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: S5F-00004

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 May 2016
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 June 2016

To ask the First Minister what issues will be discussed at the next meeting of the Cabinet.

Question reference: S5W-00026

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 May 2016
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 31 May 2016

To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers it appropriate to enter into agreements with companies that have been allegedly implicated in human rights abuses or present a risk of gross corruption.

Question reference: S5W-00027

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 May 2016
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 31 May 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on Amnesty International’s allegation that one of China Railway Group’s subsidiaries was involved in illegal forced evictions in the Democratic Republic of Congo and whether the Scottish Government will take this into consideration in deciding how to proceed following its signing a memorandum of understanding with China Railway No.3 Engineering Group and SinoFortone on 21 March 2016.

As the memorandum of understanding does not involve any legal, contractual or funding obligations or commitments on behalf of the Scottish Government full due diligence was not undertaken prior to the signing of the memorandum. The Scottish Government was therefore not aware that the Council of Ethics for the Norwegian Government Pension Fund Global had recommended in 2014 that China Rail Group Ltd, the parent company of China Railway No.3 Engineering Group, be excluded from the investment universe of the fund. Nor was it aware of Amnesty International’s allegation that the Congo International Mining Corporation, a subsidiary of China Railway Group, was involved in illegal forced evictions in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

In the event of any specific investment proposals being confirmed or any proposals for legal or contractual agreements being brought forward both reports will be considered as part of the full due diligence that will take place.

Question reference: S5W-00011

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 May 2016
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 31 May 2016

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure, Investment and Cities said on Scotland 2016 on 4 April 2016 that the Scottish Government, China Railway No.3 Engineering Group and SinoFortone were "not at the stage of discussing particular projects", and whether it considers that this was contradicted by Sir Richard Heygate in an interview on Good Morning Scotland on 8 April 2016.

Question reference: S5W-00002

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 May 2016
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 31 May 2016

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will place in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe) a copy of the memorandum of understanding with China Railway No.3 Engineering Group and SinoFortone, which was signed on 21 March 2016, and for what reason the Parliament was not informed about the agreement at the time.

Question reference: S5W-00022

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 May 2016
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 31 May 2016

To ask the Scottish Government whether officials were aware before the memorandum of understanding was signed on 21 March 2016 that China Railway Group had been blacklisted for investment by the Norwegian Government Pension Fund Global, and whether it has subsequently contacted the Norwegian Government Pension Fund Global or considered its recommendations.

Question reference: S5W-00014

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 May 2016
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 31 May 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what large railway project Sir Richard Heygate referred to during an interview on Good Morning Scotland on 8 April 2016.

Question reference: S5W-00001

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 May 2016
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 31 May 2016

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will place in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe) copies of (a) all correspondence and (b) the minutes of meetings that it had with representatives of China Railway No. 3 Engineering Group and SinoFortone (i) in advance of and (ii) after the signing of the memorandum of understanding on 21 March 2016.

Question reference: S5W-00025

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 May 2016
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 31 May 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what its due diligence of foreign companies involves.

Question reference: S5W-00024

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 May 2016
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 31 May 2016

To ask the Scottish Government whether it carried out due diligence prior to signing a memorandum of understanding with China Railway No.3 Engineering Group and SinoFortone on 21 March 2016; what its position is on this matter, and whether it is standard procedure for the First Minister or other ministers and officials to sign agreements with companies for which the Scottish Government has not conducted background checks.

Prior to signing the memorandum of understanding, Scottish Government officials sought advice from the Scottish development international team in China and also assessed Sinofortone’s credibility in terms of their existing UK activity.

As the memorandum of understanding does not involve any legal, contractual or funding obligations or commitments on behalf of the Scottish Government full due diligence was not undertaken.

Whenever the Scottish Government is seeking to award a contract in relation to construction or the purchase of goods or services, procurement legislation sets out the criteria that can be used to select which companies will be invited to submit a bid. Criteria include the company’s suitability to pursue a professional activity, its economic and financial standing, and its technical and professional ability and include provisions in respect of when a bidder should be excluded from bidding because of, for example, conviction for corruption and/or child labour and other forms of trafficking in human beings.