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-19026

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 September 2018
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 23 October 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what portion of its Flexible Workforce Development Fund has been accessed in each year by each sector.

Question reference: S5T-01259

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 22 October 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 23 October 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what investment is planned for the A83 at the Rest and Be Thankful.

Question reference: S5O-02473

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 October 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 24 October 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to reduce orthopaedic and ophthalmology waiting times in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

Question reference: S5W-19056

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 September 2018
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 11 October 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what assistance it provides to the oil and gas sector to export knowledge and services.

The Scottish Government and our Enterprise and Skills Agencies work closely with Scottish oil and gas companies providing support, advice, and other assistance to help businesses access international markets, including: identification of market opportunities; market intelligence and strategy support; identification of business partners and finance options, support for companies participating in international trade events and facilitating connections and business relationships.

We remain committed to working with the supply chain to be a key driver of competitiveness in the north sea and internationally as demonstrated by the Oil and Gas Industry Leadership Group, which I co-chair with industry.

Question reference: S5W-19036

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 September 2018
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 11 October 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to its news release of 19 October 2017, Pay boost for carers, what funding it has committed, in partnership with COSLA, to deliver the Scottish Living Wage rate of £8.75 per hour for overnight support hours in social care in 2018-19, and whether it plans to provide additional support.

Question reference: S5W-19037

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 September 2018
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 11 October 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to its news release of 19 October 2017, Pay boost for carers, on what date it will implement the Scottish Living Wage rate of £8.75 per hour for overnight support hours in social care in 2018-19.

11 October 2018

The Scottish Government announced on 19 October 2017, that adult social care workers will be paid the Scottish Living Wage for sleepover hours, meaning that the Living Wage will be received for all hours worked. The change is taking place during 2018-19 to provide time for it to be implemented in a planned way.

The Scottish Government is working closely with COSLA, health and social care partnerships, care providers and trade unions to support implementation of this policy. Precise implementation dates will be determined on a local basis but the Scottish Government expects this commitment to be implemented during 2018-19.

Question reference: S5W-19024

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 September 2018
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 11 October 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how much of its Flexible Workforce Development Fund was spent on training in 2017-18.

Question reference: S5W-18643

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 September 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 3 October 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-17330 by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 12 July 2018, in light of its responses to FOI request 18/02151 to 53 that the Special Customer Records policy remains under development and that an interim policy solution is being used to administer the first carers allowance supplement payments where the recipient is regarded as having a Special Customer Record, what that interim policy solution is.

Question reference: S5W-18642

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 September 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 3 October 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to the question S5W-17330 by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 12 July 2018, in light of its response to FOI request 18/02153, for what reason the Special Customer Records policy is not operational and it is relying on an interim policy solution to administer the carers allowance supplement payments where the recipient is regarded as having a special customer record.

The delivery of the Carer’s Allowance Supplement relies heavily on DWP data. DWP already have a strategy and standards in place for the protection of such records. For this reason, for the purposes of Carer’s Allowance Supplement, following the existing DWP arrangements is the safest and most appropriate approach.

More broadly, in considering the approach to other devolved benefits and all of the records that Social Security Scotland will hold, it is critical to ensure the policy is fully aligned with the Social Security Scotland ethos of dignity, fairness and respect and broader Ministerial policy whilst recognising that individuals still have a relationship with other government departments.

Question reference: S5W-19053

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 September 2018
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 2 October 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how it encourages the use of natural stone sourced in Scotland in construction projects.

Scotland’s built environment has a rich legacy of the innovative use of stone and we are keen to capitalise on and promote the use of our national assets wherever possible. The then-Minister for Business, Innovation and Energy met with the three founders of the Scottish Stone Group in November 2017, which was established to raise awareness of locally sourced stone.

‘Creating Places’, the Scottish Government’s policy on Architecture and Place advises that project clients, commissioners, designers and approvers should encourage design innovation and take advantage of locally sourced materials to facilitate sustainable development. Scotland’s built environment has a rich legacy of the innovative use of stone and we are keen to capitalise on and promote the use of our national assets wherever possible. The Scottish Government’s architecture and planning policies encourage new development that responds appropriately to its context and which reinforces local identity and character. The use of appropriate materials is recognised as a key consideration in this.