Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-22878

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 23 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has considered extending concessionary travel for over-60s to include the Edinburgh Trams, in light of a reported reduction in the number of buses and trains running from West Lothian to Edinburgh city centre.

Any decision to extend local concessions to the trams rests with the City of Edinburgh Council. The Scottish Government has no role in the ownership and operation of the tram system which is run by Transport for Edinburgh. The Scottish Government currently has no plans to extend the National Concessionary Travel Scheme for Older and Disabled Persons to Edinburgh Trams.

In addition, Edinburgh Trams do not run to West Lothian. Lothian Country is due to take over some of the bus services due to be withdrawn and West Lothian Council are in the process of tendering other routes.

More widely, the Fair Fares Review is progressing to ensure a sustainable and integrated approach to public transport fares. The review is considering both the cost and availability of services and the range of discounts and concessionary schemes which are available on all modes including bus, rail and ferry to ensure our public transport system is more accessible, available, and affordable, with the costs of transport more fairly shared across government, business and society.

Question reference: S6W-22876

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 21 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when it will announce the details and scope of the proposed independent review of Adult Disability Payments.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-22241 on 13 November 2023 which provides an overview of the scope of the review. 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-committees/written-questions-and-answers

The process of recruiting a Chair for the independent review is underway and an advert is currently live. The advertisement will be live for 5 weeks and will close on 27 November 2023, with interviews expected to take place in December.

Question reference: S6W-22687

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 06 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 20 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what recent estimate it has made of the total costs incurred per chronic kidney disease patient who undergoes dialysis treatment at home compared with dialysis treatment in hospital.

Question reference: S6W-22686

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 06 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 20 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Kidney Care UK publication, Home Dialysis Energy Reimbursement in Scotland, what assistance it will offer to NHS boards to enable the full, fair and timely reimbursement of energy costs for kidney disease patients who undergo dialysis at home.

Question reference: S6W-22685

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 06 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 20 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of Islamophobia Awareness Month 2023, what action it is taking to support Police Scotland in recognising and tackling Islamophobic abuse (a) in person and (b) online.

Islamophobia Awareness Month (IAM) shines a light on the continuing presence of Islamophobia in our society, and the impact that anti-Muslim hatred can have.

The Scottish Government is taking action to implement our new Hate Crime Strategy for tackling all forms of hate crime, including Islamophobic hate crime. The strategy was developed in partnership with a range of organisations who have expertise in tackling hatred and prejudice, including Police Scotland who are members of our Hate Crime Strategic Partnership Group.

Our Hate Crime Strategy Delivery Plan, published 20 November, outlines our priorities for tackling hate crime until 2026. The delivery plan sets out our action in relation to the strategy’s commitments, including support for victims and reporting, improving data and evidence on hate crime and developing effective approaches to prevention. It will also support implementation of the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021.

Whilst regulation of internet services is reserved to the UK Government, we will consider the impacts of online hate crime, recognising the need to continuously improve and adapt to align with changes online. We want to ensure people – including children and young people – know how to keep safe online, including on social media.

We will continue to engage with the UK Government as they implement the Online Safety Act.

Question reference: S6W-22280

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 14 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what funding is allocated to craft and making opportunities in schools to ensure that every child and young person has the opportunity to engage with 10 hours of these activities as part of their learning.

Core funding to support the delivery of school-age education, including the technologies curriculum (which includes craft and making), is provided via the block grant to local authorities. In addition, the Scottish Government supports the removal of core curriculum charges for all primary and secondary pupils. The Government has committed £8 million to this policy in this financial year, helping to ensure that families do not have to meet the costs of resources and materials for practical lessons, including for all art materials.

Curriculum for Excellence provides a broad framework within which schools can deliver teaching and learning which best meets the needs of their pupils, and therefore there are no plans to specify time allocations on craft making. The Government recognises the significance of learning craft skills as part of the wider technologies curriculum, with “craft, design, engineering and graphics” referenced as one of six key “organisers” in the technologies Experience and Outcomes.

Question reference: S6W-22558

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 14 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that Social Security Scotland is collecting supporting information before making a decision about a claimant's application, in order to take the onus off the claimant.

Social Security Scotland uses supporting information to assist in the decision making process for Adult Disability Payment and Child Disability Payment. It assists case managers in considering how people are impacted by their conditions or disabilities to inform decisions about the support they are entitled to. Social Security Scotland are committed to ensuring people applying for disability assistance are helped to provide supporting information, which can include obtaining it on their behalf. Ensuring time is taken to collect the information required to get decisions right first time is a fundamental part of delivering a social security system that treats people with dignity, fairness and respect.

Question reference: S6W-22241

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 16 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 13 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the (a) launch date for and (b) scope of the independent review of Adult Disability Payment.

The process of recruiting a Chair for the independent review is underway and an advert is currently live.

The following matters are within the scope of the review:

the activities and descriptors that determine entitlement to Adult Disability Payment, including how these apply to disabled people with fluctuating conditions
people’s experiences of applying for, receiving or challenging a decision about Adult Disability Payment or undergoing a review (including unsuccessful applicants)
consultations process and Adult Disability Payment-specific guidance for practitioners and decision-making guidance to ensure a rights-based model of social security is being applied
considering initial priorities capable of early action that do not require changes to the application, decision-making or service delivery, where those changes offer value, are deliverable and useful regardless of any longer-term changes.

Question reference: S6W-22242

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 16 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 9 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what specific forms of consultation will be used during the independent review of Adult Disability Payment.

Question reference: S6O-02734

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 November 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to help schools to support children who wish to pursue a career in the culture and arts sector.

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