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 759 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S4O-03531

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Cumbernauld and Kilsyth, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 September 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 September 2014

To ask the Scottish Government how it will reduce poverty among disabled people.

Question reference: S4W-22406

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Cumbernauld and Kilsyth, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 August 2014
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by John Swinney on 20 August 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what reassurance it can give public sector workers that their pensions would be safeguarded in an independent Scotland.

We set out our position on the issue of public sector pensions and independence in Scotland’s Future and in the detailed supporting paper Pensions in an independent Scotland, which we published on 23 September 2013.

Almost a year on I am aware that there is interest in this important issue, with a number of organisations being asked to provide more information to their staff. That is why this week the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing responded to questions which have been raised with him on this subject by writing to NHSScotland employees.

Firstly, as we set out in Scotland’s Future, I want to confirm that all public service pension rights and entitlements are protected and accessible and that this government is committed to providing a fair, affordable and sustainable pension and reward package to public sector employees.

In Pensions in an independent Scotland, we went into more detail clarifying that, as well as the pension schemes that are already fully or partially devolved to Scotland, on independence the public service pensions of members of currently reserved schemes who live in or work for Scotland, for example, the armed forces and civil servants would continue to be paid in full. We also confirmed that there would be no difference to individual contribution rates or benefit levels as a result of independence.

Whilst the Scottish Government has overall responsibility for the management of pensions for Scotland’s teachers, police officers, fire-fighters and NHS and local government workers and is responsible for all other terms and conditions for Scotland’s devolved public servants, pension legislation is currently set by Westminster for those, and the other main public service schemes in the UK. This means that the UK Government is able to impose its pensions policy on Scotland.

In an independent Scotland, our approach to negotiations about any future changes to public sector pensions would be positive and inclusive, in contrast with policy that has been imposed on Scotland with insufficient engagement and consultation.

In Scotland’s Future we also expressed our concern at the proposed rise in the State Pension Age to 67 and confirmed that one of our early tasks will be to establish a commission on the appropriate State Pension Age for Scotland. We will consider the impact of their recommendations on the working and retirement patterns of Scotland’s public servants and review the pension terms of all ‘uniformed’ services in that context, all within the first parliamentary term of an independent parliament.

It is also important to remember that Scotland already has the necessary people and infrastructure in place, delivering high quality public pensions. Independence would mean that future policy decisions on public service pensions would be taken in an independent Scottish Parliament and in the interests of the people of Scotland.

In summary, as the Deputy First Minister said in Pensions in an independent Scotland, independence will deliver a public service pensions system that is affordable, sustainable and fair; one that works for and with public sector employees, public service provision, the taxpayer, and the overall public finances. Independence will enable a positive and inclusive approach to negotiating public sector workers’ pension arrangements.

Question reference: S4O-03481

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Cumbernauld and Kilsyth, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 August 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 August 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the recent comments by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions regarding further changes to welfare benefits and the impact that these changes would have on poverty in Scotland.

Question reference: S4O-03454

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Cumbernauld and Kilsyth, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 August 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 August 2014

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the latest round of funding from the Bus Investment Fund.

Question reference: S4W-21679

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Cumbernauld and Kilsyth, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 June 2014
Current Status: Answered by Margaret Burgess on 23 June 2014

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-21331 by Margaret Burgess on 6 June 2014, what information it has on how many of the demolished properties were built after 1945, broken down by local authority area.

Question reference: S4W-21733

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Cumbernauld and Kilsyth, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 June 2014
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by John Swinney on 19 June 2014

To ask the Scottish Government when it will set out further details on how independence would enable it to reindustrialise the Scottish economy.

The Scottish Government published Reindustrialising Scotland for the 21^st Century: A Sustainable Industrial Strategy for a Modern, Independent Nation on 13 June 2014. The report builds on the key theme of reindustrialising Scotland set out in Scotland’s Future and Building Security and Creating Opportunity: Economic Policy Choices in an Independent Scotland. The paper considers in more detail the potential policy opportunities that would only be available with independence to rebalance and diversify the Scottish economy, in particular through strengthening manufacturing, promoting innovation, and increasing trade and investment.

Question reference: S4O-03407

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Cumbernauld and Kilsyth, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 June 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 June 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to protect from closure those schools classified as rural.

Question reference: S4W-21331

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Cumbernauld and Kilsyth, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 May 2014
Current Status: Answered by Margaret Burgess on 6 June 2014

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) council houses and (b) properties owned by registered social landlords have been demolished in each year since the current unitary authorities were established, broken down by local authority area.

Information on the number of local authority demolitions by area from 1998-99 to 2012-13 is published as part of the Housing Statistics for Scotland web tables at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Housing-Regeneration/HSfS/Demolitions.

These tables are planned to be updated for the year 2013-14 in August 2014.

Due to the limitations in the coverage of the data provided by local authorities it is not possible to accurately identify the number of registered social landlord and private sector demolitions, however combined figures across these tenures are published within the web tables to help indicate a minimum total level of demolition activity.

Question reference: S4W-21596

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Cumbernauld and Kilsyth, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 June 2014
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 4 June 2014

To ask the Scottish Government when the second report of the Expert Working Group on Welfare will be published.

Question reference: S4W-21353

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Cumbernauld and Kilsyth, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 May 2014
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by John Swinney on 28 May 2014

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish further projections of the public finances of an independent Scotland.

The Scottish Government has on 28 May 2014 published the report Outlook for Scotland’s Public Finances and the Opportunities of Independence. The report expands the analysis of Scotland’s public finances provided in Scotland’s Future by demonstrating how they could evolve over a range of time periods and under different assumptions about the division of assets and liabilities held by the UK Government and wider public sector, and Scotland’s economic performance.

The report is available from:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Economy/Publications/PSFOutlook

The Scottish Government has also published on 28 May 2014 the latest Oil and Gas Analytical Bulletin which provides a detailed analysis of the outlook for the industry over the next five years. It is available from:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Economy/Publications/oilandgas/May2014