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: S5W-31231

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 August 2020
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 26 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-30851 by Kate Forbes on 10 August 2020, what its response is to concerns that the Water Industry Commission for Scotland has reportedly been routinely breaching the guidance on air travel to London, and whether it is aware of any other similar breaches by the Commission regarding air travel.

It is the responsibility for agencies, such as WICS, to determine their own travel policies. The Scottish Government has accepted that the Commission’s current policies are consistent with the business needs of the organisation and expects the Commission to keep these policies under review. I refer the member to the answer to S5W-30847 on 13 August 2020 for information on how WICS offsets the carbon footprint of its activities.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

Question reference: S5W-31232

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 August 2020
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 26 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-30851 by Kate Forbes on 10 August 2020, what action it has taken to ensure that the Water Industry Commission for Scotland observes the guidance regarding air travel to London.

Question reference: S5W-30920

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 24 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 26 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will issue guidance on the appropriate use and hygiene requirements of face masks.

Question reference: S5W-30888

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 26 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-29782 by Jeane Freeman on 10 July 2020, how many care home residents in (a) West Dunbartonshire and (b) Argyll and Bute have received COVID-19 tests since it announced the expansion of testing, whether they were symptomatic or not.

Question reference: S5W-30964

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 26 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-30407 by Jeane Freeman on 28 July 2020, how many of the 2,000 staff who might be called on at short notice are (a) have been hired from outwith the NHS and (b) are former NHS employees.

Question reference: S5W-30887

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 26 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-29355 by Jeane Freeman on 10 July 2020, how many COVID-19 tests have been carried out at the centres in (a) West Dunbartonshire and (b) Argyll and Bute.

Question reference: S5W-31234

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 August 2020
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 25 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to questions S5W-3085, S5W-30852 and S5W-30853 by Kate Forbes on 10 August 2020, what steps the Scottish Government takes to monitor the policies of its agencies to ensure they are consistent with the published guidance on air travel to help meet the objective of this.

Under section 46 of the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009, around 180 public bodies listed in The Climate Change (Duties of Public Bodies: Reporting Requirements) (Scotland) Order 2015 must report annually to the Scottish Ministers on compliance with the climate change duties placed on them by section 44 of the Act.

The format of the required report includes whether public bodies have plans or strategies covering specific climate change topics, including business travel, as well as any targets for transport and travel.

Question reference: S5W-31052

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 03 August 2020
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 18 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what planning it has done to support businesses and employees to minimise any economic impact in the event of a second wave of COVID-19.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created an economic challenge on an unprecedented scale. The Scottish Government continues to take a holistic and inclusive approach to the mitigation of COVID-19’s economic impacts.

We established an independent Advisory Group on Economic Recovery, and published a response and implementation plan on 5 August 2020. Our response focusses on protecting jobs and supporting business recovery and sustainable green growth. In addition to our ongoing analysis and modelling, we continue to press the UK Government for additional resources and necessary changes to the Fiscal Framework.

Further economic policy measures, to support businesses and employees, will feature in the forthcoming Programme for Government as well as in our Infrastructure Investment Plan and our Climate Change Plan update. However, Scotland's established Zero-Covid approach remains the best way to address the risk of a second wave and the associated economic impacts.

Question reference: S5W-30826

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 20 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 17 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how much has been paid by the US military to Glasgow Prestwick Airport (a) in each year since 2013 and (b) to date in 2020.

Question reference: S5W-30847

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 13 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers that the domestic and international air travel undertaken by the Chief Executive of the Water Industry Commission for Scotland in the last five years is consistent with its policy of setting an example in terms of addressing the climate emergency.

The Water Industry Commission for Scotland is committed to conducting its activities in a sustainable way. The Commission currently offsets its carbon footprint by contributing to woodland being planted in Scotland. In the context of the global climate emergency and Scotland’s ambition to reach net-zero emissions, WICS will continue to seek out ways to reduce the impact of its activities, whilst delivering on its duties as effectively as possible.