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 9397 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S4W-19438

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 January 2014
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 20 February 2014

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has commissioned research into the impact of (a) board meeting times and arrangements and (b) remuneration on the (i) number and (ii) diversity of applications for public appointments.

The Scottish Government is fully committed to understanding the experience of applicants for public appointments and to developing members of the boards of our public bodies.

Although we have not commissioned specific research into the impact of board meeting times and arrangements, or into the level of awareness of our public bodies, joint research on applicant experience with the Commissioner for Ethical Standards in Public Life in Scotland has been carried out both in 2012 and 2013 and has informed our improvement agenda. Information regarding remuneration is also collected for analysis by the Scottish Government.

Prior to the introduction of the new Commissioner’s Code of Practice on 1 October 2013, all selection panel members were confirmed to the Commissioner as competent in diversity and selection matters. This responsibility has now passed to the Scottish Government. Advice and guidance on diversity issues is provided by the Public Appointments Centre of Expertise at all stages of the appointment process. Training for board members is the responsibility of individual public bodies, although, to support further development, the Public Appointments Commissioner has also previously delivered a mentoring programme for appointees.

Question reference: S4W-19447

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 January 2014
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 20 February 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what reference groups it has set up to support the implementation of Diversity Delivers: A strategy for enhancing equality of opportunity in Scotland's ministerial public appointments process since September 2008 and when they have met.

Question reference: S4W-19446

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 January 2014
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 20 February 2014

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has action plans for each recommendation in Diversity Delivers: A strategy for enhancing equality of opportunity in Scotland's ministerial public appointments process.

Question reference: S4W-19436

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 January 2014
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 20 February 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what communications campaigns it has run since September 2008 to promote diversity in public appointments and what the (a) nature and (b) cost has been of each.

Question reference: S4W-19434

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 January 2014
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 19 February 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what Barnett consequentials arose from the Chancellor's Autumn Statement and how these have been allocated.

The Chancellor’s Autumn Statement on 5 December 2013 generated the following Barnett consequentials for Scotland:-

	2013-14 £m	2014-15 £m	2015-16 £m
Resource DEL net total	+1.0	+97.8	+111.6
Capital DEL conventional	-	+11.9	+9.2
Financial Transactions	-	+9.9	+66.7
Total DEL	+1.0	+119.6	+187.5

To date the following amounts have subsequently been allocated to the Scottish budget:

	2013-14 £m	2014-15 £m	2015-16 £m
Business Rates measures announced on 11 December 2013	-	38.5	38.5
Free School Meals (all P1 to P3 - implement Jan 2015)	-	13.0	42.0
Extending childcare for 2 year olds - workless households	-	15.0	44.0
Childcare workforce expansion		3.5	-
Welfare Reform Mitigation Discretionary Housing Payments		23.0	-
Total	-	93.0	124.5

In order to meet the commitments flowing from Free School Meals and the extension of childcare in 2015-16, the current plan is to carry forward Resource DEL consequentials from 2014-15 into 2015-16 through Budget Exchange flexibilities.

In respect of capital consequentials we have been allocated £5 million in both 2014-15 and 2015-16, ring-fenced in the Autumn Statement for the Shetland Islands Council to support infrastructure development.

The consequentials include £76.6 million of financial transactions that can only be used for loans and equity investment, £9.9 million in 2014-15 and £66.7 million in 2015-16. We are currently considering how these consequentials can be best deployed and will inform Parliament in due course.

Question reference: S4W-19430

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 January 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 19 February 2014

To ask the Scottish Government when it will report on the consultation on the Independent Living Fund.

Question reference: S4O-02918

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 February 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 February 2014

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding has been distributed by the Scottish Welfare Fund in its first six months of operation.

Question reference: S4F-01853

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 27 January 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 January 2014

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to the report by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation about the number of families living below the minimum income standard.

Question reference: S4W-19222

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 January 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 23 January 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the 2013 report, Transforming Care: A national response to Winterbourne View Hospital, which examined the abuse of adults with learning difficulties at the hospital and what action it is taking to ensure that such adults in Scotland are not subject to similar abuse.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that lessons are learned from Winterbourne View Hospital. The Adult Support and Protection (Scotland) Act 2007 has been in place since 2008 in Scotland and protects adults who are at risk of being harmed. The Act requires councils and a range of public bodies to work together to support and protect adults who are unable to safeguard themselves. Since Winterbourne, the Adult Protection Policy Forum is focussing on five national priority projects in order to reduce the risk of harm.

The Care Inspectorate and Healthcare Improvement Scotland undertook a joint review to learn lessons from Winterbourne to identify any risks and take mitigative action here in Scotland.

The keys to life learning disability policy, has a number of recommendations which will improve the quality and consistency of support for people with learning disabilities focussing on outcomes. In addition it calls on all public bodies involved in providing support to those with learning disabilities to carry out equality impact assessments to ensure that the rights of people with learning disabilities to dignity, equality and non-discrimination are respected and upheld.

Question reference: S4W-19221

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 January 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 23 January 2014

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has discussed with the Department for Health the recommendations of the 2013 report, Transforming Care: A national response to Winterbourne View Hospital, which examined the abuse of adults with learning difficulties at the hospital.