed in accordance with DWP guidance, and how…
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: As stated in my previous written answer on 24 January, the legal route we are using to deliver the Scottish Child Payment (SCP) almost two years early, means that we cannot pay someone unless they are entitled to a qualifying benefit. In instances where an a…
23 Jan 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government on what dates the Disability and Carers Benefits Expert Advisory Group has met since November 2018, and whether it will publish the minutes online.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Disability and Carers Benefits Expert Advisory Group is independent from Government. Therefore questions regarding its work plan and internal documents should be directed to the Group itself. However, the Group’s Secretary has informed me that the full g…
21 Jan 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the draft Disability Assistance for Children and Young People (DACYP) regulations do not provide an individual with a right to challenge a refusal to change their ongoing entitlement to DACYP, as exists for Disability Living Allowance.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: Clients can challenge each determination made in relation to their entitlement by requesting a redetermination within the timescales prescribed in section 41 of the Social Security (Scotland) Act 2018.
21 Jan 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the decision was taken to reduce the time limit in which an individual can request a redetermination from 13 months for Disability Living Allowance to 42 days for Disability Assistance for Children and Young People in the draft regulations.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: Forty two days was chosen as an initial period within which an individual can challenge a decision, following the supportive responses to the Disability Assistance consultation and wider stakeholder engagement. An individual will still be able to make a late…
21 Jan 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the draft Disability Assistance for Children and Young People regulations do not restate the definition of specific terms in accordance with, or directly refer to the body of, Disability Living Allowance caselaw.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The regulations for Disability Assistance for Children and Young People are being further developed in response to feedback from stakeholders and the Scottish Commission on Social Security (SCoSS). Consideration of existing case law has been, and will continu…
21 Jan 2020 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making on delivering a soft opt-out organ donation system, following the passing of the Human Tissue (Authorisation) (Scotland) Act 2019.
20 Jan 2020 · First Minister's Question
To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government’s response is to figures from Oxfam Scotland, which estimate that the value of unpaid care work across the country is £36 billion.
9 Jan 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when entitlement for the Scottish Child Payment would begin and payment be made if an application for the benefit was made on the same day as one for universal credit.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The legal route we are using to deliver the Scottish Child Payment almost two years early means that we cannot pay someone unless they are entitled to a qualifying benefit. In this instance, if a client had claimed for both Universal Credit and the Scottish C…
7 Jan 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what constraints it has identified that might prevent the fortnightly payment of the Scottish Child Payment.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: As we set out in the position paper published on 4 October 2019, more frequent payments would pose a greater risk for Social Security Scotland's operations. The more frequent the payment, the greater the volume of transactions required each week by the agen…
7 Jan 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government which third sector organisations it has met to discuss the fortnightly payment of the Scottish Child Payment, and what the outcome was.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Scottish Government has engaged widely with stakeholders throughout the Scottish Child Payment’s development including representatives from anti-poverty organisations, think tanks, academia, local authorities and equalities groups such as the Child Povert…
7 Jan 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government on what date it (a) formally requested and (b) received a response from the DWP regarding the data of families with children over six for the purposes of paying the Scottish Child Payment; whether this request was made at ministerial or official level, and what plans it has to publish th…
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: On 14 June Scottish Government officials commissioned a feasibility study from the Department for Work and Pensions, to explore the implications of the Scottish Child Payment for both organisations, including the interfaces that would be required between them…
7 Jan 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-25158 by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 18 September 2019, whether it will provide an update on how many additional staff Social Security Scotland expects to recruit in (a) total and (b) each band to support the delivery of the Scottish Child Payment, a…
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: Social Security Scotland takes a holistic approach to recruitment and as such we anticipate that new staff members who will support delivery of Scottish Child Payment will work across multiple benefits. The number of people working on Scottish Child Payment w…
7 Jan 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-25151 by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 18 September 2019, whether it will provide a breakdown of what the cost is in terms of (a) staffing, (b) IT, (c) payment systems and (d) payments to the DWP, and what proportion of costs it expects to be attribute…
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: Further to my response of S5W-25151, we are currently finalising updates to the Programme Business case which will detail implementation and delivery costs. This will be published around the time of Budget.
