Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-32051

Asked by: Collette Stevenson, MSP for East Kilbride, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 09 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 6 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what funding has been allocated in its draft Budget 2025-26 to mitigate any negative impact in Scotland of the UK Government's policy decisions.

On 4 December 2024, the Cabinet Secretary for Finance & Local Government announced a draft Scottish Budget for 2025-26. Included in the draft Budget was the commitment to continue mitigating some of the negative impacts of UK Government policy decisions, including the bedroom tax and benefit cap, and a new commitment to develop the systems necessary to effectively scrap the impact of the two-child limit in 2026. The Child Poverty Action Group has estimated that the change could lift 15,000 children in Scotland out of poverty.

Subject to the approval of Parliament, the Scottish Government will invest over £97 million in Discretionary Housing Payments in 2025-26 to mitigate the bedroom tax and benefit cap and provide additional housing support. This is an increase of nearly £7 million over 2024-25 and more per person than any other UK nation.

In addition to the above support, an additional £20 million was recently added to the Scottish Welfare Fund to enable councils to provide more vital support to people in crisis, bringing the total investment for 2024-25 up to £61 million. Shortfalls in the UK social security system have contributed to an increased demand on the fund, and we will continue to closely monitor spend and demand trends as we look ahead to the next financial year.

Question reference: S6O-04158

Asked by: Collette Stevenson, MSP for East Kilbride, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 December 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how its draft Budget will support the arts and culture sector in 2025-26, including through the provision of multi-year funding programmes for artists and cultural organisations.

Question reference: S6W-31150

Asked by: Collette Stevenson, MSP for East Kilbride, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 3 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of the total cost of mitigating any impact in Scotland of UK Government policy decisions since 2007-08, broken down by the amount spent in the (a) current financial year and (b) last five financial years.

The Scottish Government has spent around £1.2 billion in the past 14 years mitigating the impacts of UK Government welfare reforms such as the bedroom tax and benefit cap, introduced since 2010. Of that, £133 million is being invested in the current financial year (2024-25), and over £631 million has been spent in the last five financial years (2019-20 - 2023-24), funding Discretionary Housing Payments, the Scottish Welfare Fund, money advice services, and Universal Credit Scottish choices.

In addition to the above support, between February 2021 and September 2024, we have invested £905.6 million in the Scottish Child Payment, giving support to the families of over 325,000 under 16s who currently receive it. While we are doing what we can within our limited powers and fixed budget, the UK Government must do more to ensure the UK social security system at least covers essential living costs.

Table 1 provides a breakdown of spending on UK Government welfare mitigation in the last five years, plus the current financial year (six years in total).

Table 1: breakdown of spending on UK Government welfare mitigation (2019-20 - 2024-25)

Year	2019-20	2020-21	2021-22	2022-23	2023-24	2024-25	Total
DHP, Bedroom tax budget	£52.3m	£59.7m	£71.0m	£68.1m	£69.7m	£74.84m	£395.64m
DHP, Benefit cap budget					£6.15m1	£7.75m	£13.9m
DHP “Other”	£10.9m	£18.9m2	£10.9m	£16.0m3	£7.9m	£7.9m	£72.5m
DHP Admin funding	£1.2m	£1.2m	£1.2m	£1.7m4	£2.2m	£2.2m	£9.7m
Scottish Welfare Fund	£33.0m	£57.5m	£35.5m	£38.0m5	£35.5m	£35.5m	£235m
Scottish Welfare Fund admin funding	£5.0m	£5.5m	£5.5m	£5.5m	£5.5m	£5.5m	£32.5m
Money advice services6	£1.5m	£1.5m	£1.5m	£0.7m	See note 6, below		£5.2m
Universal credit Scottish choices	£0.2m	£0.2m	£0.1m	£0.1m	£0.13m	£0.15m	£0.88m
Total cost of mitigating UK Government welfare reform	£104.1m	£144.5m	£125.7m	£130.1m	£127.08m	£133.84m	£765.32m

1. Prior to 2023/24 benefit cap funding was included in the DHP ”Other” line.

2. Figure includes additional £8m of Covid-support funds.

3. Figure includes additional £2.6m for benefit cap support and £2.5m cost of living support.

4. Figure includes £0.5m additional admin funding paid for benefit cap policy roll-out preparation.

5. Figure includes £2.5m to support delivery of the Scottish Welfare Fund in 2022-23.

6. From 2018 to late 2022, The Scottish Government allocated funding from their overall welfare and debt advice budget for specific advice relating to UKG Welfare Reforms. From October 2022, this funding stream was brought together with other previously separate funding streams to support the new, streamlined Money Talk Team service delivered by Citizens Advice Scotland.

Question reference: S6O-04033

Asked by: Collette Stevenson, MSP for East Kilbride, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 November 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its policies and collaboration with local authorities to ensure that support is provided to pupils who cannot attend school for medical reasons.

Question reference: S6O-03861

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S6W-30244

Asked by: Collette Stevenson, MSP for East Kilbride, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 27 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 8 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its policy that adult social care workers must earn at least the real Living Wage, what estimate it has made of the potential Barnett consequential funding that might receive if the UK Government were to replicate this approach in England.

Since 2016, the Scottish Government has provided funding to ensure that adult social care workers, delivering direct care in the third and private sectors, are paid at least the Real Living Wage (RLW).

As employment powers are reserved, this uplift is funded by the Scottish Government but processed, delivered and assured by Local Authorities through the annual contract variation process. This year, the Scottish Government transferred £230 million to Local Government to deliver the uplift to at least £12 per hour.

As we do not have access to the relevant contractual information in England, we are unable to estimate how much it would cost to replicate this approach in England or the subsequent Barnett consequentials.

