Parliamentary questions
Mark Griffin
2,186 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
18 Jan 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government which organisations have ceased to be accredited under the Scottish National Standards for Information and Advice Providers in each year since 2011.
Answer · Annabelle Ewing: The previous model of accreditation involved a four-year year cycle after which audit and re-accreditation was needed. From the information available the majority of accreditation periods for organisations ran to 2014, 2015 or 2016. However there was a hiatus…
18 Jan 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what funding will be available to support applications for accreditation under the new model of Scottish National Standards for Information and Advice Providers in (a) 2016-17 and (b) 2017-18.
Answer · Annabelle Ewing: Funding of up to £150,000 has been allocated for the further development and delivery of the Scottish National Standards for Information and Advice providers in 2016-17. Budgets for 2017-18 have not yet been finalised but it is anticipated that a maximum budg…
17 Jan 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many funeral payments are made in Scotland each year.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is responsible for issuing awards of the Funeral Payment and has shared this information with us on a confidential basis. We are discussing the number of awards made in Scotland with DWP as part of our commitment to …
17 Jan 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on the cost to the Department for Work and Pensions of administering funeral payments in Scotland.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is responsible for the administration of the Funeral Payment and has shared information on the cost with us on a confidential basis. We are discussing these costs with DWP as part of our commitment to manage the tran…
17 Jan 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the maximum weekly financial effect was on families of regulation 5 in the Council Tax Reduction (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2016.
Answer · Derek Mackay: The 20% earnings taper within the Council Tax Reduction Scheme means the maximum weekly financial effect was £3.49, although Regulation 2 of the same Scottish Statutory Instrument ensures pre-existing Council Tax Reduction awards that include the family premi…
17 Jan 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many households that include children have made new Council Tax Reduction claims since 1 May 2016 and how many were approved.
Answer · Derek Mackay: Official statistics are currently available for the period to 15 September 2016. Of Council Tax Reduction claims in payment on this date, 11,710 started on or after 1 May 2016. There is no centrally-held data on the number of unsuccessful applications.
16 Jan 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many staff its Social Security Directorate has employed in each month since May 2016.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: Social Security Directorate was established in July 2016. The following table provides the relevant information from that period onwards. The grouping “directly employed” - used to present our Official statistics and staffing reports to the Office for Nationa…
16 Jan 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government which organisations it has funded to provide income maximisation projects in each year since 2011.
Answer · Angela Constance: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-06216 on 30 January 2017. 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/parliamentarybusines…
16 Jan 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much it has provided to local government to fund income maximisation projects in each year since 2011.
Answer · Angela Constance: The majority of revenue funding for local authorities is being provided by means of a block grant. The total block grant settlement for 2016-17 was over £10.3 billion. Individual local authorities are responsible for the management of their own budgets and to…
16 Jan 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much it has spent on grants to third party organisations to fund income maximisation projects in each year since 2011.
Answer · Angela Constance: The Scottish Government is committed to building a fairer nation and tackling deprivation, poverty and inequality. As a result income maximisation projects are funded from across a wide range of portfolios and it is not possible to obtain full answers to the …
16 Jan 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether funding for a financial health check service was included in the 2017-18 draft budget.
Answer · Angela Constance: There is a range of activity being driven across Scottish Government to promote and deliver greater financial inclusion for those facing financial challenges. The commitment to the financial health check service was set out in the Fairer Scotland Action Plan,…
16 Jan 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it will begin delivery of a financial health check service, and how much funding this service will require.
Answer · Angela Constance: The Financial Health Check service will be delivered in this parliamentary term, as set out in the Fairer Scotland Action Plan. The service is currently being scoped out by officials and the extent of funding required will depend on the preferred option taken…
10 Jan 2017 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government when the Joint Ministerial Working Group on Welfare will next meet and what will be discussed.
