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-03960

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 24 October 2016
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 7 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what the budget has been for (a) Scottish Enterprise and (b) Highlands and Islands Enterprise for each year since 2011-12.

A table containing Scottish Government grant funding for (a) Scottish Enterprise and (b) Highlands and Islands Enterprise is provided in the following tables:

SE cash budget since 2011-12 (£m)

	2011-12	2012-13	2013-14	2014-15	2015-16	2016-17
SG Grant in aid Funding	245.3	235.4	248.9	220.1	229.2	229.9
Additional Income	60.2	57.7	55.8	75.8	77.7	81.4
Total Income	305.5	293.1	304.7	295.9	306.9	311.3
+/- %	-1.3	-4.05	+3.96	-2.88	+3.72	+1.43

HIE cash budget since 2011-12 (£m)

	2011-12	2012-13	2013-14	2014-15	2015-16	2016-17
SG Grant in aid Funding	59.3	71.3	48.4	58.6	59.0	56.2
Additional Income	14.4	10.8	14.8	15.1	16.0	12.3
Total Income	65.2	82.1	63.2	73.7	75.0	68.5
+/- %	-11.5	+25.92	-23.02	+16.61	+1.76	-8.66

Notes:

(1) Data from annual accounts except for 2016-17(sourced from SG budget, SE’s Business Plan for 2015-18 and HIE’s Operating Plan 2016-19.

(2) The % difference is based on the budget allocation from the previous year.

(3) Above figures exclude ring-fenced DEL (non-cash).

Question reference: S5W-03466

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 October 2016
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 7 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how it monitors the compliance of businesses that have signed up to the Scottish Business Pledge.

The Scottish Business Pledge is a commitment made voluntarily by firms in recognition of shared values and ambition to boost productivity and competitiveness through innovation, internationalisation and progressive workplace practices. Information on the Pledge elements met by businesses is given in the quarterly “Business Pledge – Statistical overview” which is placed in the Scottish Parliament’s Reference Centre. Formal evaluation of the Business Pledge, scheduled for 2017, will provide further evidence of company behaviours.

As of 3 November there are 296 Scottish Business Pledge companies.

Question reference: S5W-03822

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 17 October 2016
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 4 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what EU funding is being provided to colleges for 2016, broken down by college.

SFC match

Ayrshire College

£640,000

£426,624

£213,376

Glasgow College Region

£6,123,802

£4,082,126

£2,041,676

Lanarkshire College Region

£3,891,238

£2,593,899

£1,297,339

West College Scotland

£2,451,097

£1,633,901

£817,196

Total funding under YEI

£13,106,137

£8,736,551

£4,369,586

ESF - Developing Scotland's Workforce

Lowlands & Uplands Scotland

Borders College

£210,642

£84,257

£126,385

Dundee and Angus College

£2,362,999

£945,200

£1,417,799

Fife College

£1,014,702

£405,881

£608,821

Forth Valley College

£656,981

£262,792

£394,189

North East Scotland College

£1,004,495

£401,798

£602,697

West Lothian College

£318,283

£127,313

£190,970

SRUC

£149,210

£59,684

£89,526

Total funding under DSW (LUPS)

£5,717,312

£2,286,925

£3,430,387

Highlands & Island

UHI partner colleges (including Perth)

£1,610,029

£805,015

Total funding under DSW (H&I)

£1,610,029

£805,015

OVERALL TOTAL FUNDING ALLOCATED THROUGH ESF PROGRAMMES

£20,433,478

£11,828,490

£8,604,988

Source: Scottish Funding Council, October 2016

Question reference: S5W-03825

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 17 October 2016
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 4 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government whether colleges are prevented from tendering for local government contracts if they operate a deficit.

Question reference: S5W-03823

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 17 October 2016
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 4 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how many EU nationals are enrolled in colleges in 2016, broken down by college.

College	EU Enrolments
Ayrshire College	255
Borders College	212
Dumfries and Galloway College	152
Dundee and Angus College	836
Edinburgh College	3,220
Fife College	610
Forth Valley College	488
City of Glasgow College	982
Glasgow Clyde College	975
Glasgow Kelvin College	518
Inverness College	361
Lews Castle College	59
Moray College	104
Orkney College	77
Perth College	291
Shetland College of Further Education	105
West Highland College	119
Sabhal Mor Ostaig	81
New College Lanarkshire	699
South Lanarkshire College	176
North East Scotland College	2,704
North Highland College	132
SRUC Land Based	308
West College Scotland	1,052
West Lothian College	324
Total	14,840

Source: Scottish Funding Council, October 2016

Question reference: S5W-03824

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 17 October 2016
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 4 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government which colleges operate a technical deficit in the current financial year.

The audited accounts of incorporated colleges for the year ended 31 July 2016 are not due to be received by the Scottish Funding Council until the end of December 2016.

The financial health of the college sector in 2014-15 is reported in paragraphs 59-62 of the Audit Scotland report Scotland’s colleges 2016 , which is at http://www.audit-scotland.gov.uk/uploads/docs/report/2016/nr_160825_scotlands_colleges.pdf

Exhibit 10 of the report indicates that while the sector reported an overall deficit of £28 million in 2014-15, after taking account of adjustments (including technical accounting adjustments), the deficit decreases to £3 million, representing less than one per cent of income.

Question reference: S5W-03464

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 October 2016
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 3 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how many businesses have signed up to (a) the Scottish Business Pledge and (b) components other than the requirement to pay employees at least the living wage, broken down by each element.

The information requested is already in the public domain.

Information on the Pledge elements met by businesses is given in the table entitled “Business Pledge – Statistical overview – August 2016”, a copy of which has been placed in the Scottish Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib number 57653). This material is updated and published on a quarterly basis. https://scottishbusinesspledge.scot/.

There are currently 296 Scottish Business Pledge companies.

Question reference: S5W-03973

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 24 October 2016
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 3 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take in response to the Audit Scotland report, Supporting Scotland’s economic growth: The role of the Scottish Government and its economic development agencies.

We welcomed the Audit Scotland report Supporting Scotland’s Economic Growth: The role of the Scottish Government and its Economic Development Agencies’, which formed part of the evidence base considered during phase 1 of the Enterprise and Skills review.

The Enterprise and Skills Review Phase 1 Report, published on 25 October encapsulates actions against the findings and recommendations raised in the Audit Scotland report. In addition, Phase 2 will take forward these issues over the course of its deliberations.

Question reference: S5W-03475

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 October 2016
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 2 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that each NHS board is able to manage potential treatment capacity challenges as a result of a rise in the incidence of kidney cancer.

Our ‘Beating Cancer: Ambition and Action’ strategy and the accompanying £100 million investment over five years, serves as a blueprint for the future of cancer services in Scotland, improving the prevention, detection, diagnosis, treatment and aftercare of people affected by all cancers. This work links with our tobacco control strategy and the Prevention of Obesity Route Map as evidence shows that smoking and obesity are two of the biggest risk factors for renal cancer.

Question reference: S5W-03476

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 October 2016
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 2 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to ensure that people with kidney cancer have equal access to all systemic therapies approved by the Scottish Medicines Consortium regardless of where they live.