Jeremy Balfour

30 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what actions it is taking to assist disabled people with the cost of lifesaving equipment in their homes.

Answer · Jenni Minto: For those people who have been prescribed lifesaving equipment at home, such as home hemodialysis, any reimbursement of energy costs would be the responsibility of the NHS Board. In relation to home oxygen concentrators, the energy costs are covered by a cont…

30 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to introduce legislation to give creditors greater flexibility to reduce the amount of money taken in an earnings arrestment.

Answer · Tom Arthur: I previously wrote to the Economy and Fair Work Committee setting out my current thinking on earnings arrestments. A copy of the letter addressed to the Convenor of the Economy and Fair Work Committee on 15 March 2023 can be found on the Scottish Parliament…

30 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to reduce the period that a person must wait before reapplying for a Minimal Asset Process bankruptcy.

Answer · Tom Arthur: The Scottish Government has no plans to reduce the period that a person must wait before reapplying for a Minimal Asset Process (MAP) bankruptcy. We have made significant changes to MAP eligibility criteria recently, removing the application fee, removing the…

30 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to remove the threshold for full administration bankruptcy.

Answer · Tom Arthur: There are no plans to remove the minimum debt threshold for full administration bankruptcy. Although stakeholders discussed this as part of the recent review, the relevant working group did not recommend such a change at this time.

30 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to remove the application fee for Minimal Asset Process bankruptcy.

Answer · Tom Arthur: The application fee for Minimal Asset Process bankruptcy was removed from 6 February 2023.

30 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it can take to remove any charges for the completion of the Debt and Mental Health Evidence Form in Scotland.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government is not looking to revise the GP contract to affect the ability of GP practices to charge for voluntary completion of Debt and Mental Health Evidence Forms in Scotland. This is not work that could be considered covered by general medica…

30 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what work it has done with health and social care partnerships to promote the Debt and Mental Health Evidence Form in Scotland.

Answer · Maree Todd: We recognise the importance of financial wellbeing and understand the impact that debt and money worries can have on mental health and wellbeing and are working with stakeholders to tackle this issue. In our Mental Health Transition and Recovery Plan we have …

30 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it has allocated to money advice agencies to test improvements to ways of working with people with mental health issues.

Answer · Maree Todd: In financial year 2021-2022 the Scottish Government provided £5,116 for the development of a Mental Health and Money Toolkit. The toolkit, which was developed in partnership with the Money and Pensions Service and Change Mental Health is designed to help peo…

30 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of community link workers, and what its position is on whether further investment should be made into community link worker services.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government has drawn upon external research and evaluations which have demonstrated the impact of the Community Link Workers role and what works well, such as: Evaluation of the Glasgow 'Deep End' Links Worker Programme and Community Link Worker …

30 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of whether the Money and Pensions Service's Money Guiders programme has raised awareness among mental health professionals of the money advice process.

Answer · Paul McLennan: The Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) is an arm’s-length body sponsored by the UK Government’s Department for Work and Pensions. Whilst officials within the Scottish Government liaise with MaPS colleagues in Scotland on a range of policy and operational issue…

30 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Social Justice and Social Security Committee report, Robbing Peter to pay Paul: Low income and the debt trap, what work it has carried out on the Committee's recommendation "that the Scottish Government supports COSLA and local authorities to map money advice services, a…

Answer · Paul McLennan: As set out in the Scottish Government’s response to the Committee’s recommendations in September 2022, no further work has been undertaken in relation to a mapping exercise for Advice Services. Mapping a sector as complex and dynamic as the advice sector woul…

30 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many households Connecting Scotland has reached since the programme was launched.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-13958 on? 26 January 2023. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-commit…

30 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support access to free internet (a) services and (b) devices in public spaces.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: Every public library in Scotland provides access to free WiFi, networked devices and trained staff to offer digital support. The Scottish Government works with the Scottish Library and Information Council (SLIC) to ensure public library staff have access to t…

30 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what longer-term funding arrangements it has considered for debt advice services.

Answer · Paul McLennan: Following the devolution of the Debt Advice Levy to Scottish Ministers in 2019, the Scottish Government commissioned the Improvement Service to undertake research into different potential funding models for debt advice. This work has only recently been comple…

30 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to tackle any stigma associated with receiving welfare benefits.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: We are committed to challenging stigmatising narratives in everything we do – taking a rights-based approach to social security, and embedding this in all of our communications. By embracing person-centred approaches to service design and delivery, and by col…

28 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what work it has undertaken to support local authorities to forgive the individual school meal debt of pupils and their families as they move into a new school year and/or a new school setting.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: We recognise that rises in the cost of living are putting a huge strain on some families and they are facing unforeseen challenges. The management of debt is an issue for education authorities and their finance departments. Councils have the power to make di…

28 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has any plans to amend the pre-action requirements relating to private tenancies to formalise the referral of tenants for free independent money advice.

