Parliamentary questions
Michelle Ballantyne
639 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
28 May 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the overtime rates are for (a) its and (b) Social Security Scotland's staff.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The staff below Senior Civil Service in Social Security Scotland are employed on Scottish Government Main (SGM) terms and conditions. The overtime rates in SGM are detailed in the following table. Staff in the Senior Civil Service are not entitled to claim ov…
22 May 2019 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to encourage the recruitment of GPs in rural communities.
21 May 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) average and (b) longest time has been for a Scottish Welfare Fund application to be processed in the last year.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: During 2018 the average (median) time taken for Scottish Welfare Fund applications to be processed was one working day for Community Care Grant (CCG) and the same working day for Crisis Grant. We are unable to provide an accurate figure for the longest time,…
21 May 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what guidance it provides to local authorities regarding the implementation of the Scottish Welfare Fund.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Scottish Government provides the Scottish Welfare Fund Statutory Guidance to all local authorities, and it is available at https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-welfare-fund-statutory-guidance-9781788519687/
21 May 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assistance is provided to applicants to the Scottish Welfare Fund, and what advice it can give to applicants who do not have a specialist or benefits adviser.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: Local authorities have discretion over how the Scottish Welfare Fund is delivered in their area. This allows the scheme to be tailored to reflect the needs of individuals in their local communities. Local authorities maintain relationships with a range of p…
21 May 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the use of nitrites in school meals.
Answer · John Swinney: We are committed to supporting the health and wellbeing of our children and young people and recognise the key role schools have by providing healthy, balanced and nutritious food and drink. In 2018 we consulted on proposals put forward by a scientific techn…
21 May 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the average number of subjects studied by (a) S4 and (b) S5 pupils at (i) Penicuik High, (ii) Lasswade High, (iii) North Berwick High, (iv) Ross High and (v) Musselburgh Grammar School has been in each of the last 10 years, and how this compares with the national average.
Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government does not hold this information.
21 May 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it has provided to the Heriot Watt School of Textile and Design in each of the last 10 years.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Scottish Government provides funding to universities in Scotland, including Heriot-Watt, via the Scottish Funding Council; this includes grants for teaching, research, and capital. As autonomous institutions, it is for each university to determine how to …
15 May 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether frontline cyber protection is in place to protect the social security programme and, if (a) so, who provides this and (b) not, (i) for what reason and (ii) what progress it is making in identifying a provider.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-18037 on 17 August 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…
15 May 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the cost will be of the IBM contract to provide a case management system for the social security programme in each of the next four years, and how the total cost of this contract compares with the original forecast of £8.3 million.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The current value of the IBM contract is publically available on the Public Contracts Scotland website. The original £8.3 million value of the contract was to support the development and implementation of four Scottish Government benefits and the revised c…
15 May 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether Social Security Scotland staff use telephony scripts and, if so, (a) for what reason and (b) whether it will publish these or place a copy in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe).
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: Social Security Scotland client advisors undertake a rigorous induction and training programme to ensure that can deliver advice and services with dignity, fairness and respect. Social Security Scotland does not use telephony scripts when engaging with our c…
15 May 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of how the £308 million that is to be spent up to April 2023 on the social security programme will be allocated, including how this will link to (a) programme plans, (b) delivery timescales, (c) the award of contracts and (d) other key programme decisi…
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Financial Memorandum made it clear that the £308 million was an initial estimate for a four year programme. The estimates included staffing costs in the region of £104 million, IT development costs of £190 million and set up costs for Social Security Scot…
15 May 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it will monitor and report on the cost of fully implementing all devolved welfare benefits, and how it will inform the Parliament regarding progress with this.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Social Security Finance team is embedded within the Social Security Programme to ensure robust financial management, monitoring and reporting are in place. Financial management, monitoring and reporting are integral to the programme governance structure a…
15 May 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what provision has been made in the social security programme budget to provide for in-house disability-related assessments.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The 2019-20 Social Security budget includes £77.8 million to support the programme of delivery. This includes provision to support the delivery of disability assessments, including the recent contract awarded to Deloitte. That contract is worth £2.3 million o…
15 May 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what incentives are offered to staff in the social security programme to encourage them to remain in post.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: No incentives are offered to staff in the Social Security Programme Management and Delivery division. Permanent staff in the Social Security Programme Management and Delivery division are employed on the Standard Scottish Government terms and conditions of em…