6 Dec 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to questions S5O-00060 and S5W-02672 by Jeane Freeman on 16 June and 29 September 2016 respectively, whether it will take the Consumer Price Index as a starting point for uprating (a) cold weather payments, (b) funeral payments, (c) winter fuel payments and (d) Su…
Answer · Jeane Freeman: Cold weather payments, funeral payments, winter fuel payments and sure start maternity grants are not automatically uprated by U.K. Government at present. The uprating of successor benefits is being considered in the light of responses to our recent consultat…
31 Oct 2016 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what lessons can be learned from the Central Scotland Green Network in relation to biodiversity.
28 Sep 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-02663 by Aileen Campbell on 26 September 2016, how many households have (a) been entitled to and (b) received health start vouchers in each year since 2011.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: The Healthy Start Scheme is administered by the Department of Health. Information in the following table was provided by the Healthy Start Issuing Unit (HSIU) and outlines the households entitled and receiving Healthy Start vouchers in Scotland each year sinc…
13 Sep 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many assessments for disability benefits will be conducted before (a) it expects the UK Government to commence those powers and (b) reforms referred to in the Programme for Government are (i) announced and (ii) commenced.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: Implementing reforms to existing disability benefits requires a large-scale programme of transition, legislation and implementation. As part of this programme a timetable for the commencement of the relevant sections of the 2016 Scotland Act will be agreed by…
13 Sep 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much an increased carers allowance, as referred to in the Programme for Government, will be worth when it is first paid.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-00812 on 29 June 2016. 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…
13 Sep 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether households will qualify for healthy start vouchers for children up to age four under the Best Start Grant system, as referred to in the Programme for Government.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-02657 on 28 September 2016. 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/parliamentarybusin…
13 Sep 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when claimants will receive an increased carers allowance, as referred to in the Programme for Government.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-00812 on 29 June 2016. 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/2…
13 Sep 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people (a) claim carers allowance and (b) will be eligible for the increased carers allowance referred to in the Programme for Government.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: In February 2016 67,580 individuals received Carer’s Allowance in Scotland. Source: Department for Work and Pensions Statistics. The number of people eligible for the increased Carer’s Allowance will be the number of people receiving Carer’s Allowance when th…
13 Sep 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many households in Scotland receive Sure Start Maternity Grants each year.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-00232 on 15 June 2016. 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/2…
13 Sep 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether recipients of the Best Start Grant, as referred to in the Programme for Government, will continue to receive healthy start vouchers at the same level as current recipients.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-02657 on 28 September 2016. 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/parliamentarybusin…
13 Sep 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when families with severely disabled children will begin to receive an extended winter fuel payment, as referred to in its Programme for Government.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-02675 on 28 September 2016. 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/parliamentarybusin…
13 Sep 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether any underspend for an increased carers allowance will be protected if take-up does not meet estimates.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: Spend on Carer’s Allowance will be demand led, which means the Scottish Government commits to meeting the costs of every valid claim made in each and every year.
13 Sep 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how much is paid out in Sure Start Maternity Grants to eligible households in Scotland each year.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-00232 on 15 June 2016. 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…
13 Sep 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what relationship its new social security agency, as referred to in the Programme for Government, will have with local government.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: We are undertaking a detailed business case to explore how the agency and wider social security system will work in Scotland. This will consider both national and local delivery options and aim to make sure services are streamlined and accessible. This work w…
13 Sep 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether staff from the Department of Work and Pensions will be transferred to its new social security agency, as referred to in the Programme for Government.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: It is too early to determine if and how any of the DWP employees currently administering the benefits to be devolved might transfer to the Scottish social security agency. In considering the employment issues arising from the Scotland Act 2016, the Scottish…
13 Sep 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many families with severely disabled children will receive an extended winter fuel payment, as referred to in the Programme for Government.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: The commitment made in the Programme for Government is to extend eligibility for Winter Fuel Payments to families in Scotland with children in receipt of the highest care component of the Disability Living Allowance. Currently, in 2016-17, the number of famil…
13 Sep 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether extended winter fuel payments for families with severely disabled children, as referred to in the Programme for Government, will be paid automatically.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-02675 on 28 September 2016. 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/parliamentarybusin…