Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S6W-27411

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 10 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 23 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the projected costs of the Scottish Teachers' Pension Scheme (STPS) over the next five years, and whether it will outline any measures being considered to ensure its long-term sustainability.

The projected costs of the Scottish Teachers’ Pension Scheme are assessed and managed as part of the scheme actuarial valuation as directed by the UK Government. The latest quadrennial valuation of the scheme is based on data as at 31 March 2020 and was published on the SPPA website on 14 November 2023. It is available at the following address:

www.pensions.gov.scot/teachers/employers/pension-contribution-rates/valuations

The latest valuation led to an increase in the employer contribution rate from 23% to 26% for the implementation period 2024 to 2027. The rate will be reviewed again at the 2024 scheme valuation, ensuring the sustainability of the Scheme.

Question reference: S6W-27417

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 10 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 23 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to conduct a full review of the Scottish Teachers' Pension Scheme (STPS) in the near future, and, if so, what the key areas of focus will be for any such review.

While Scottish Ministers have executively devolved responsibility for the Scottish Teachers' Pension Scheme (STPS), occupational pensions policy is reserved to the UK Government and is outside the powers of the Scottish Parliament.

The STPS was last reformed in 2015, as provided for under the Public Service Pensions Act 2013. When the 2013 Act was introduced, the UK Government made a commitment that the reforms would be sustained for 25 years. Therefore, the Scottish Government do not intend to carry out a full review of the scheme in the near future, however, we continue to work closely with the Scottish Teachers’ Pension Scheme Advisory Board who advise Scottish Ministers on the desirability of changes to the design of the Scheme.

Question reference: S6W-27414

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 10 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 23 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether the recent teacher pay settlements impact the future value of teacher pensions, and, if so, what steps are being taken to mitigate any potential negative effects.

The Scottish Government does not consider there are any potentially negative effects of the recent teacher pay settlement on the future value of teachers pensions. The impact will be taken into account as part of the 2024 scheme actuarial valuation which measures the costs of the benefits being provided and informs the future contribution rates to be paid by employers in order to ensure sustainability.

Question reference: S6W-27418

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 10 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 23 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what the total percentage is of teachers who are currently not enrolled in a pension scheme.

This information is not collected or held centrally by the Scottish Government.

Whilst the Scottish Public Pensions Agency holds information about teachers who are currently contributing to the Scottish Teachers' Pension scheme, individual local authorities and other employers of teachers such as independent schools and further and higher education bodies will separately hold information on the overall percentage of their employees not enrolled in a pension scheme.

Question reference: S6W-27408

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 10 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 23 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what role the Scottish Public Pensions Agency (SPPA) has in managing the Scottish Teachers' Pension Scheme (STPS), and how teachers can raise any concerns or enquiries regarding their pension plan.

Question reference: S6W-27409

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 10 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 23 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of rising living costs, whether it is considering any measures to increase the pension payments for current retirees who are members of the Scottish Teachers' Pension Scheme (STPS).

Question reference: S6W-27398

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 10 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 23 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide details of (a) the number of paediatric pathologists based in Scotland and (b) any paediatric pathology services that have been acquired from elsewhere in the UK, over the past 24 months.

a) The information requested on how many paediatric pathologists are based in Scotland is not centrally available. Information on paediatric pathologists, employed by NHS Scotland, can be found on the TURAS NHS Education for Scotland workforce statistics site at: NHS Scotland workforce | Turas Data Intelligence.

b) The information requested on any paediatric pathology services that have been acquired from elsewhere in the UK, over the past 24 months is not held centrally.

Question reference: S6W-27367

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 23 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what barriers there have been to the implementation of placental growth factor (PlGF)-based tests, and what action it is taking to resolve any such barriers.

While there are differences across Scotland, the results following the latest update on progress towards implementation of PlGF-based testing indicate that capacity and infrastructure pose challenges for NHS Boards striving to effectively implement their plans.

The Scottish Government is initiating a new scoping exercise to better understand NHS Board’s current position in relation to using the PIGF test. Subsequently, officials will analyse the collected data to determine if further support is necessary to advance implementation plans.

Question reference: S6W-27386

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 23 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government which minister will take decisions on any matters relating to the Constitution, External Affairs and Culture portfolio that the Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, External Affairs and Culture has recused himself from.

Question reference: S6W-27515

Asked by: Ash Regan, MSP for Edinburgh Eastern, Alba Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 23 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it can provide a breakdown of its reported £21,489,000 spend on external consultancies in 2022-23, and what it predicts the costs to be in the current financial year.

Attached is a list of suppliers with spend for Consultancy. The data has been sourced from The Procurement Information Hub and includes all suppliers that fall under the consultancy classification.

Due to the wide range of services captured under the term consultancy we are unable to predict the expenditure for financial year 2024-2025.