Answer · Paul McLennan: The aim of the Pre-Action Protocol for rent arrears is to sustain a tenancy, as far as possible, so that tenants can remain in their homes. Before taking action to repossess a property, landlords are required to have carried out certain steps to support their…

28 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what work it has undertaken with (a) COSLA and (b) local authorities to (i) advertise and (ii) raise awareness of (A) Council Tax Reduction and (B) council tax rebate schemes.

Answer · Tom Arthur: The Scottish Government are working with COSLA through the ‘Joint Working Group on Sources of Local Government Funding and Council Tax Reform’ to encourage the adoption of best practice on debt collection and advice. Additionally, the Scottish Government pro…

28 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what work it has undertaken with (a) COSLA and (b) local authorities to develop national standards for council tax collection.

Answer · Tom Arthur: Council Tax is a local tax, and each council is financially and administratively accountable to their electorate. However, we recognise the desirability of the best practice in council tax collection being adopted by all local authorities. I therefore raised…

28 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to introduce trauma-informed practice training for all public sector staff who work with people in relation to debt issues.

Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government’s ambition, shared with COSLA, is for a trauma-informed workforce and services across Scotland. Since 2018, we have invested over £6 million in a National Trauma Training Programme, which provides freely available, evidence-based traum…

28 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to ensure that all public bodies have clear processes to deal with any disputes with service users about whether a debt exists, or the amount of money owed.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: Public bodies are autonomous bodies and each one has a clear framework which balances operational autonomy and accountability to the public. Any processes in relation to disputes with service users, including in relation to debt to that body, are between the …

28 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what work it has undertaken in partnership with public bodies to develop a shared debt management strategy.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: Scottish Ministers have consistently encouraged public bodies to share good practice on debt assistance and collection and to show empathy and dignity when working with people struggling with debt. Specifically in relation to Council tax, whilst this is a lo…

28 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to address any regional disparities in the success of welfare applications.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: Social Security Scotland’s Local Delivery service has teams based in every Scottish Local Authority, and in many cases are co-located with existing services to make sure that they bring support to places that people currently go. This localised approach to su…

28 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans on working collectively with the UK Government and local authorities to develop a system of automation to consider the complexities of eligibility for benefits, in order to shift the burden of responsibility from the individual.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: As part of our rights-based approach to social security, we are committed to minimising as far as possible any burden on clients. Where we have been able, we are already working with the UK Government to automate some of our payments for that very purpose. M…

28 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to invest in affordable credit for any families that are turning to high-interest forms of credit.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Scottish Government is taking a number of actions to ensure access to affordable credit for people on low-incomes. This includes investing £8.5 million in our Community Sustainability Fund, which launched in December 2022, where community lenders can acce…

28 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has sought clarity from energy companies on what current actions are being taken to address the disproportionate impact that fuel costs have on people in Scotland with disabilities.

Answer · Gillian Martin: The high cost of energy prices combined with inflation is having a disproportionate impact on vulnerable consumers, including those living with disabilities. We were disappointed that the UK Government did not answer our calls to extend the Energy Bills Supp…

23 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to improve patient awareness of magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) treatment for essential tremor.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government recognises the benefits magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) could provide to eligible patients with essential tremor. NHS clinicians are best placed to provide advice and guidance on possible treatment options such a…

23 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to develop a commissioning policy for magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) treatment for essential tremor.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The commissioning of NHS national services is the responsibility of NHS National Services Division (NSD), a sub division of NHS Services Scotland (NSS).Eligible patients for magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) for essential tremor can be ref…

23 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the importance of offering magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) treatment for essential tremor to patients in Scotland.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government recognises the benefits magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) could provide to eligible patients with essential tremor. The Scottish Government has not carried out an assessment of MRgFUS for the treatment of essential…

16 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support it will offer to help people over 50 re-enter the workforce.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: We continue to do all we can within our current powers to enable the over 50’s workforce to return to or remain in employment for as long as they wish. Increasing participation in fair and sustainable work will ensure that prosperity is shared more equally ac…