- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 March 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 4 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it monitors any trends or common factors identified across fatal accident inquiries, and how it uses any such data in its policy development.
Answer
FAIs cover a number of areas of policy interest. It would be for each Scottish Government policy area to consider if a particular determination or response gave rise to further consideration or action. We would expect any public body to take cognisance of any such recommendations.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 20 March 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 4 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of how much it has spent on business (a) analysts and (b) consultants in each year since 2017-18.
Answer
Business Analysts operate across both our directly employed and contingent workforce. Within our directly employed workforce, they operate across two of our Professional groups (Professions); the Digital Profession and the Operational Delivery Profession. A definition of a Business Analyst role can be found here Business analyst - Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework
A breakdown of the expenditure on the directly employed staff in Business Analyst roles can be found here Breakdown of Scottish Government spend on Lawyers and Business Analyst roles: FOI release - gov.scot
There may also be some Business Analysts working in a temporary capacity in our contingent workforce, however our data on contingent workers is not captured at a job title level and this may not adhere fully to the definition provided above.
Scottish Government expenditure on consultants is publicly available and can be found here. Business Consultant is not a commonly applied definition in the Scottish Government.
2023 to 2024 - Government expenditure - gov.scot
Government expenditure: 2016 to 2023 - gov.scot
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 20 March 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 4 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many marketing campaigns it has commissioned and subsequently cancelled since 2019, and what the cost of these was.
Answer
Please see FOI response below detailing the paid-for media marketing campaigns that were approved to be developed and had incurred costs before the decision was taken not to proceed to launch - between 2019 and the present.
Advertising and public information campaign queries: FOI release - gov.scot
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 20 March 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 4 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has conducted on whether the consolidation or merger of local authorities would lead to improved public service delivery and efficiency.
Answer
The Scottish Government is committed to public service reform to enhance the sustainability of public services and improve their effectiveness. The Scottish Government has invited bids from local government as part of the Invest to Save Fund, and an announcement of successful bids will be issued in due course.
Local authorities are responsible for considering their own options for reform and transformation. The Improvement Service supports councils to develop capability and capacity for improvement to enhance the delivery of high quality, efficient local services.
- Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 March 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 4 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-34946 by Mairi Gougeon on 20 February 2025, whether it can now provide a breakdown of its Budget commitment to invest £5.11 million to restore rainforest.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-34946 on 20 February 2025, budget allocation for Atlantic Rainforest restoration at the project/programme level is still to be finalised. Further details will be released in due course. 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.
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 March 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 4 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the adequacy of training provided to sheriffs who preside over fatal accident inquiries.
Answer
Training of the judiciary, including the training provided to sheriffs who hear fatal accident inquiries, is not a matter for the Scottish Government but rather for the Lord President.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 March 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Kate Forbes on 4 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will undertake a feasibility study on emulating the Common User Facility (CUF) model at the Australian Marine Complex in Perth, Western Australia, and Osborne Naval Shipyard near Adelaide, South Australia, at the (a) Newark Shipyard facility, which is owned by the Scottish Ministers via Ferguson Marine (Port Glasgow) Limited, and (b) Inchgreen Marine Park, which is owned by Peel Group and operated in a joint venture with Inverclyde Council.
Answer
The Scottish Government provides a range of support to shipbuilding, marine engineering, harbours and ports across Scotland, but has no plans to undertake a feasibility study to emulate a Common User Facility for shipyards in Australia and Scotland, as the skill sets of the staff at the respective yards will differ.
This Government took a proactive approach to preserve commercial shipbuilding on the Clyde at Ferguson Marine and remains committed to invest in the skills and capabilities needed to secure a sustainable future for the shipyard.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 March 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Kate Forbes on 4 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish details of Project Chia's consideration of the social value of Ferguson Marine Port Glasgow.
Answer
The Scottish Government is fully committed to the principle of transparency and adopts the default position to publish material where possible.
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 27 March 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 4 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has assessed any barriers to implementing recommendations arising from fatal accident inquiries, and, if so, what any such barriers were.
Answer
The Scottish Government has acknowledged that there are concerns about the operation of fatal accident inquiries. In January of this year the Scottish Government announced a focussed, independent review of the FAI system. This review is to look at the efficiency, effectiveness and trauma-informed nature of investigations into deaths in prison custody.
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 27 March 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 4 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what (a) support and (b) guidance it provides to organisations to implement recommendations arising from fatal accident inquiries.
Answer
FAIs cover a wide range of policy areas and recommendations are equally wide-ranging. The Scottish Government expects that the relevant individual policy area or public body would take action in light of any recommendations.