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: S4W-17992

Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 October 2013
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 5 November 2013

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the 2014-15 draft budget sets out borrowing £296 million from the National Loans Fund in 2015-16 over a 25-year period and not the 10-year maximum recommended in the UK Government’s white paper, Strengthening Scotland’s Future.

Question reference: S4F-01658

Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 04 November 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 November 2013

To ask the First Minister, in light of the recent report by the Educational Institute of Scotland, what action the Scottish Government is taking to address the use of zero-hours contracts in the higher education sector.

Question reference: S4W-17404

Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 September 2013
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 9 October 2013

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-17141 by John Swinney on 23 September 2013, in what ways it monitors the use of regional selective assistance grants to ensure that “regional selective assistance will not be granted to companies that espouse the use of zero-hours contracts” (Official Report, c. 22755).

Scottish Enterprise is fully accountable for regional selective assistance (RSA). To claim an instalment of grant under the terms of an RSA offer, a business has to complete a grant claim form to confirm that project investment and permanent job creation/safeguarding targets have been achieved in respect of the instalment being claimed. This claim form has to be signed by an executive director or the company secretary. Depending on the size of the grant, some or all of the grant instalments have to be certified by an accountant independent of the company (qualified under the Companies Act to undertake audit work). The independent accountant confirms either the interim progress or final outcome of the project in terms of capital investment and full time permanent jobs created and/or safeguarded by the project. Grant will only be paid after the provision of all required documentation in respect of the grant claim and overall progress with the RSA project can be seen to be satisfactory and in compliance with the offer of grant.

Question reference: S4W-17405

Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 September 2013
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 9 October 2013

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-17142 by John Swinney on 23 September 2013, what direction it gives to Scottish Enterprise regarding the granting of regional selective assistance.

Scottish Enterprise is fully accountable for Regional Selective Assistance (RSA). RSA Guidelines have been in place, with regular updates, since the scheme was introduced in the 1980’s. These guidelines were originally developed in consultation with operating Government Departments in England and Wales. In 2009 responsibility for RSA Appraisal in Scotland was transferred to Scottish Enterprise to enable the integration of RSA with other financial support and advice that SE provides to achieve the objectives of its business plan.

The grant is discretionary and each project is assessed against scheme criteria. Approval is in line with SE approval processes and delegated authorities (which varies with the level of support being offered).

Question reference: S4O-02491

Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 October 2013
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 9 October 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how it monitors companies in receipt of government grants to ensure that they do not use so-called zero-hours contracts.

The Scottish Government is responsible for a wide range of grants either directly or through our agencies and partners. My officials are currently looking at how these are monitored and will report back to me in due course. The Scottish Government does not directly use so called zero hour contracts, nor do our primary providers of temporary employees and last week we confirmed in our proposals for procurement reform that we are looking into how these contracts are used. Employment law is currently reserved to the UK Government. We await with interest the UK Government’s response to its forthcoming consultation.

Question reference: S4W-17403

Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 September 2013
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 7 October 2013

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-17141 by John Swinney on 23 September 2013, whether this response is consistent with the statement by Fergus Ewing on 11 September 2013 that “regional selective assistance is not paid for zero-hours contracts” (Official Report, c. 22330).

Question reference: S4W-17066

Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 September 2013
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 24 September 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how many NHS managers are being offered an improved pay deal in autumn 2013.

Question reference: S4W-17067

Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 September 2013
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 24 September 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what average percentage pay increase is being offered to NHS managers.

Question reference: S4W-17068

Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 September 2013
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 24 September 2013

To ask the Scottish Government which elements of the NHS management pay arrangements it plans to review.

Question reference: S4W-17025

Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 09 September 2013
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 24 September 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how many speech and language therapists there have been in each of the last five years, broken down by (a) NHS board and (b) local authority area.

Published information on headcount and whole time equivalent of all speech and language therapy staff, broken down by NHS board from September 2007 to June 2013, can be found on the workforce statistics via the Information Services Division (ISD) website at:

https://isdscotland.scot.nhs.uk/Health-Topics/Workforce/Publications/2013-08-27/Non-Medical_Trend_J2013.xls?67409260

Published information on headcount and whole time equivalent of speech and language therapy staff, broken down by NHS board, Agenda for Change (AfC) band, age, contract type and gender, and NHS region and board from June 2012 to June 2013, can be found on the workforce statistics via the ISD website at:

https://isdscotland.scot.nhs.uk/Health-Topics/Workforce/publications/2013-08-27/AHP_Staff_J2013.xls?67409260

Published information on headcount and whole time equivalent of speech and language therapy staff, broken down by NHS board, AfC band, age, contract type and gender, and NHS region and board from September 2007 to September 2012, can be found on the workforce statistics via the ISD website at:

http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Workforce/publications/2012-11-27/AHP_Staff_S2012.xls?1158780

Numbers for speech and language therapists working in local authority areas are not centrally held.