7 Jan 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-25151 by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 18 September 2019, whether the costs have changed since the Discovery phase of the Scottish Child Payment design was completed and, if so, whether it will set out these changes.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The costs of delivering the Scottish Child Payment will be included in revisions to the Programme Business Case, which are currently being finalised. This will be published around the time of the Scottish Budget.
7 Jan 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-20766 by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 9 January 2019, whether it will provide an update regarding what proportion of the processes are (a) automated and (b) manual, and what the staff time is per claim for manual processes for all payments made by Soc…
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: Social Security Scotland is now delivering Best Start Grant including the Food element, Funeral Support Payment and Young Carer Grant. Each benefit requires the verification of evidence prior to processing an application. These verifications are dependent on …
10 Dec 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the maximum backdating period is for the Scottish Child Payment.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: Scottish Child Payment regulations will include provisions to allow Scottish Ministers to make a determination without application where an individual been unsuccessful in their application as a result of a qualifying benefit or child responsibility benefit d…
10 Dec 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many roles in Social Security Scotland it has advertised for employment in (a) Dundee House, Dundee, (b) High Street, Glasgow, (c) local government sites and (d) other Scottish Government premises.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The data you have requested is not available by office location. However, it is possible to provide information regarding the geographical locations where posts were advertised on the Scottish Government recruitment website. Between the inception of the Agen…
10 Dec 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many interviews for roles in Social Security Scotland have taken place at (a) Dundee House, Dundee, (b) High Street, Glasgow, (c) Victoria Quay, Edinburgh, (d) St Andrew's House, Edinburgh, (e) Atlantic Quay, Glasgow and (f) other (i) Social Security Scotland and (ii) Scottish Govern…
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: We are unable to provide a response to this question as we do not collate the requested information centrally.
10 Dec 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many Social Security Scotland staff are based at (a) Dundee House, Dundee, (b) High Street, Glasgow and (c) other (i) Social Security Scotland and (ii) Scottish Government premises, also broken down by (A) band and (B) grade.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The following information is calculated from the official published statistics which covers the period to the end of September 2019. Table 1: Social Security Scotland directly employed staff, by location as at end of September 2019 Dundee House High St…
10 Dec 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the vacancy rate is in (a) its social security directorate and (b) Social Security Scotland.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: There is no industry standard definition of vacancy rate. A reasonable measure is to compare the number of budgeted posts against the number of posts filled, however, there are alternative methods which are recognised as being equally valid, and as such may n…
10 Dec 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-26536 by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 6 December 2019, what the full list of reserved premiums or benefits are, also broken down by the relevant qualifying Disability Living Allowance (DLA) or Personal Independence Payment (PIP) component or rate.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The information requested is in the public domain and available at: https://www.gov.uk/disability-premiums
9 Dec 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether cold-spell heating assistance will be paid to people who receive universal credit.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: We are putting in place robust plans to deliver Cold Spell Heating Assistance from winter 2021. Our priority in taking on full responsibility for all the devolved benefits is a safe and secure transition so that people continue to receive support at the right…
26 Nov 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the comments in its paper, A Consultation on Disability Assistance in Scotland, Scottish Government response, which reserved premiums or benefits are contingent on an individual having a disability living allowance (DLA) or personal independence payment (PIP) mobility compon…
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: Disability Premiums for Income Support, Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA), income-based Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and Housing Benefit are contingent on an award of one or both of the care or mobility component of Disability Living Allowance (DLA) or Pe…
25 Nov 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when the interim review of the operation and impact of Experience Panels began, and when it is expected to conclude.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The mid-programme peer review of the Experience Panels began in October 2019. The review was completed in November 2019. The output from the review will be published alongside the annual report for the Experience Panels before the end of 2019.