Parliamentary questions

Rachael Hamilton

1,432 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

21 Aug 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on older people's physical and mental health is mitigated against.

Answer · Clare Haughey: The Scottish Government recognises that the Coronavirus pandemic may have adverse effects on the mental and physical wellbeing of individuals within the wider Scottish Population. We know that older people have been particularly affected by the restrictions p…

21 Aug 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with the DWP in the last 12 months regarding devolved social security powers.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Scottish Government has engaged regularly with DWP over the past 12 months regarding devolved social security. This has included through ministerial correspondence and at two Joint Ministerial Working Groups on Welfare. Scottish Government officials worki…

21 Aug 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on progress with the transfer of powers to Social Security Scotland from the DWP.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: To date the Scottish Government and Social Security Scotland have delivered eight social security benefits, including four brand new forms of assistance. The most recent of these was Job Start Payment, launched on 17 August to help young people with the costs…

21 Aug 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that people with long-term health conditions can be safely helped back into long-term employment.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: Fair Start Scotland (FSS) is Scotland’s flagship employability programme, designed to support those who face the greatest challenge to moving towards and into work. Participation in the programme is entirely voluntary, and it offers up to 18 months of tailore…

21 Aug 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it takes to ensure that young people who leave formal compulsory education without a positive destination are assisted into employment.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: This Government has a strong track record of assisting young people into employment through our internationally recognised Youth Employment Strategy – Developing the Young Workforce. There is a broad range of support available to school leavers including a c…

21 Aug 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding how the (a) number and (b) proportion of people in Scotland who receive social security benefits compares with (i) England, (ii) Wales and (iii) Northern Ireland.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Scottish Government does not hold information on the overall number of people in Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland who receive social security benefits. Statistics are published separately for each benefit by the Scottish Government, UK Govern…

21 Aug 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many people have been helped into employment through Fair Start Scotland, and how this compares with the number of people helped into employment through equivalent services in each of the previous 14 years.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: From 1 April 2017 Scotland exercised newly devolved powers on employment support through 12 month transitional arrangements (Work First Scotland and Work Able Scotland) before Fair Start Scotland was launched in April 2018. Prior to April 2017, the UK Governm…

21 Aug 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has carried out in light of rising unemployment associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: Analysis of the unprecedented social and economic impacts of COVID-19 and ensuring we respond appropriately could not be higher on the Scottish Government’s agenda. Our published Labour Market Monthly Briefings following the official statistics publications …

21 Aug 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many people are employed through Social Security Scotland, and how this compares with the target of 1,900 people set out in Audit Scotland’s report, Social Security: Implementing the Devolved Powers.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: Social Security Scotland routinely publish Official Statistics on number of people employed as part of the quarterly release ‘Social Security Scotland Workforce Information’. Information on workforce numbers was last published on 16 June 2020 and covered wor…

21 Aug 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking in response to any social isolation among older people following the COVID-19 lockdown.

Answer · Christina McKelvie: We know that older people in Scotland have been at an increased risk of social isolation and loneliness because of the necessary restrictions that were put in place to control transmission of the virus and save lives. In our initial response to the pandemic,…

21 Aug 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that older people can access online services during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Answer · Ben Macpherson: We have set up the Connecting Scotland programme ( https://connecting.scot/ ) which provides those that are digitally excluded and on a low income with a device, an internet connection and training and support. £5 million was invested in phase one of the p…

21 Aug 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the actual annual uptake is of (a) free school meals, (b) the Council Tax Reduction Scheme, (c) the Best Start (i) Grant and (ii) Food Scheme and (d) Funeral Support Payment, and how this compares with the initial estimate.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: National eligibility criteria for Free School Meals are set by the Scottish Government, with local authorities retaining the option of applying additional local criteria on who receives free school meals. The 2019 Healthy Living Survey https://www.gov.scot/p…

21 Aug 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that older people will be better supported if there are further COVID-19 lockdowns.

Answer · Christina McKelvie: We know that older people have been adversely affected by restrictions put in place to combat the spread of the coronavirus and have put in place a range of support for them. Through our Immediate Priorities Fund, we have provided over £870,000 to Age Scotla…

21 Aug 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to tackle the reported mass redundancies in Aberdeen City and Shire as a result of the oil industry downturn, and whether it plans to offer social security packages to mitigate against any economic impact on families.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The Scottish Government recognises that COVID-19 and the decrease in oil and gas prices has had a significant impact on both the oil and gas sector and the North East of Scotland, and this has unfortunately led to a number of redundancies across the sector an…

21 Aug 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many of the three- to four-year-olds who will not receive support from the expansion of free early learning due to the delay in its implementation will qualify for a Best Start Food Grant.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: Best Start Foods and Best Start Grant are two separate devolved benefit payments to support eligible families with young children. Best Start Foods supports eligible families with children under the age of three to purchase healthy foods. The Best Start Gra…

21 Aug 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government by what date it will lay the regulations for Child Disability Payment.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: I will make announcements regarding individual benefits in due course, and can confirm that the Scottish Government will lay the necessary regulations to support delivery of Child Disability Payment in time for implementation of this new form of assistance.