Core Trade	Core Trade
Proclass 10.1 Level 3	(Multiple Items)

Row Labels	Sum of Aggregate Spend
7 Gen Analytics Limited	£5,000.00
ABP Marine Environmental Research Ltd	£152,728.47
AchieveGood Limited	£25,661.74
Actica Consulting Limited	£8,910.00
Aether limited	£17,768.00
Alcumus ISOQAR Limited	£6,180.00
Alma Economics Limited	£120,621.80
Anderson Centre LLP, The	£53,636.00
Animate Consulting	£25,461.23
Anita Franco	£11,970.00
Anthesis (UK) Limited	£29,513.00
APEM Limited	£12,500.00
Aquatera Limited	£16,262.00
ARMILA Sustainability Services Limited	£6,462.50
Bramble Hub Limited	£81,794.99
British Standards Institution (BSI)	£10,353.25
Business Partnership Limited, The	£84,422.46
Cackette Projects Limited	£20,695.00
Cadgwith Health Limited	£3,850.00
CAPP & CO LIMITED	£2,523.00
Civil Service Learning (CSL) - KPMG LLP	£278,150.73
CJ Williams Consulting Limited	£14,600.00
Connect Three Solutions Limited	£39,000.00
CONTINUITY SHOP	£2,745.00
Core Solutions Group Limited	£13,940.06
Cornwall Insight Limited	£25,000.00
Craigforth HCAS Limited	£257,202.75
Daniel Dearnley	£6,659.68
Deloitte LLP	£8,298,702.55
Donald Nicholson	£1,328.25
E4tech Limited	£10,000.00
EFQM UK Limited	£2,566.66
Ekos Limited	£149,845.19
Environment Systems Limited	£126,015.00
Environmental Resources Management	£28,162.43
Ernst & Young LLP	£3,917,671.36
Eunomia Research and Consulting Limited	£64,020.00
Experties InfoTech Services Limited	£5,000.00
FarrPoint Limited	£35,283.35
FD People Limited	£4,500.00
Figure 8 Consultancy Services Limited	£9,642.40
Fraser McKinlay Consulting Ltd	£8,000.00
Frontier Economics Limited	£19,600.00
FutureArk Limited	£8,740.00
Geospatial Insight Limited	£3,237.04
Glen Shuraig Consulting Limited	£38,950.00
Graham Morgan Creative and Consulting	£5,591.15
Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership	£250,902.40
Helen Chambers Consulting Limited	£16,875.00
Humanly Limited	£62,090.00
Indigo Business Services Ltd	£26,804.57
Indigo House Group, The	£17,700.00
Inspire & Impact	£3,742.30
Ipso-Facto Management Limited	£90,072.83
Ironside Farrar Limited	£81,002.50
James Harvard Limited	£558,950.00
Jenny Copeland trading as Secrets of Success	£5,300.00
Jeremy Evans Associates Limited	£1,175.00
Korero Studio Limited	£25,575.00
Lance R Guilford	£11,070.00
Land Use Consultants Limited	£26,069.25
Leigh & Glennie Limited	£12,632.50
Linda Dempster Consultancy	£16,968.75
Living Organisation, The	£9,536.49
Lloyds Register EMEA	£49,233.75
MacArthur Green Limited	£24,400.00
MainStreet Consulting Limited	£4,166.67
Martin Seddon Limited	£5,649.44
Matter of Focus Limited	£10,282.00
Merritt-Harrison Catering Consultancy	£171,712.03
Michael Fuller Consultancy Limited	£194,866.19
Mike Croft	£2,083.87
Nature Metrics Limited	£46,278.60
New Economics Foundation	£32,043.75
Nick Wright Planning	£10,000.00
NORTHLINK	£1,135.68
NQC Limited	£105,737.50
Occupational Psychology Matters Limited (OPM)	£87,727.50
On Board Training & Consultancy Limited	£14,700.00
Opsia Consulting Limited	£5,000.00
Optimal Economics Ltd	£75,550.00
Optimat Limited	£22,300.00
Oxford Economics Limited	£14,212.50
Palladium International Limited	£517,364.31
Pennington Choices Limited	£146,648.29
Personal Power UK	£7,834.78
Purchasing & Materials Management Services (PMMS) Limited t/a ArcBlue	£2,655.00
Quo Imus Limited trading as QI Consulting	£272,745.00
Resource Futures Limited	£7,747.50
Ricardo-AEA Limited	£1,585,598.88
Ridgeway Consulting	£36,991.26
Rob Huntley Planning Consultancy	£14,050.60
Rocket Science UK Limited	£128,078.75
RSK ADAS Limited	£23,490.00
RSM UK Consulting LLP	£58,374.00
SAC Commercial Ltd	£4,571,346.65
Serco Integrated Services	£6,735.00
SIDE Labs Limited	£11,000.00
Skye Conservation	£7,894.00
Sniffer	£341,667.00
Social Care Commissioning & Consultancy Services Limited	£38,310.00
Southern Uplands Partnership	£36,987.98
SQW	£33,372.50
Steve Field Planning Consultant	£11,258.00
Strathesk Resolutions Limited	£3,472.98
Sue Bell Ecology	£16,809.20
Sustainable Procurement Limited	£44,415.00
Talent Works Performance Consulting Limited t/a Silvermaple	£31,500.00
Taleos Consulting Limited	£1,305,222.50
Taylor Clarke Partnership Limited	£26,105.30
This is Milk Limited	£518,035.00
Thistle Dubh Limited	£2,025.00
Thrive Associates Limited	£33,000.00
TIMBERLAKE CONSULTANTS	£2,664.00
Trex Ecology Limited	£31,954.00
UEA Consulting Limited	£15,683.20
UK Accreditation Service	£48,229.75
Valuta Limited	£34,650.00
We are Snook Limited	£65,798.70
Well Working Matters Limited	£93,734.01
WWW.CAPITA.CO.UK	£2,727.60
WWW.KPMG.CO.UK	£3,751.92
WWW.LR.ORG	£7,286.10
Xception Management Solutions Limited	£3,825.00
Xi Engineering Consultants Limited	£18,408.00
Xpand Group Limited	£5,000.00
Zulu Forest Limited	£5,000.00
Grand Total	£26,343,459.87