Parliamentary questions
Mark Griffin
2,186 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
16 May 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much Social Security Scotland expects to spend on face-to-face disability assessments.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Consultation on Disability Assistance in Scotland closes on 28 May. The analysis of the consultation will inform further service design of the system of Disability Assistance, including the face to face assessments provision. This in turn will inform the …
16 May 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether Social Security Scotland has placed a limit on its budget for expenditure on face-to-face disability assessments and, if so, how much.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Consultation on Disability Assistance in Scotland closes on 28 May. The analysis of the consultation will inform further service design of the system of Disability Assistance, including the face to face assessments provision. This in turn will inform the …
15 May 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many Capita staff are or have previously been employed in (a) its Social Security Directorate and (b) Social Security Scotland.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: Social Security Scotland and Social Security Directorate do not currently and have not previously engaged any agency workers from Capita. Both Social Security Scotland and Social Security Directorate operate under the Scottish Government Temporary and Interi…
15 May 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much (a) its Social Security Directorate and (b) Social Security Scotland spent on outsourcing companies in 2018-19.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Scottish Government publishes details of all expenditure over £25,000, in accordance with the Public Sector Reform (Scotland) Act 2010. The most recent publication was made on 10 May 2019 and relates to the month of October 2018. Previous months are also…
15 May 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much (a) its Social Security Directorate and (b) Social Security Scotland paid to Capita in 2018-19, and what these payments were for.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: 1. Social Security Directorate: Capita Business Services Limited – SWAN £248,936.70 IT services - Networks. Capita IT services Limited £41,859.77 IT services – Firewalls. Capita Resourcing Limited £110,886.80 Recruitment support - independent skills …
15 May 2019 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will integrate the principle of non-regression into provisions on keeping pace with EU laws to ensure that no new measures inadvertently lead to a lowering of consumer and environmental standards.
9 May 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to extend the Low Income Benefits Agile Service Design contract with IBM, and whether discussions regarding an extension to the contract have been requested.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: We are keeping the contract under review. No discussions regarding an extension have been requested. However, the contract allows the possibility of extending if required.
9 May 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the Jobs Grant will be delivered using the Low Income Benefits Agile Service Design contract with IBM.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: Yes.
8 May 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many Best Start Grant applications in the initial phase up to 28 February 2019 were from people with non-Scottish postcodes; what proportion of these were processed; for what reason they were processed, and how many staffing hours were spent carrying out this task.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: Official statistics on the number of Best Start Grant applications received from people with non-Scottish postcodes to 28 February 2019, and the number of these applications that were processed, are available at: https://www2.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Brows…
8 May 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) total and (b) average cost was of processing Best Start Grant applications in the initial phase up to 28 February 2019, and how this compared with its estimated forecast.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: During 2018-19 Social Security Scotland ensured the delivery of Carer’s Allowance, Carer’s Allowance Supplement and the Pregnancy and Baby Payment element of the Best Start Grant. Social Security Scotland was also working towards delivery of future benefits. …
8 May 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding how many (a) complaints, (b) compliments and (c) suggestions have been received by Social Security Scotland, broken down by the main themes of this feedback.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The number of complaints, compliments and suggestions including the main themes, received by Social Security Scotland up until the period 31 March 2019 will be published as part of the Social Security Scotland Performance statistics to be published on 17 June…
7 May 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what management information regarding carer's allowance it has requested from the DWP, under its agency agreement, broken down by type of information.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-23045 on 16 May 2019. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28…
7 May 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how frequently it has requested management information regarding carer's allowance from the DWP, under its agency agreement, broken down by the type of information.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Scottish Government receives management information from the DWP under the terms of the Agency Agreement. The relevant section of the agency agreement can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/carers-allowance-in-scotland-agency-agreemen…
7 May 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will request from the DWP, under its agency agreement, how many people who had entitlement to carer's allowance have sought a mandatory reconsideration of a decision to (a) supersede, (b) suspend or (c) terminate that entitlement as a result of them (i) entering full-time educ…
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-23045 on 16 May 2019. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28…
7 May 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will request from the DWP, under its agency agreement, how many people with carer's allowance entitlement have had that entitlement (a) superseded, (b) suspended or (c) terminated as a result of them (i) entering full-time education, (ii) earning or having an income greater th…
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-23045 on 16 May 2019. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28…
7 May 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will request from the DWP, under its agency agreement, how many people who had entitlement to carer's allowance have sought an appeal of a decision to (a) supersede, (b) suspend or (c) terminate that entitlement as a result of them (i) entering full-time education, (ii) earnin…
