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-18626

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 September 2018
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 25 September 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the SCDI report, Automatic…For the People?.

The SCDI report “Automatic…For the People?” provides a helpful and well evidenced contribution to debate and policy on the pace of change of new technologies and their impacts on the Scottish economy and labour market. We are already responding to many of the issues and recommendations highlighted in the report through, for example, our investment in the National Manufacturing Institute for Scotland; our support for digital skills and commitment to providing superfast broadband to every home and business in Scotland; our STEM Strategy for improving education and training in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics across early years education, community learning and development, schools, colleges universities; and, working with trade unions and employers bodies, the establishment of a national retraining partnership to help workers and businesses prepare for future changes in their markets by enabling the workforce to upskill and retrain where necessary.

Question reference: S5W-18708

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 September 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 24 September 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how many criminal investigations Police Scotland carried out in each year since 2013, and, of these, how many were dropped in the first (a) 24 and (b) 48 hours of investigation.

The information requested is not held centrally. The data we receive from Police Scotland to produce the Recorded Crime in Scotland publication is a simple count of the numbers of crimes and offences, for each Local Authority, which the police have recorded and cleared up. We do not receive information on the number of investigations which have been carried out, or the length and outcome of individual investigations.

Question reference: S5O-02388

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 September 2018
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 20 September 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the quality of the engagement with patients by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde regarding the development of proposals to centralise breast cancer services away from the Vale of Leven Hospital to the Royal Alexandra Hospital.

Firstly, it is important to note that this review is still underway and that no service change decisions have been made.

The Government has been consistently clear that the development of formal proposals must be informed by meaningful engagement with local stakeholders. The Health Board has assured us that it will work closely with the Scottish Health Council to take this forward, in line with national guidance.

Question reference: S5O-02402

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 September 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 September 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve visitor experience by working with local authorities to enhance facilities such as car parking.

Question reference: S5W-18641

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 September 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 18 September 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-17695 by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 10 August 2018, which stated that the Scottish Government would not publish its Special Customer Records policy as “the security of Special Customer Records is paramount”, and further to its response to FOI requests 18/02151 to 53 on 3 September 2018, which stated that the policy could not be published as “releasing information about this may undermine or constrain the Government’s view on that policy while it is still under discussion and development”, whether it will clarify its position and confirm whether once the policy is agreed it will be published.

Question reference: S5W-18325

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 20 August 2018
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 14 September 2018

To ask the Scottish Government when it will make the annual maintenance payment to participatants in the Forestry Grant Scheme, and what the reason is for the reported delay.

Question reference: S5W-18449

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 August 2018
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 13 September 2018

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason SEPA has suspended its policy on lochs that are impacted by high levels of phosphorous.

SEPA has not suspended or withdrawn its policy on lochs that are impacted by high levels of phosphorus.

SEPA has changed its approach to planning guidance and, where a loch is a priority for action under the Water Framework Directive, will now work with authorities on a case by case basis going forward.

SEPA’s policies relevant to phosphorus discharges to freshwater lochs are predominantly through the following documents:

WAT-RM-37: Regulation of phosphorus discharges to freshwater lochs

WAT-RM-21: Allocation of capacity and protection of the water environment

WAT -SG-91: Decision framework for addressing risks posed by excess inputs of nutrients

These documents were issued in July 2014, May 2016 and August 2017 respectively. They are are still in use and available on SEPA's website.

Question reference: S5W-18414

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 August 2018
Current Status: Answered by James Wolffe QC on 13 September 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what steps the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service has taken to keep families informed about the process in relation to fire at Cameron House, Loch Lomond.

Police Scotland appointed Family Liaison Officers (FLO) to keep the families informed about the progress of the investigation. A FLO is an experienced police officer who has been specially trained to provide information to bereaved family members. At an appropriate stage in the investigation, this role will be transferred to COPFS staff.

In the meantime COPFS have ensured that the nearest relatives have been kept advised of significant developments in accordance with the Family Liaison Charter which the Lord Advocate laid before the Scottish Parliament in September 2016.

Question reference: S5W-18448

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 August 2018
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 13 September 2018

To ask the Scottish Government when SEPA’s policy on lochs impacted by high levels of phosphorous will be reinstated or changed.

SEPA’s policies relevant to phosphorus discharges to freshwater lochs are set out in following documents issued in July 2014, May 2016 and August 2017 respectively:

WAT-RM-37: Regulation of phosphorus discharges to freshwater lochs

WAT-RM-21: Allocation of capacity and protection of the water environment

WAT -SG-91: Decision framework for addressing risks posed by excess inputs of nutrients

SEPA has advised that these documents have been in use since their inception and there are no current plans to change them. They will be applied in association with planning guidance, which will be carried out on a case by case basis.

Question reference: S5W-18415

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 August 2018
Current Status: Answered by James Wolffe QC on 13 September 2018

To ask the Scottish Government when the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service received reports from (a) Police Scotland and (b) the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service regarding the fire at Cameron House, Loch Lomond.

The Lord Advocate is responsible for the investigation of all sudden, suspicious and unexplained deaths which occur in Scotland. Where a death requires investigation Police Scotland will submit a death report to COPFS containing the background information of the deceased and a summary of the events leading up to the death. On receiving this information the Procurator Fiscal will decide what further investigation, if any, is required.

In relation to this incident, COPFS received two death reports from Police Scotland on 19 December 2017.

The investigation by Police Scotland and other agencies continues; and COPFS has not yet received final reports from them.