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-00761

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 29 June 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what support it provides to encourage joint working between NHS boards and local authorities in (a) Orkney and (b) the rest of the country.

The Scottish Government is providing a broad range of support – financial and practical – to health and social care partnerships.

In agreement with local government and the NHS, Scottish Government officials have begun a programme of direct engagement with health and social care partnerships across Scotland, as well as holding regular development sessions for Chairs and Vice Chairs of Partnerships to facilitate communication, relationships and learning. Further, we have commissioned leadership development support for Chief Officers and have commissioned NHS NSS to provide linked data for health and social care to local systems, and support its better use as a foundation for effective strategic commissioning of services.

The Scottish Government provides the £100 million integrated care fund to health and social care partnerships, to help drive the shift towards prevention and further strengthen our approach to tackling inequalities. Orkney’s allocation for this financial year is £410,000. In addition, we are investing £30 million each year for the delayed discharge fund, of which £123,000 has been allocated to Orkney. Our 2016-17 budget set out our plans to invest a further £250 million each year through health and social care partnerships, to protect and grow social care services. Orkney’s allocation of this is £1.07 million.

Question reference: S5W-00710

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 13 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 27 June 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-00174 by Roseanna Cunningham on 31 May 2016, by what date it will (a) set and (b) announce the emissions targets.

Question reference: S5W-00763

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 27 June 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that community health posts in remote and rural areas are protected.

The Scottish Government remains committed to the delivery of sustainable high quality healthcare in remote and rural areas. However, it is important to ensure that community health workers serve all our communities, which is why we have provided funding for 500 additional health visitors. Furthermore, the number of community nursing and midwifery staff has increased by over 2,500 whole time equivalent, or 28 per cent under this government.

Question reference: S5W-00762

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 27 June 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how many community health posts have been relocated (a) in and (b) from (i) Orkney and (ii) the Highlands and Islands in each of the last five years, and how this compares with the rest of the country.

Question reference: S5W-00711

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 13 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 24 June 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-00175 by Roseanna Cunningham on 31 May 2016, whether it remains committed to its plan set out in Aileen McLeod's letter to the convener of the Rural Affairs, Climate Change and Environment Committee on 26 November 2015 "to lay a draft setting out [RPP3] proposals and policies for meeting targets to 2032 in the Parliament towards the end of 2016".

The Climate Change Act (Scotland) 2009 requires that, as soon as reasonably practicable after setting a batch of annual targets, ministers publish a report detailing proposals and policies for meeting those targets. Targets in the period 2028-32 require to be set in legislation by 31 October 2016, or as soon as reasonably practicable afterwards.

Work is on-going on the third report on policies and proposals (RPP3) setting out how we will meet targets out to 2032, and I intend to lay a draft of RPP3 before Parliament in December 2016. The draft report will be subject to a 60-day period for Parliamentary consideration.

Question reference: S5W-00320

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 21 June 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-00087 by Aileen Campbell on 25 May 2016, how many applications to tackle diabetes have been made to the research initiative.

Question reference: S5W-00395

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 15 June 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the reported comment by the Deputy Chief Constable Designate, Neil Richardson, in The Herald on 1 June 2016 that "we have submitted papers setting out our thinking about strategy and development to the last two Private Meetings' Meetings, however, both of these have been removed from the agenda," (a) for what reasons items were removed from the agenda, (b) whether the papers were ever discussed and (c) what further opportunities there will be to discuss strategy development.

Question reference: S5W-00416

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Annabelle Ewing on 15 June 2016

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to reform the law with regard to defamation.

The Scottish Law Commission is currently reviewing defamation law and will make recommendations to the Scottish Government on the need for reform and the content of any proposed legislation. The Scottish Government awaits the outcome of the Scottish Law Commission’s review and will consider fully the terms of any report produced on this issue.

The Scottish Law Commission’s consultation on defamation law is open until the 17 June 2016.

Question reference: S5W-00391

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 15 June 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the reported comment by the Deputy Chief Constable Designate, Neil Richardson, in The Herald on 1 June 2016 that the Scottish Police Authority and Police Scotland "will not bring forward any new strategies before the election in May 2016", for what reason new strategies were not proposed in March 2016 despite the former three year plan coming to an end.

Question reference: S5W-00394

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 15 June 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the reported comment by the Deputy Chief Constable Designate, Neil Richardson, in The Herald on 1 June 2016 that "the SPA would be developing the next corporate strategy, a development which has not been communicated to, nor agreed by Police Scotland", what impact the Scottish Police Authority's development of the next corporate strategy will have on financial resources in the current financial year.

The financial resources available to the Scottish Police Authority (SPA) from the Scottish Government for the current year, 2016, are set out in the Budget Act 2016-17. The budget provides real terms protection for the police resource budget and provides an additional £55 million of reform funding in 2016-17. The SPA’s allocation of resources to Police Scotland and its interim corporate strategy were considered at its board meetings in February and March 2016.