Portfolio Questions

Social Security and Older People John Scott S5O-03188 1. To ask the Scottish Government how it allocates funding from the Scottish Welfare Fund to local authorities. Alison Johnstone S5O-03189 2. To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the reported concerns raised by young carer groups that the current proposals for the Young Carer Grant are unduly restrictive. Graham Simpson S5O-03190 3. To ask the Scottish Government how it assists older people to stay in their homes for as long as possible. Patrick Harvie S5O-03191 4. To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the 2016 SNP manifesto commitment, whether it will legislate in the current Parliamentary session to bring gender recognition law up to international best practice. Bob Doris S5O-03192 5. To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the DWP's removal of the protected date of claim guarantees, which previously allowed councils and Citizens Advice Scotland to backdate benefits claims of their clients to the start of the application process rather than the final submission date. Fulton MacGregor S5O-03193 6. To ask the Scottish Government how much Social Security Scotland has paid out in benefits since the Social Security (Scotland) Act 2018 was passed. Rhoda Grant S5O-03194 7. To ask the Scottish Government how many families in the Highlands and Islands have been awarded a Best Start Grant Pregnancy and Baby Payment since December 2018, and how many have had their applications rejected. Liz Smith S5O-03195 8. To ask the Scottish Government what the impact will be on benefit recipients of the expansion to 1,140 hours of funded childcare. Finance, Economy and Fair Work Liam Kerr S5O-03196 1. To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to protect the jobs of people employed in the North Sea oil and gas sector as the industry changes. Alex Cole-Hamilton S5O-03197 2. To ask the Scottish Government what assessment the finance secretary has made of the contribution that immigration makes to Scotland's economy. Linda Fabiani S5O-03198 3. To ask the Scottish Government how it encourages employers to commit to having Living Wage accreditation. Anas Sarwar S5O-03199 4. To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the amount of reserves required for a new central bank in the event of a separate Scottish currency. Alison Harris S5O-03200 5. To ask the Scottish Government how much it expects to raise from the large business supplement in Central Scotland region in 2019-20. Annie Wells S5O-03201 6. To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to further strengthen the economy of Glasgow. Joan McAlpine S5O-03202 7. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the most recent official statistics on Scotland's economic growth. Maurice Corry S5O-03203 8. To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take to capitalise on the skills of veterans returning to the labour market to benefit the Scottish economy.