15 May 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the progress being made in appointing a permanent social security programme manager.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Programme has required to date, and will continue to require, specialist resources that are either not currently available or are in short supply within the Scottish Government. To ensure the levels of resourcing and skills required for delivery a…
15 May 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that the delivery of digital infrastructure for the social security programme represents good value for money.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The social security programme has well established governance procedures in place to ensure that affordability and value for money are key considerations throughout the decision making process. The Social Security Finance team is embedded within the Social S…
15 May 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what progress it is making in finalising the contracts with the DWP for continued delivery of some devolved benefits.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: A number of Agency Agreements will be put in place in preparation for transfer of executive competence on 1 April 2020. The Agency Agreements are key mechanisms to support the safe and secure transition of delivery responsibilities from the DWP to our own Soc…
15 May 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many hours overtime have been worked by (a) permanent, (b) temporary and (c) contract staff in the social security programme.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The following table shows hours of overtime claimed by permanent staff directly employed by the Scottish Government. We pay contractors a daily rate and therefore overtime does not apply. No overtime was claimed by temporary staff. The data provided is from M…
15 May 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of the cost of implementing the delivery of digital infrastructure for the social security programme.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: As detailed in the letter sent to the Public Audit and Post-Legislative Scrutiny Committee (copied to the Social Security Committee) on 7 December 2017, please see the following table setting out current estimated IT costs for the social security programme, i…
15 May 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it promotes and maintains staff morale across the social security programme.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The culture and values of the social security programme is key with a focus on support and development of staff. This is achieved through staff engagement, providing the appropriate guidance and support for both line managers and staff and creating the right …
15 May 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that the Executive Advisory Board of Social Security Scotland is fully included in the decision-making process.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The role of the Executive Advisory Body is to provide the Chief Executive of Social Security Scotland and the senior leadership team with strategic advice and constructive challenge. The Chief Executive is the Accountable Officer. The Executive Advisory Body …
15 May 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many finance-related positions in the social security programme are vacant.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: There are currently no vacancies within the Social Security Programme Finance team.
15 May 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how, in light of the report by the Auditor General, Social Security: Implementing the Devolved Powers, what steps have been taken to ensure that timescales are in place to allow enough time for procurement activities to be carried out to a sufficient standard.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: Procurements with significant risk, or value greater than £5m, fall within the remit of the Technology Assurance Framework (TAF)*. This ensures that independent assessors follow a robust process to test the contracting and procurement strategy and that the c…
15 May 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it will adapt its agile working approach in the social security programme to respond to any increase in the programme’s scale.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Programme will continue to review and adapt it’s Agile approach as the scale and complexity of work changes. These continued reviews will look at the existing methodology we are using and also other frameworks that have been used elsewhere within governme…
15 May 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that Social Security Scotland is staffed by an adequate number of permanent employees.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: When considering our location(s) of our offices in Dundee and Glasgow, the Scottish Government undertook comprehensive analysis, part of this analysis was to consider the labour market and the ability to recruit for permanent posts within each location. Soci…
15 May 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that staff in the social security programme can access appropriate mental health support.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: All Programme Management and Delivery staff have access to the Scottish Government Employee Assistance programme (EAP). The programme provides professional support and guidance to those experiencing emotional, practical, health and social problems. Includes s…
15 May 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that Social Security Scotland staff are adequately supported in their roles.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: Social Security Scotland aims to recruit a diverse workforce, to ensure a positive induction process, and to provide ongoing learning and development opportunities. Before an employee takes up a post, Social Security Scotland identify any adjustments which m…
15 May 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that the Social Security Scotland Executive Advisory Board receives clear reports regarding the long-term financial impacts of social security investment, policy and delivery decisions.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: Social Security Scotland’s Executive Advisory Body provides strategic advice and constructive challenge to the Chief Executive and the Senior Leadership Team. It specifically supports those activities for which the Agency Chief Executive is Accountable Office…
15 May 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that decisions made through the social security programme are appropriately escalated or reported to the programme's board.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: We can confirm, and as stated by the Auditor General the Public Affairs and Post-legislative Scrutiny Committee meeting held 16 May 2019, that the Social Security Programme has well established and robust governance structures, processes and mechanisms in pla…