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-10823

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 18 August 2017
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 18 September 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the result of the vote on motion S5M-05864 as amended (Protecting Workers' Rights) on 31 May 2017, whether it will set out what it considers to be “ethical and environmentally-responsible business practices”, and whether tax avoidance practices will be included in this definition.

The Scottish Government is clear that tax avoidance is not welcome in Scotland.

We are using all powers at our disposal to encourage ethical business practice and drive inclusive economic growth. Almost 400 companies have made a voluntarily commitment to the Scottish Business Pledge which sets out employers as being responsible, fair and ethical. The Pledge includes paying the Living Wage alongside a range of other commitments including innovation, equality and flexible working, and avoiding exploitative zero hours contracts.

Question reference: S5W-10822

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 18 August 2017
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 18 September 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the result of the vote on motion S5M-05864 as amended (Protecting Workers' Rights) on 31 May 2017, what action it has taken to support the Better than Zero campaign.

The Scottish Government is working closely with the Fair Work Convention to promote Fair Work and drive change in all workplaces in Scotland, which is an also an ambition of the STUC’s Better than Zero campaign.

We are encouraging businesses to become exemplars of Fair Work by joining the 399 companies who have already signed the Scottish Business Pledge. The Pledge involves paying the Living Wage alongside a range of other commitments including offering flexible working and avoiding exploitative zero hours.

We have established a new fund to reduce employment inequalities, we are ensuring women are better represented in senior and decision-making roles and we are challenging pregnancy and maternity discrimination.

Furthermore, to protect the rights of workers and limit the impact of the UK Government’s Trade Union Act, we are providing the STUC with £2.2 million to support trade unions learning and skills; £250,000 to help embed fairer work practices in Scottish workplaces; and £100,000 for equality representation and leadership development.

Question reference: S5W-10824

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 18 August 2017
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 18 September 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the result of the vote on motion S5M-05864 as amended (Protecting Workers' Rights), whether it considers tax avoidance to be grounds to cease or limit the provision of government support and funding.

Tax avoidance is not welcome in Scotland - we want to encourage a culture of responsible taxpaying where the burden of tax is shared equally and people and companies pay their tax as Parliament intended. The Scottish General Anti-Avoidance Rule allows Revenue Scotland to take counteraction against tax avoidance arrangements considered to be artificial, even if they otherwise operate within the letter of the law. This legislation is significantly wider than the equivalent UK anti–avoidance legislation.

Question reference: S5W-10821

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 18 August 2017
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 12 September 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will implement the terms of motion S5M-05864 as amended (Protecting Workers' Rights), which was agreed by the Parliament on 31 May 2017, and, if so, what specific action it will take to “make access to government support and funding dependent on clear ethical and environmentally-responsible business practices” and when.

The Scottish Government is already taking action to implement the terms of motion S5M-05864.

Making employees feel valued, rewarded and engaged in their work is good for a strong economy and we are using all powers at our disposal to encourage ethical business practice and drive inclusive economic growth. However, leaving the European Union and the employment protections it has put in place poses a direct threat to workers’ rights, and we will do all we can to ensure Brexit is not used by any UK Government to row back on the progress which has been made.

While employment law is reserved to the UK Government, Scotland remains the best performing of the UK countries in paying the Living Wage, with around 80% of employees receiving the Living Wage or more. We are progressing towards our target of 1,000 accredited Living Wage employers by this autumn and have just celebrated the accreditation of Diageo, our 900th Living Wage Employer. Almost 400 companies have made a voluntarily commitment to the Scottish Business Pledge, which involves paying the Living Wage alongside a range of other commitments including innovation, equality and flexible working, and avoiding exploitative zero hours contracts.

Furthermore, in 2015 we introduced Statutory Guidance Addressing Fair Work Practices in Procurement which requires public bodies to consider how they can address fair work practices as part of a procurement exercise.

Question reference: S5O-01240

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 September 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 13 September 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on whether it plans to legislate for the mandatory installation of CCTV in abattoirs to monitor animal welfare.

Question reference: S5F-01476

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 04 September 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 September 2017

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S5W-10596

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 04 August 2017
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 24 August 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how it (a) measures and (b) monitors the involvement of patients and users of sexual health and blood-borne virus (BBV) services, in light of this being described as “not optional” in the Sexual Health and Blood Borne Virus Framework 2015-2020 Update.

All aspects of the delivery of the Sexual Health and Blood Borne Virus Framework fall within the governance structure of the Scottish Health Protection Network, which seeks to support those organisations involved in delivery, and to monitor progress against the Framework’s ambitions through national indicator data.

For specific issues where no national indicator data is currently collected – such as for local patient involvement – the Scottish Government uses regular meetings with NHS Board Executive Leads to review progress and barriers. Local patient involvement will be discussed at a meeting of the Executive Leads later in 2017-18.

Question reference: S5W-10595

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 04 August 2017
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 24 August 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what resources it provides to ensure that patients and users of sexual health and blood-borne virus (BBV) services are involved in the design of those services.

The NHS Reform (Scotland) Act 2004 places a statutory duty on NHS Boards to involve people in planning, developing and delivering healthcare services. Boards are expected to resource patient involvement from their regular budget allocations at their discretion.

Integration Authorities are also under a statutory duty (conferred upon them through the Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Scotland) Act 2014) to ensure that partner organisations, stakeholders, service users and local communities are consulted in relation to integration schemes, strategic plans and significant decisions in a locality. They resource these activities from their general budget as needed, dedicated amounts will therefore vary from area to area.

In addition to this, the Scottish Government is funding the national patient and policy organisations Hepatitis Scotland and HIV Scotland to support patient involvement on a national and local level.

Question reference: S5W-10103

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 03 July 2017
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 26 July 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that the UK Government will allow women from Northern Ireland to access abortion care from NHS providers in England, whether it will adopt a similar position for NHS Scotland.

Question reference: S5F-01443

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 26 June 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 June 2017

To ask the First Minister when the Cabinet will next meet.