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: S4W-21981

Asked by: Elaine Smith, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 27 June 2014
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 17 July 2014

To ask the Scottish Government, what discussions it has had with Caledonian MacBrayne regarding the rates of pay for ratings on the MS Clipper Ranger.

Transport Scotland has had regular discussions with CalMac Ferries and Serco NorthLink Ferries about pay levels for employees of SeaTruck since this was first highlighted as an issue by both operators.

We have made it clear, to both CalMac Ferries and Serco NorthLink Ferries, that we expect them to offer to pay for increases to be made to the wage levels of these crew members, backdated to the start of the charter agreements these companies have with Seatruck. However, we understand that Seatruck has still to agree to this offer.

CalMac Ferries and Serco NorthLink are actively pursuing a solution in the interests of the seafarers concerned.

Question reference: S4W-21983

Asked by: Elaine Smith, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 27 June 2014
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 17 July 2014

To ask the Scottish Government how much it cost David MacBrayne Ltd to charter the MV Hildasay from 2006 to 2012.

Question reference: S4W-21982

Asked by: Elaine Smith, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 27 June 2014
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 17 July 2014

To ask the Scottish Government when Caledonian MacBrayne chartered the MS Clipper Ranger; when the charter will end, and what the cost has been.

Question reference: S4W-21984

Asked by: Elaine Smith, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 27 June 2014
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 17 July 2014

To ask the Scottish Government how much it will cost Serco NorthLink to charter the MV Hildasay from 2012 to 2018.

Question reference: S4W-21366

Asked by: Elaine Smith, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 May 2014
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 12 June 2014

To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that, in accordance with the European Convention on Human Rights, police officers who have been found guilty of misconduct but who are not demoted or dismissed have a right to an independent and impartial tribunal.

The Police Service of Scotland (Conduct) Regulations 2014 and the Police Service of Scotland (Senior Officers) (Conduct) Regulations 2013 take into account the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) code of practice on discipline cases that should be used in all workplaces. The ACAS code of practice promotes fairness and transparency within workplaces, but officers have the right to seek redress to a finding of a misconduct process through an employment tribunal or judicial review.

Question reference: S4W-21456

Asked by: Elaine Smith, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 May 2014
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 12 June 2014

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of police misconduct hearings only being held internally, what protections are in place to ensure that they are conducted in a fair and impartial manner, and what discussions it has had with Police Scotland regarding this.

The Police Service of Scotland (Conduct) Regulations 2014 and the Police Service of Scotland (Senior Officers) (Conduct) Regulations 2013 take into account the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service code of practice on discipline cases that promotes fairness and transparency in all workplaces. In line with section 54 of the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012, these regulations were consulted with the main policing stakeholders, including the Chief Constable of the Police Service of Scotland.

Question reference: S4W-21367

Asked by: Elaine Smith, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 May 2014
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 12 June 2014

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason police misconduct hearings are only held internally, and what discussions it has had with Police Scotland regarding this.

Police misconduct hearings are held internally in line with the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) code of practice on discipline cases that should be used in all workplaces. In line with section 54 of the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012, the Police Service of Scotland (Conduct) Regulations 2014 and the Police Service of Scotland (Senior Officers) (Conduct) Regulations 2013 were consulted with the main policing stakeholders, including the Chief Constable of the Police Service of Scotland.

Question reference: S4T-00710

Asked by: Elaine Smith, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 May 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 May 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to support Devro and its workforce following the announcement of major job losses.

Question reference: S4W-21087

Asked by: Elaine Smith, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 12 May 2014
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 22 May 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it gave to the economic impact on (a) communities and (b) Scotland-based businesses of the tendering process for its publishing, print, design and associated services contract that was announced on 17 February 2014.

Historical management information confirms that the strategy adopted for publishing, print, design and associated services allows for extensive supply chain activity through sub-contracting routes with a range of local economic impacts. The current supplier has awarded business to 154 Scottish small and medium enterprises over the past four years.

As is the case with the current framework, the new supplier will also be required to incorporate Community Benefits into their service delivery. Community Benefits achievements to date on the current framework have included apprenticeships and skills development (e.g. training) through the Tomorrow’s People initiative, and working closely to support local schools e.g. printing service and paper provision.

Contracting opportunities were also made available to suppliers through the print services framework which will include up to 17 print suppliers or the design services lot of the marketing services framework which was awarded to five suppliers in June 2013.

Question reference: S4W-21088

Asked by: Elaine Smith, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 12 May 2014
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 22 May 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken to ensure that Scotland-based businesses can bid for its publishing, print, design and associated services contract that was announced on 17 February 2014.

The publishing, print, design and associated services requirement was advertised on the Public Contracts Scotland portal, which is the main portal for contracting opportunities throughout Scotland. It is free for suppliers to register on the portal should they wish to be alerted to advertisements for contracting opportunities. The advertisement was also made available throughout the EU via an Official Journal of the European Union notice.

Our stakeholder consultation exercise included the British Print Industry Federation (BPIF), who recognised that customers are increasingly requiring multi-media campaigns and internet-based communications rather than just print per se, and recommended the procurement model needed to reflect choice and flexibility to address certain, specific needs of individual end user organisations. BPIF also recommended that a supply base with broad service coverage, improved service quality, financial viability, and added value to end-users was required. The strategy to procure both a publishing, print, design and associated services and a print services framework has sought to act upon these recommendations. BPIF also confirmed they would be pleased to assist consortia of SMEs coming forward as potential suppliers by working with Scottish Procurement to provide a suitable template to enable this. The invitation to tender therefore made it clear that Scottish Procurement would consider consortia bids.