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-15398

Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 May 2013
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 13 June 2013

To ask the Scottish Government whether all NHS boards have agreed that the restrictions on access to cetuximab are appropriate.

Question reference: S4W-15137

Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 May 2013
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 6 June 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how many and what percentage of people who are eligible have had a national entitlement card under the Scotland-wide free bus travel scheme for older and disabled people in each year since the card was introduced.

The total number of people holding a National Entitlement Card (NEC) giving access to the Scotland-Wide Free Bus Travel Scheme for Older and Disabled People for each year since the scheme started is as follows:

2013	1,246,826
2012	1,239,648
2011	1,213,917
2010	1,185,075
2009	1,122,846
2008	1,121,689
2007	1,055,474
2006	967,304

At present 93% of those aged 60 and over have an NEC either on grounds of age or meeting one of the disability criteria.

Before 2013 the data provided from the local authority card management system did not contain all those aged over 60 as it did not take into account disabled card holders aged 60 and over. This means we cannot provide percentage figures for previous years.

The total number of people in Scotland aged under 60 who meet the range of eligibility criteria based on disability is not known and therefore we cannot provide percentage figures.

Question reference: S4W-15134

Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 May 2013
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 6 June 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of concessionary travel cards has been held by people aged 60 to 65 in each year since the scheme was introduced.

Question reference: S4W-15136

Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 May 2013
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 6 June 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how many people aged 60 to 65 have had a national entitlement card under the Scotland-wide free bus travel scheme for older and disabled people in each year since the scheme was introduced.

Question reference: S4W-15135

Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 May 2013
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 6 June 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of concessionary bus journeys are made by people aged 60 to 65.

Personal information about the cardholder is not monitored when the National Entitlement Card is used to make a bus journey, therefore Transport Scotland are unable to quantify the number of journeys made by people aged 60-65.

However, data gleaned from the Scottish Household Survey can provide an estimate that, between 2007 and 2011, 21% of concessionary bus journeys were made by people aged 60-64.

Question reference: S4W-15076

Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 20 May 2013
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 29 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken to ensure that companies shortlisted for the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route contract have not been engaged in blacklisting in relation to the London Crossrail project.

Question reference: S4W-14878

Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 13 May 2013
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 23 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government whether savings made by CalMac Ferries Ltd as a result of its proposed 25% pay reduction for shore-based staff would be subject to the clawback mechanism in its contract for running the Clyde and Hebrides ferry services.

Question reference: S4W-14877

Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 13 May 2013
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 23 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking, in light of the First Minister's remarks to the 2013 STUC congress that “trade unions are important partners for the Scottish Government”, to work in partnership with the relevant unions with regard to proposals by CalMac Ferries Ltd to reduce the pay of its shore-based employees by up to 25%.

Question reference: S4W-14875

Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 13 May 2013
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 23 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government whether Transport Scotland recommended that CalMac Ferries Ltd propose reductions in pay of up to 25% for its shore-based staff and, if so, what its position is on this matter.

Question reference: S4W-14873

Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 13 May 2013
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 23 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on proposals by CalMac Ferries Ltd to reduce the pay of its shore-based employees by up to 25%, given its operational efficiency rates of over 99% and pre-tax profit of £4.1million.