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-13074

Asked by: Mike Rumbles, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 12 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government when the earliest date is that ScotRail could be taken into public ownership.

Question reference: S5W-13073

Asked by: Mike Rumbles, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 12 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has carried out or plans of what the impact would be on (a) fares, (b) punctuality, (c) passengers and (d) public funds of ScotRail being taken into public ownership, and whether it will publish the findings.

The 2016 SNP manifesto commitment to enable public sector operators to bid for future rail contracts was re-affirmed in the recent Programme for Government which stated that a suitable body to make a bid would be identified in 2017-18.

In line with the existing UK and European legislation on this matter, we are exploring a number of options which exist in respect of a public sector bidder for future rail franchises. Discussions have taken place with key stakeholders throughout this year, and I expect to convene a further meeting of the stakeholder reference group early next year.

While enabling a public sector bid is a step in the right direction, it falls short of the full transfer of railway powers to the Scottish Parliament. We have requested these powers on numerous occasions - including in our submission to the Smith Commission. Only with full powers would we be able to consider the full range of options for structuring our railways in order to meet Scotland’s needs, and to respond fully to the fundamental issues raised in the question.

Question reference: S5W-12897

Asked by: Mike Rumbles, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 30 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its commitment to deliver 30mbps superfast broadband to every household by 2021, whether it will publish a plan outlining when broadband upgrades will be delivered for each area/house and, if so, by what date.

Question reference: S5O-01550

Asked by: Mike Rumbles, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 November 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what the impact has been on NHS Grampian's patient service record of the figures from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre, which suggest that the board's NRAC funding targets have not been met since 2009, leading to a £165.6 million discrepancy.

Question reference: S5O-01534

Asked by: Mike Rumbles, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 November 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what the difference has been since 2007 between NHS Grampian's actual funding and the amount it would have been allocated under the NRAC formula.

Question reference: S5W-12440

Asked by: Mike Rumbles, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 03 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 14 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to reducing the risk of scalding by including reasonable measures for landlords in the private residential tenancy model agreement.

The model agreement for the new private residential tenancy includes a mandatory clause on a private landlord’s duty to ensure that private rented homes comply with the statutory repairing standard. The repairing standard does not require measures to reduce the risk of scalding. Earlier this year, we consulted on proposals to amend the repairing standard, including the provision of measures to reduce the risk of scalding. An analysis of the responses to this consultation was published on 14 November 2017. A majority of respondents were opposed to the introduction of measures to reduce the risk of scalding in the repairing standard and, accordingly, I have decided against including it among the changes that will be taken forward.

Question reference: S5O-01478

Asked by: Mike Rumbles, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 November 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Parliament passing the Scottish Liberal Democrats' amendment in October following the debate on active travel, what action it is taking to ensure that every child in the country has access to cycling proficiency training.

Question reference: S5W-12185

Asked by: Mike Rumbles, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 October 2017
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 7 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what work it has commissioned or analysed on the feasibility and costs of constructing road tunnels between islands.

The Scottish Government has not commissioned any studies related to determining the feasibility and costs of constructing road tunnels between islands. However, it has jointly funded studies by Shetland and Orkney Islands Councils and by Highlands and Islands Enterprise into inter-island transport which have considered the case for fixed links alongside ferry and air services, as part of a wider appraisal of inter-island transport and connectivity.

Work is now underway to review the National Transport Strategy (NTS) to establish the strategic direction for transport in Scotland over the next 20 years. Part of that work will consider the important issue of connectivity to the country’s islands. The NTS review will inform the work to review the Strategic Transport Projects Review which will identify the transport interventions required to provide Scotland with a transport network fit for the 21st Century.

Question reference: S5O-01410

Asked by: Mike Rumbles, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 November 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the reported funding problems facing NHS Grampian, what its position is on whether providing the lowest funding share of the national average, per head of population, meets its priorities for health care in the north east.

Question reference: S5W-11849

Asked by: Mike Rumbles, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 October 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 1 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that NHS Grampian and NHS Highland account for 75% of all locum spending, what assessment it has carried out of the extra costs involved in the boards hiring locums; what action it is taking to support them to reduce the number hired, and what impact that the use of locums is having on patient care.

The 75% figure reported in the media relates only to NHS Boards in the north of Scotland. Overall, this is 35% of the total Scottish spend.

Scottish Government and NHS Boards have access to information from National Procurement and national information systems on Medical locum and Nursing Agency spending. This includes monthly reports on Board performance and contains information on expenditure and the cost of individual locums used by NHS Boards. This information helps Boards appreciate and tackle their locum spend.

In order to reduce NHS Boards spend on agency staff we have established Regional NHS Staff Banks. Currently there are around 35,214 nurses and 2,889 doctors registered with Staff Banks across Scotland and numbers continue to rise as recruitment is on-going. These Banks give Boards access to appropriately trained staff working on NHS contracts at NHS rates of pay.

We have also reviewed the Medical Framework Contract which supplies up to 80% of Medical Locums at controlled rates of pay consistent with NHS rates. NHS Boards have been instructed to use only agencies on this Contract. Boards have also implemented strengthened governance arrangements to ensure that all avenues are explored before agency staff are sourced.

Health Boards, as NHS employers, have full delegated powers to meet their service provision responsibilities, including resourcing to manage patient care, and to deliver high quality, safe and sustainable services. While Scottish Government provides the policies, frameworks and resources to help them provide high quality health care, it is for each NHS Board to decide how best to deliver those services to meet patient needs.