General Question Time – in the Scottish Parliament am ar 21 Tachwedd 2024.
James Dornan
Scottish National Party
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the annual performance of Social Security Scotland in 2023-24. (S6O-04003)
Shirley-Anne Somerville
Scottish National Party
Social Security Scotland published its annual report and accounts and its charter measurement framework results this week. The findings show that 90 per cent of respondents said that their overall experience was very good or good. In the previous financial year, we paid more than £1.9 billion to people across Scotland. During that time, we launched the carer support payment nationally and a pilot for the pension-age disability payment. We now deliver 15 benefits, seven of which are available only in Scotland.
James Dornan
Scottish National Party
Of the £1.9 billion that was issued in devolved social security payments across Scotland, more than £277 million was invested in Glasgow, including for my Glasgow Cathcart constituents. Will the Cabinet secretary outline, for Glasgow and for Scotland as a whole, how much of Social Security Scotland’s investment went towards devolved benefits that are unique to Scotland and not available anywhere else in the United Kingdom, such as the transformative Scottish child payment?
Shirley-Anne Somerville
Scottish National Party
In 2023-24, Social Security Scotland invested £500 million in benefits that are unique to Scotland. Of that, £80 million was invested in the Glasgow city area. Our investment will support 1.4 million people this year—about one in four people in Scotland. Social Security Scotland’s benefits are helping to keep children out of poverty, assisting people to deal with rising living costs and supporting disabled people and those who devote their time to caring for others.
Question Time is an opportunity for MPs and Members of the House of Lords to ask Government Ministers questions. These questions are asked in the Chamber itself and are known as Oral Questions. Members may also put down Written Questions. In the House of Commons, Question Time takes place for an hour on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays after Prayers. The different Government Departments answer questions according to a rota and the questions asked must relate to the responsibilities of the Government Department concerned. In the House of Lords up to four questions may be asked of the Government at the beginning of each day's business. They are known as 'starred questions' because they are marked with a star on the Order Paper. Questions may also be asked at the end of each day's business and these may include a short debate. They are known as 'unstarred questions' and are less frequent. Questions in both Houses must be written down in advance and put on the agenda and both Houses have methods for selecting the questions that will be asked. Further information can be obtained from factsheet P1 at the UK Parliament site.
The cabinet is the group of twenty or so (and no more than 22) senior government ministers who are responsible for running the departments of state and deciding government policy.
It is chaired by the prime minister.
The cabinet is bound by collective responsibility, which means that all its members must abide by and defend the decisions it takes, despite any private doubts that they might have.
Cabinet ministers are appointed by the prime minister and chosen from MPs or peers of the governing party.
However, during periods of national emergency, or when no single party gains a large enough majority to govern alone, coalition governments have been formed with cabinets containing members from more than one political party.
War cabinets have sometimes been formed with a much smaller membership than the full cabinet.
From time to time the prime minister will reorganise the cabinet in order to bring in new members, or to move existing members around. This reorganisation is known as a cabinet re-shuffle.
The cabinet normally meets once a week in the cabinet room at Downing Street.
