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-24423

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 22 July 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 8 August 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how many people who have a learning disability are cared for in private care homes, broken down by local authority area.

The following table shows the estimated number of long stay care home residents with a learning disability, aged 18 years and older, in Scotland as at 31 March 2017, the latest time period for which data are available.

Estimated Number of Long Stay Residents with a Learning Disability, 31 March 2017

Local Authority where Care Home located	Private Sector	All Sectors
Aberdeen City	36	120
Aberdeenshire	60	190
Angus	33	51
Argyll & Bute	*	7
City of Edinburgh	21	107
Clackmannanshire	26	55
Dumfries & Galloway	28	28
Dundee City	59	60
East Ayrshire	71	71
East Dunbartonshire	9	21
East Lothian	14	23
East Renfrewshire	8	21
Falkirk	66	105
Fife	114	135
Glasgow City	73	179
Highland	114	141
Inverclyde	*	70
Midlothian	19	42
Moray	13	25
Na h-Eileanan Siar	0	13
North Ayrshire	52	63
North Lanarkshire	28	29
Orkney Islands	0	*
Perth & Kinross	93	162
Renfrewshire	17	42
Scottish Borders	6	58
Shetland Islands	0	*
South Ayrshire	19	76
South Lanarkshire	88	170
Stirling	26	79
West Dunbartonshire	7	10
West Lothian	11	85
Scotland	1,115	2,246

* Indicates values that have been suppressed due to the potential risk of disclosure and to help maintain confidentiality.

Source: Scottish Care Home Census, at 31 March 2017, ISD Scotland

Notes:

1. Information for the care home census was submitted by 86% of care homes registered with the care inspectorate. Figures have been estimated by scaling up the figures for Local Authorities where there was missing data.

2. Long stay residents are residents who, on entering the care home, intend on staying in the care home for at least 6 weeks. Individual short stay and respite residents are not collected by the care home census and so any short stay or respite residents with a learning disability are excluded.

3. 'All Sectors' includes Local Authority/NHS, private sector and voluntary sector.

Question reference: S5W-24399

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 July 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 7 August 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how many jobs have been created by the Workplace Equality Fund in each month since its launch in February 2018, broken down by protected characteristic.

The purpose of the Workplace Equality Fund, launched in 2018 is not as a job creation scheme but is to support employers to engage in initiatives to reduce workplace inequalities and address long standing barriers particular groups face in entering and progressing in the labour market. Activity has included for example, people with learning disabilities testing online recruitment systems of private businesses, employers embracing a family friendly working approach and business practices informed by volunteers who have experienced mental ill health.

The focus of the fund therefore was to support system change rather than to create jobs.

The 22 projects approved under the fund benefitted individuals with the protected characteristics of age, sex, ethnicity and disability. For example, 23 individuals benefitted from internships including 5 minority ethnic women and 20 women workers who were supported to improve their leadership skills to support their progression.

Question reference: S5W-24444

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 July 2019
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 7 August 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how much it has is spent on aids and adaptations to make housing accessible in each year since 2009-10.

Housing Statistics for Scotland details the total number and the cost of housing adaptations delivered by each local authority. Information on Scottish Government-funded housing adaptations carried out by Registered Social Landlords is provided to SPICe, as we committed to providing an annual update of information about Scottish Government-funded housing adaptations as part of our responses to PQs S4W-28622 on 9 December 2015 and S5W-01638 on 16 August 2016.

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-24402

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 July 2019
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 6 August 2019

To ask the Scottish Government whether it requires those arranging national sporting events, such as the Scottish Open, to provide access for disabled people who are attending as spectators.

The Scottish Government believe that a fairer Scotland can only be realised when we secure equal rights for everyone: tackling inequality is one of the Scottish Government's three priorities. We are supporting the many ways people celebrate, express and enjoy national sporting events across Scotland.

The Equality Act 2010 protects the rights for disabled people, which includes having access to venues. Information on this can be found on the Equality and Human Rights Commission Scotland website. https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/advice-and-guidance . Organisations applying for EventScotland support are required to include information about accessibility for disabled people at the event on the application form.

In relation to the Scottish Open, accessibility is a priority of the European Tour who abide by their robust Accessibility Policy with a tailored approach for each event. For example the inaugural European Disabled Golf Championship were held at the Scottish Open in July 2019.

Question reference: S5W-24427

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 22 July 2019
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 6 August 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-23833 by Derek MacKay 2 July 2019, in light of the changes to (a) the public attitude to transport use, including the consideration given by people to the modes of transportation that they use, and (b) transport legislation since 2012, what plans it has to carry out a new staff travel survey.

Question reference: S5W-24429

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 22 July 2019
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 6 August 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-23833 by Derek MacKay 2 July 2019, in light of the findings of the staff travel survey, what action it is taking to reduce levels of car use in areas with the highest rates of use.

We have a number of initiatives underway to encourage sustainable travel including:-

We have increased the amount of cycle parking at Saughton House, Victoria Quay and St Andrews House by installing new double height racks.
We have showers, lockers, changing facilities and drying cabinets for cyclists in all of our main buildings.
We hold cycle friendly employer status.
We run annual sustainable travel roadshows for staff and offer free bike maintenance sessions.
We offer personal travel plans for staff which show them the most sustainable ways to commute to work.
We have dedicated lift share spaces at Saughton House and Victoria Quay.
We offer a public transport season ticket scheme to help staff spread the cost of a season ticket over 12 months.
We operate a cycle to work salary sacrifice scheme. Staff can buy a bike to cycle to work and spread the payments over 12 months which are exempt from tax and national insurance.
We promote sustainable travel to visitors with our “Green Welcome” signage
We have live screens in our main Edinburgh offices displaying public transport information.

Question reference: S5W-24407

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 19 July 2019
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 6 August 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how many workplace parking spaces there are in each of its 12 buildings.

The workplace parking spaces at the 12 buildings of the Scottish Government estate covered by the Travel Survey in 2012 are as follows:

Building	Parking spaces
5 Atlantic Quay (Glasgow)	65
Bothwell House (Hamilton)	5 *
Denholm House (Livingston)	118
Europa Building (Glasgow)	No longer part of the Scottish Government estate
Highlander House (Glasgow)	No longer part of the Scottish Government estate
Marine Laboratory (Aberdeen)	128
St Andrew’s House (Edinburgh)	103
Saughton House (Edinburgh)	346
Strathearn House (Perth)	85
Thainstone Court (Inverurie)	53
Tweedbank (Galashiels)	43
Victoria Quay (Edinburgh)	672
Total	1618

*We are now a minor occupier of Bothwell House and have 5 spaces allocated under the terms of the lease.

Question reference: S5W-24426

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 22 July 2019
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 6 August 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-23830 by Derek MacKay on 15 July 2019, what the average use of the car parking spaces at each of the buildings has been in each month since June 2016.

Question reference: S5W-24428

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 22 July 2019
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 6 August 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-23832 by Michael Matheson on 9 July 2019, when the most recent review of its car parking spaces took place and when the next review is scheduled.

Question reference: S5W-24482

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 26 July 2019
Current Status: Answer expected on 23 August 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-23827 by Derek McKay on 15 July 2019, who it has met in the last 12 months to discuss the European Social Fund, and on what dates.