Parliamentary questions
Mark Griffin
2,186 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
18 May 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it or the UK Government will have responsibility for (a) administering and collecting benefit overpayments and (b) prosecuting suspected fraudulent benefit claims in cases where the incident occurred (i) before and (ii) both before and after the devolution of the benefit.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: In line with regulation 5 of the Scotland Act 2016, responsibility for the existing debt associated with each of the benefits will transfer to the Scottish Government at the point at which executive competence for the benefit transfers. The responsibility for…
18 May 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many staff there are in each of its (a) directorates and (b) agencies, also broken down by their total value of salaries.
Answer · Derek Mackay: Tables have been supplied to the Scottish Parliament Information Centre which provide figures for staff in Directorates and Agencies broken down by salary costs. Bib number 59781.
18 May 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) temporary and (b) seconded staff there are in each of its (i) directorates and (ii) agencies, also broken down by their total value of salaries.
Answer · Derek Mackay: Tables have been supplied to the Scottish Parliament Information Centre which provide figures for temporary and seconded staff in Directorates and Agencies broken down by salary costs. Bib number 59780.
18 May 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of staffing costs in each of its (a) directorates and (b) agencies is spent on (i) recruiting and (ii) hiring (A) temporary, (B) seconded and (C) employment agency staff.
Answer · Derek Mackay: We do not have a cost figure for this. Business areas manage recruitment and a central HR Resourcing Team facilitates this and provides advice. Staff time spent on individual campaigns will vary depending on a number of factors including number of posts, cand…
18 May 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many staff each of its (a) directorates and (b) agencies has procured through external recruitment companies, also broken down by (i) what proportion were hired on (A) employment agency and (B) temporary contracts and (ii) the total value of their salaries
Answer · Derek Mackay: The Scottish Government does not use the services of external recruitment companies for vacancies at bands A-C bands - administrative through to management posts. These companies are however sometimes used at Senior Civil Service level. In the last 5 years t…
18 May 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what limit it has set regarding the number of (a) temporary, (b) seconded and (c) employment agency staff that each of its (i) directorates and (ii) agencies can hire.
Answer · Derek Mackay: Limits on recruitment are not set centrally. Recruitment in individual business areas is determined by the need for particular skills to deliver required objectives and cost. The annual budgeting process, coupled with quarterly staffing returns requires busin…
18 May 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much each of its (a) directorates and (b) agencies has spent on external recruitment agencies in each month since April 2017.
Answer · Derek Mackay: The Scottish Government does not use the services of external recruitment companies for vacancies at Bands A-C - administrative through to management posts. At Senior Civil Service level, since April 2017 an external recruitment agency has been engaged once t…
18 May 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many advertisements have been placed with external recruitment companies by each of its (a) directorates and (b) agencies in each month since April 2017, and how many staff were hired as a result of each.
Answer · Derek Mackay: The Scottish Government does not use the services of external recruitment companies for vacancies at Bands A-C - administrative through to management posts. At Senior Civil Service level, one advert was placed on an external recruitment company site in Septem…
17 May 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-16462 by Shona Robison on 17 May 2018, in light of (a) paragraph 71 of its document, Guidance for SG Staff on Scottish Parliamentary Questions, which states that "Where a question relates to operational matters, it should be referred to the relevant…
Answer · Shona Robison: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-16739 on 7 June 2018. 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…
17 May 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-16461 by Shona Robison on 17 May 2018, in light of (a) paragraph 71 of its document, Guidance for SG Staff on Scottish Parliamentary Questions, which states that "Where a question relates to operational matters, it should be referred to the relevant…
Answer · Shona Robison: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-16739 on 7 June 2018. 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…
17 May 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-16460 by Shona Robison on 17 May 2018, in light of (a) paragraph 71 of its document, Guidance for SG Staff on Scottish Parliamentary Questions, which states that "Where a question relates to operational matters, it should be referred to the relevant…
Answer · Shona Robison: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-16739 on 7 June 2018 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…
17 May 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-16451 by Shona Robison on 17 May 2018, in light of (a) paragraph 71 of its document, Guidance for SG Staff on Scottish Parliamentary Questions, which states that "Where a question relates to operational matters, it should be referred to the relevant…
Answer · Shona Robison: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-16739 on 7 June 2018. 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…
17 May 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has asked the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) for an incident report relating to its reported IT failure on 26 March 2018 and any impact that this may have had on people in Scotland, and whether the Scottish Government's reuse of DWP payment and customer information sys…
Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Scottish Government is focussed solely on delivery of safe and secure payments to Scottish citizens when we take responsibility for payments of Carers Allowance Supplement via our existing system, Scottish Government Enterprise Accounting System (SEAS), i…
16 May 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-16456 by Shona Robison on 16 May 2018, for what reason this information is not held centrally, and, in light of the commitment at paragraph 1.3(d) of the Scottish Ministerial Code that "Ministers should be as open as possible with the Parliament and…
Answer · Shona Robison: I have asked NHS Lanarkshire to respond directly to the member on this issue.
