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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

Filter your results Hide all filters

Displaying 9102 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S5W-10270

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 10 July 2017
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 26 July 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5O-01180 by Kevin Stewart on 28 June 2017, how many rough sleepers there are in Scotland, and what the source of the information is.

Question reference: S5W-10269

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 10 July 2017
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 26 July 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5O-01180 by Kevin Stewart on 28 June 2017, whether it will answer the question regarding when it last organised a nationwide street count of rough sleepers.

The Scottish Government does not organise nationwide street counts of rough sleepers. The Scottish Government agree with many in the housing sector, including third sector organisations, that street counts are not a reliable or effective way to gather information on rough sleeping.

Information on rough sleeping is collected by local authorities at the point that a homeless application is made. I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-10273 on 26 July 2017 for more detail on this. 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-10272

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 10 July 2017
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 26 July 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5O-01180 by Kevin Stewart on 28 June 2017, whether its statistics division collates information from local authority homelessness returns on the scale of rough sleeping.

Question reference: S5W-10116

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 03 July 2017
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 24 July 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how many of its staff are working on an independence referendum.

Question reference: S5W-10115

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 03 July 2017
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 24 July 2017

To ask the Scottish Government which businesses the First Minister listened to when reflecting on the outcome of the General Election and, in particular, the issue of a second independence referendum; when any meetings took place; who was in attendance, and which businesses support seeking a second independence referendum.

Question reference: S5W-10289

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 July 2017
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 20 July 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on including Uber on its panel on the collaborative or gig economy, given the reported view that hiring drivers on a self-employed basis means they have no entitlement to holiday pay, pensions or workers' rights.

The members of the Scottish Expert Advisory Panel on the Collaborative Economy were chosen to represent a wide range of knowledge and expertise on the benefits and challenges of the collaborative economy. This necessarily includes members drawn from collaborative platforms, both in recognition of their practical experiences and of the fact that the most pragmatic international responses in this area have been developed when they were part of the process. The panel’s membership strikes a balance with a range of interests being represented, including STUC and Social Value Lab.

The Scottish Government recognises that the world of work is rapidly changing and that employment practices and the legislative framework need to adapt at a similar pace to ensure workers’ rights are protected and enhanced. Workers’ rights is one of the key areas that is being considered by the Panel and was the focus of their meeting on 26 July at which a wide range of organisations including Closing the Gap and GMB Union were invited to give evidence.

Question reference: S5W-10288

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 July 2017
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 20 July 2017

To ask the Scottish Government who is on its panel on the collaborative or gig economy; how often it has met; what its remit is, and when it will report.

The Scottish Expert Advisory Panel on the Collaborative Economy met for the first time in May 2017 and will meet monthly until November. The panel will present its report to Scottish Ministers in December 2017.

The Panel’s purpose is to provide advice, expertise and experience for policy development on the collaborative economy and to make recommendations to Scottish Ministers on how Scotland can position itself to take advantage of the opportunities and overcome any regulatory, economic and social challenges. The members were chosen to represent traditional business models and collaborative platforms and have a wide range of knowledge and expertise. Full details on its remit and membership can be found here.

Question reference: S5W-10117

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 03 July 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 19 July 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what recourse patients have if their Treatment Time Guarantee is not met.

The Scottish Government expects health boards to take all appropriate action to comply with their legal obligation to ensure patients are treated in accordance with the treatment time guarantee. If a patient has not received their treatment within the 12 week maximum waiting time period they should immediately contact their health boards so that an appointment can be made to treat them as quickly as possible.

Section 10 of the Patient Rights (Scotland) Act 2011 sets out the actions a health board must take where it has not complied with the treatment time guarantee. These are make such arrangement as necessary to ensure the agreed treatment starts at the next available opportunity, provide an explanation as to why the treatment did not start within the maximum waiting time, provide the patient with details of the patient advice and support available and on how to give feedback or raise a concern or complaint.

Question reference: S5W-09821

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 June 2017
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 18 July 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5T-00595 by the Cabinet Secretary for Communities, Social Security and Equalities on 20 June 2017 (Official Report, c. 5), who the members are of the ministerial working group on fire safety; what the group's (a) scope and (b) remit is, and whether all of its (i) papers and (ii) minutes will be routinely published.

The Ministerial Working Group on Building and Fire Safety have developed a website that includes the information requested by the member. This can be found at https://beta.gov.scot/groups/building-and-fire-safety-working-group/.

As stated in response to the member's previous question (S5T-00595) the Ministerial Working Group want to be in the business of providing transparency and reassurance, and we will use this website to publish relevant information and papers.

Question reference: S5W-09828

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 June 2017
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 13 July 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5T-00595 by the Cabinet Secretary for Communities, Social Security and Equalities on 20 June 2017 (Official Report, c. 5), when it will publish all of the background information relating to its letter to local authorities of November 2013.