In the absence of Barnett consequentials, the Scottish Government’s commitment to prioritise funding a minimum RLW rate clearly demonstrates the value we place on the Scottish social care workforce.

Question reference: S6O-03761

Asked by: Collette Stevenson, MSP for East Kilbride, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 September 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of the cost of private finance initiative repayments in the current financial year.

Question reference: S6W-29549

Asked by: Collette Stevenson, MSP for East Kilbride, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 17 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-28112 by Shona Robison on 20 June 2024, whether it will provide (a) an update on the final audited reserves held by each local authority at 31 March 2024 and (b) the percentage increase in reserves for each local authority since 31 March 2014.

Final audited reserves data for 31 March 2024 is not currently held by the Scottish Government.

As far as possible, where audited reserves figures are available for 31 March 2024, these will be published in February 2025 as part of Scottish Local Government Finance Statistics 2023-24.

The following table shows the cash and real terms value of Local Authority General Fund reserves at 31 March 2014 (final audited) and 31 March 2024 (now updated with provisional outturn data from POBE 2024 dataset). Please note that the information requested on reserves is not held prior to 2007.

Due to small numbers in many of the VJBs and transport authorities, real-term percentage changes in reserves have only been calculated for Councils and Strathclyde Passenger Transport.

Adjustments for inflation have been made using the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) deflators for March 2024 (available at: GDP deflators at market prices, and money GDP - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)).

Further information on Local Government Finance Statistics can be found at: Local government finance statistics - gov.scot (www.gov.scot).

General Fund Reserves (in £ millions) as at 31 March
Sources: LFR 23 for 31 March 2014 (audited data), POBE 2024 for 31 March 2024 which is provisional outturn data provided in early 2024.

	Cash Terms		Real Terms (2023-24 Prices)		Percentage Increase
Local Authority	31-Mar-14	31-Mar-24	31-Mar-14	31-Mar-24	Real Terms
	Final Audited	Provisional Outturn	Final Audited	Provisional Outturn
Aberdeen City	57.1	85.9	75.2	85.9	14%
Aberdeenshire	57.5	65.4	75.7	65.4	-14%
Angus	19.8	71.2	26.1	71.2	173%
Argyll & Bute	44.0	86.4	58.0	86.4	49%
City of Edinburgh	123.3	265.9	162.3	265.9	64%
Clackmannanshire	12.0	21.0	15.8	21.0	32%
Dumfries & Galloway	58.4	86.4	76.9	86.4	12%
Dundee City	8.1	56.6	10.6	56.6	433%
East Ayrshire	28.0	49.1	36.9	49.1	33%
East Dunbartonshire	11.3	47.7	14.9	47.7	220%
East Lothian	9.2	26.4	12.1	26.4	118%
East Renfrewshire	14.9	52.1	19.6	52.1	165%
Falkirk	25.8	49.7	33.9	49.7	47%
Fife	85.0	216.1	111.9	216.1	93%
Glasgow City	32.8	277.4	43.2	277.4	543%
Highland	40.3	131.8	53.1	131.8	148%
Inverclyde	42.9	27.4	56.5	27.4	-51%
Midlothian	20.5	35.0	27.0	35.0	29%
Moray	21.4	45.7	28.1	45.7	62%
Na h-Eileanan Siar	18.3	30.0	24.1	30.0	24%
North Ayrshire	25.2	110.1	33.1	110.1	233%
North Lanarkshire	75.0	249.9	98.8	249.9	153%
Orkney Islands	23.8	28.5	31.3	28.5	-9%
Perth & Kinross	48.2	69.7	63.5	69.7	10%
Renfrewshire	52.9	127.4	69.7	127.4	83%
Scottish Borders	17.1	49.6	22.6	49.6	120%
Shetland Islands	13.9	72.0	18.2	72.0	295%
South Ayrshire	22.9	47.7	30.2	47.7	58%
South Lanarkshire	13.4	150.3	17.6	150.3	753%
Stirling	13.3	29.9	17.5	29.9	71%
West Dunbartonshire	10.1	29.1	13.3	29.1	118%
West Lothian	22.6	57.1	29.7	57.1	92%
Ayrshire VJB	0.2	0.7	0.3	0.7
Central VJB	0.8	0.4	1.0	0.4
Dunbartonshire& Argyll & Bute VJB	0.5	0.8	0.6	0.8
Grampian VJB	0.2	0.7	0.3	0.7
Highland & Western Isles VJB	0.1	0.2	0.2	0.2
Lanarkshire VJB	-	1.7	-	1.7
Lothian VJB	-	1.3	-	1.3
Orkney & Shetland VJB	-	0.0	-	0.0
Renfrewshire VJB	0.5	0.8	0.6	0.8
Tayside VJB	0.1	0.1	0.1	0.1
Tay Road Bridge	1.2	1.2	1.5	1.2
HITRANS	0.2	0.1	0.3	0.1
NESTRANS	0.0	3.6	0.0	3.6
SESTRAN	-	0.2	-	0.2
SPT	12.5	109.7	16.5	109.7	565%
SWESTRANS	-	0.0	-	0.0
TACTRAN	-	0.1	-	0.1
ZetTrans	-	0.0	-	0.0
Scotland	1,085.4	2870.0	1,428.8	2,870.0	101%

VJB = Valuation Joint Board
GDP Deflator	75.97	100.00

Question reference: S6O-03667

Asked by: Collette Stevenson, MSP for East Kilbride, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 August 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 4 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions the finance secretary has had with the UK Government regarding public spending, in light of the Prime Minister’s remarks that the Labour administration’s first Budget is “going to be painful”.

Question reference: S6O-03859

Asked by: Collette Stevenson, MSP for East Kilbride, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 August 2024
Current Status: Due to be taken in the Chamber on 10 May 2028

To ask the Scottish Government test the BB.

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