16 May 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-16455 by Shona Robison on 16 May 2018, for what reason this information is not held centrally, and, in light of the commitment at paragraph 1.3(d) of the Scottish Ministerial Code that "Ministers should be as open as possible with the Parliament and…
Answer · Shona Robison: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-16739 on 7 June 2018. 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…
16 May 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-16458 by Shona Robison on 16 May 2018, in light of (a) paragraph 71 of its document, Guidance for SG Staff on Scottish Parliamentary Questions, which states that "Where a question relates to operational matters, it should be referred to the relevant…
Answer · Shona Robison: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-16739 on 7 June 2018. 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…
9 May 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-15241 by Jeane Freeman on 27 March 2018, when it will publish the final business case for the social security agency, including the preferred option for assessments.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: The full business case for Social Security Scotland will be prepared as the agency approaches steady state and the actual costs of all of its commitments are known. This includes the commitment on the preferred option for assessments, a decision on which will…
9 May 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many parents it aims to provide a financial health check for in 2018-19.
Answer · Angela Constance: We have committed to begin roll out of the financial health check to low income families in 2018. There are currently 140,000 families with children in relative poverty who would be eligible for a financial health check and uptake of this service will be clos…
9 May 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government who the point of contact will be for its financial health check service.
Answer · Angela Constance: I have portfolio responsibility for this work.
9 May 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what it estimates the cost per check will be for its financial health check service.
Answer · Angela Constance: Costings will be considered as part of our on-going work on the design and delivery of the roll-out of this service.
9 May 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what procurement process is required for its financial health check service, and when this will begin.
Answer · Angela Constance: We are currently considering options for the roll-out of the financial health check. Any procurement process we undertake will adhere to the Scottish Government Procurement Policy Manual: http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2006/05/spdpolicymanual .
8 May 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how widely available its financial health check service is.
Answer · Angela Constance: As outlined in Every Child, Every Chance: The Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan, we will begin roll-out of a financial health check for families on low income in 2018. We are currently considering options for the design and delivery of this work alongside …
8 May 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it will provide an update on the delivery of its financial health check service.
Answer · Angela Constance: We commissioned Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) to run a pilot Financial Health Check service for older people throughout November 2017. Fourteen bureaux took part across Scotland and undertook a range of different activities to attract interest in and then de…
8 May 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-09095 by Shona Robison on 15 May 2017, how the new GP contract has taken account of the preferred model for delivery of the new social security agency.
Answer · Shona Robison: The new Social Security Scotland service will provide people with the information and advice they need for the benefits it will be responsible for. This includes staff being available locally to meet with people and help them complete their applications and p…
8 May 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-09095 by Shona Robison on 15 May 2017, how the new GP contract makes provision for the co-location of welfare and benefits advice workers in GP surgeries.
Answer · Shona Robison: The new GP contract, backed by investment of £110 million in 2018-19 and jointly developed with the BMA, will help cut doctors’ workload and ensure GPs are able to spend more time with patients most in need of their skills. This will be achieved by supporting…
4 May 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it assesses suitability of coverage for primary care out-of-hours services in the (a) NHS Lanarkshire area and (b) Cumbernauld and Kilsyth constituency.
Answer · Shona Robison: This is an operational matter for NHS Lanarkshire.
4 May 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the budget has been for the (a) Airdrie and (b) Hamilton primary care out-of-hours service in each year since 2015.
Answer · Shona Robison: This is an operational matter for NHS Lanarkshire.
4 May 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with NHS Lanarkshire regarding its reported difficulty providing medical cover for its primary care out-of-hours service.
Answer · Shona Robison: Scottish Government Officials are in regular contact with NHS Lanarkshire, as with all Health Boards, on out of hours issues through a variety of channels, e.g. through attendance at the National Out of Hours Operations Group or when gathering information on …
4 May 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether NHS Lanarkshire should consult local residents regarding the restoration of the primary care out-of-hours service in the Cumbernauld and Kilsyth constituency, and what plans it has to discuss this with the board.
Answer · Shona Robison: This is an operational matter for NHS Lanarkshire however I would expect all NHS Boards and their delivery partners to engage locally regarding any service changes.
4 May 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the FTE staffing levels have been at the (a) Airdrie and (b) Hamilton primary care out-of-hours service in each month since April 2017.
Answer · Shona Robison: This information is not held centrally.