21 Aug 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to close the employment gap between disabled and non-disabled people, and what progress has been made on this issue in each of the last 14 years.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: In 2018, the Scottish Government published A Fairer Scotland for Disabled People: Employment Action Plan . As part of this we committed to reduce the disability employment gap by at least half (from the 2016 baseline of 37.4 percentage points), by 2038. Our p…

13 Aug 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what impact the COVID-19 pandemic and any potential subsequent rise in unemployment is having on its measures to reduce child poverty.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: Coronavirus, whilst primarily a public health emergency, has had significant impacts on our economy, our society, our communities and on the lives of every person in the country. At the outset of the pandemic we committed £50 million, as part of our initial …

13 Aug 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much it is allocating to reduce child poverty in 2020-21, and how this compares with each year since 2007-08.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: As outlined in the second annual progress report on child poverty, published on 20 August 2020, we estimate that over £672 million of investment was targeted specifically at children in low income households in 2019-20. This was part of over £1.96 billion tar…

13 Aug 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making in meeting its child poverty reduction target, and whether it expects to achieve this in the timescale set out.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: The Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017 sets out both interim and final targets across four target measures towards the eradication of child poverty in Scotland. The latest statistics, covering the period 2018-19, were published both as part of the second ann…

20 Jul 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-29326 by Paul Wheelhouse on 12 June 2020, what the timeframe is for delivering superfast broadband to the remaining 200 premises in the South of Scotland region, and how the voucher scheme it refers to will contribute to the delivery.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: Our new, nationwide voucher scheme for Scotland - launching later this summer - will ensure that any property that was unable to access superfast broadband by 31 December 2021 can do so through a voucher led solution, including in the region of 200 remaining …

14 Jul 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the remit is of the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission, and for what reason it does not include representation from the agriculture sector.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The remit of the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission (the Commission) is primarily to provide expert, independent advice on wild and companion animal welfare. It will also provide scientific and ethical advice to government on related matters. The provision of…

14 Jul 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission plans to engage the expertise of the livestock sector in its consideration of abattoir provision and mobile slaughterhouses.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Scottish Animal Welfare Commission will be setting up working groups to consider the welfare issues identified in its work plan, including abattoir provision and mobile slaughterhouses. If appropriate the Commission will seek to co-opt in to these groups …

14 Jul 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission plans to engage the expertise of the agriculture sector, including in its consideration of animal sentience and the welfare of (a) deer and (b) wildlife.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Scottish Animal Welfare Commission will be setting up smaller working groups to consider the welfare issues identified in its work plan, including animal sentience and the welfare of deer and wildlife. If appropriate the Commission will seek to co-opt in …

22 Jun 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what safeguards are in place for statutory designations within a national park, and how these are protected under national park planning regulations.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: Scottish Planning Policy (2014) sets out development considerations in and around designated sites, which all planning authorities and National Parks need to take into account in their development plans and decision making on planning applications. National …

22 Jun 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in the context of national park authority planning regulations, whether a development proposal that is not within the current local development plan should be withheld from any consideration by planners until the consultation begins on the next local development plan.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: The answer to S5W-30141 refers to the determination of planning applications. Scottish Planning Policy (SPP, 2014) sets out policies which reflect Scottish Ministers’ priorities for the operation of the planning system and is a material consideration in the …

22 Jun 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports of a number of large and medium-sized planning applications being submitted to national park planning authorities, in light of them not being part of local development plans.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: Planning authorities are required to consider any valid application submitted to them. Under planning legislation, applications are determined in accordance with the development plan for the area unless material planning considerations justify a departure fr…

17 Jun 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what impact EU state aid rules no longer applying to Scotland following Brexit has had on its Air Departure Tax policy.

Answer · Ben Macpherson: The introduction of Air Departure Tax (ADT) in Scotland has been deferred to allow for issues raised in relation to the Highlands and Islands exemption to be resolved. As such, the current UK Air Passenger Duty (APD) rates and bands continue to apply in Scotl…

17 Jun 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on reviewing the level of the Air Departure Tax to help boost international tourism following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Answer · Ben Macpherson: The Scottish Government is committed to helping businesses with the impact of the pandemic and has put in place a package of business support measures worth over £2.3 billion. The introduction of Air Departure Tax (ADT) in Scotland has been deferred to allow…

17 Jun 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the estimated annual total cost to passengers will be of the Air Departure Tax, and what impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on this.