– in the Scottish Parliament at on 21 February 2024.
Pam Duncan-Glancy
Labour
8. I welcome the Cabinet secretary to his new role.
To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to support access to health and social care services in Glasgow. (S6O-03101)
Neil Gray
Scottish National Party
The Scottish Government is undertaking a range of work to support access to health and social care services across Scotland, including in Glasgow. We are delivering on our programme for government commitment to increase social care spending by 25 per cent over this session of Parliament, which is two years ahead of our original target. We are also committed to building a national care service to improve the quality and consistency of community health and community care across Scotland.
Pam Duncan-Glancy
Labour
Despite that investment, many people in Glasgow—disabled people—are being asked to pay more for their social care. In some cases, they are being asked to pay 75 per cent more. I am particularly worried about that because of the impact that it is having on their poverty and their cost of living, but I am more concerned that it is happening without additional financial assessment. My constituents tell me that the increased costs are eating up around three quarters of their benefits during the cost of living crisis.
What action can the Cabinet secretary take to ensure that proper financial reassessments take place? Does his Government still believe in the policy of ending care charges? When does he think that those taxes on care will finally be ended?
Neil Gray
Scottish National Party
I recognise the situation that is faced by people across Scotland, especially disabled people, who are disproportionately impacted by the cost of living crisis that is affecting people across the United Kingdom. Across the Government—not just in my portfolio but in the likes of the social security portfolio—we have taken steps to provide as much support as we can, given the limited powers that we have available to us.
On the help that is available through social care services, I would be more than happy to write to Pam Duncan-Glancy to respond directly to the questions that she has raised.
The Deputy Presiding Officer:
That concludes NHS recovery, health and social care portfolio Question Time. There will be a short pause before we move on to the next item of business.
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.
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.