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-23045 on 16 May 2019. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28…
7 May 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will request from the DWP, under its agency agreement, the number of carer's allowance overpayments that have been discovered as a result of the DWP Verify Earnings and Pensions Alerts service; what the value is of these overpayments, and how many claimants are affected.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: I refer the member to the terms contained within section 10 of the Carer’s Allowance agency agreement which relates to management information. The relevant section of the agency agreement can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/car…
7 May 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-18779 by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 27 September 2018, what discussions it has had with the DWP regarding recovery of overpayment debt since the date of the answer, and whether it will publish this correspondence.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: Scottish Government officials have had regular discussions with their DWP counterparts about a range of issues relating to Carer benefits including the recovery of overpayments. Additionally, the Cabinet Secretary for Social Security and Older People wrote to…
7 May 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many carer's allowance claimants have an outstanding (a) overpayment and (b) fraud debt, broken down by the (i) value of the debt, (ii) year the debt was discovered, (iii) year the debt is attributable to and (iv) whether the claimant has an active payment or underlying entitlement o…
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: I refer the member to the answer to S5W-18780 on 27 September 2019. The Scottish Government does not hold further additional information. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Scottish Parliament's website at http://www.parliame…
7 May 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what analysis of reserved disability benefit (a) legislation, (b) regulations, (c) guidance and (d) case law Parliamentary Counsel has conducted for the purposes of incorporating those rules into Scots law.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: Legislative provision for disability benefits being devolved to Scotland will be detailed in secondary legislation. The drafting of which will take account of all relevant legislation, regulations, guidance and case law.
7 May 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will list the reserved case law on disability benefits that it considers relevant to disability assistance as currently proposed.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-23032 on 16 May 2019. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28…
7 May 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the primary focus for the (a) conditions of entitlement, (b) definition of terms and (c) processes for determining entitlement for disability assistance will be in regulations or guidance for disability assistance.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Scottish Government will consider the appropriate balance between guidance and regulations in setting out the rules relating to entitlement, definitions of terms and processes.
7 May 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it will incorporate reserved case law on disability benefits into regulation and guidance.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Scottish Government will review relevant reserved disability benefit regulations, guidance and case law in formulating Disability Assistance regulations and guidance.
7 May 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it will limit the use of guidance as the basis for processing and determining applications and redeterminations of disability assistance.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-23033 on 16 May 2019. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28…
7 May 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to review reserved disability benefit (a) regulations, (b) guidance and (c) case law as part of its work to formulate disability assistance rules, and who will be involved in the review process.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Scottish Government will continue to review relevant reserved disability benefit regulations, guidance and case law in formulating Disability Assistance. This will continue to involve relevant officials and, where appropriate, external stakeholders.
7 May 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-21291 by Aileen Campbell on 18 February 2019, on what dates it has discussed the topic of an income supplement with HMRC and DWP, and what future meetings are planned.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: To date, discussions on the development of the income supplement have taken place at various stages at an official level, and these are ongoing as the policy continues to be developed.
7 May 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-21291 by Aileen Campbell on 18 February 2019, whether the topic of an income supplement has been (a) discussed at and (b) included on the agenda of any meetings of the Joint Ministerial Working Group on Welfare, and, if (i) so, on what dates and wha…
Answer · Aileen Campbell: To date, discussions on the development of the income supplement have taken place at an official level and these are ongoing as the policy continues to be developed. Scottish Ministers have regular discussions with UK counterparts, including through the Join…
7 May 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many staff have day-to-day responsibility for the development and analysis of its income supplement policy.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: Information on the number of staff being used to develop policy on the income supplement and take forward the options appraisal is not available. This differs in teams across the organisation, and is dependent on business requirements and individual working p…
2 May 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many of its social security (a) programme, (b) directorate and (c) agency staff have previously been employed by the DWP.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Scottish Government record when an individual joins the organisation from another government department, but not which department it is. It is therefore not possible to report on the number of staff who have previously worked for the Department for Work a…
1 May 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it is anticipates that the social security programme will require an in-year budget revision and, if so, for what reason.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: Sufficient financial resource has been allocated through the budget process to fund the Social Security programme’s delivery plans. The original estimate for spend in 2019-20 was based on an initial set of assumptions in summer 2018. These were reviewed throu…